Disagreeably Effective: You're Next

You're Next is certainly effective - but so is a sledgehammer. You're Next was filmed way back in 2011, but didn't get a theatrical release until August of last year, where it got pretty decent reviews and some substantial buzz - so of course, when it arrived on video, my curiosity and I were compelled to check it out.

You're Next follows in the footsteps of micro-genre animal-mask-wearing-home-invasion flicks such as The Strangers, but invests a little more effort into its characters. I really wanted to like the movie - and I definitely give props to director Adam Wingard's talent. He clearly knows the genre and applies forceful directorial screws. But based on the film's rep, I'd hoped for a little more satirical gamesmanship here. Wingard (with writer Simon Barrett ) tweaks the dynamic by giving us characters you'd expect to find in a Whit Stillman or Wes Anderson movie, with names like Felix, Drake and Crispian. Are we about to be served J.D. Salinger's Texas Soup Spoon Massacre? Alas, the satire and humor is all too brief. Like last year's Evil Dead "re-imagining," while the film is undeniably clever and vigorous, it's also just too brutal and unpleasant. Having a strong female protagonist does not get you a pass on the vicious and cruel dispatch of all the other female characters. You're Next is certainly inventive, twisty and well made - and if you're in the mood to deal with the extreme violence, I'd definitely recommend it, but for me, the brutality was just too disagreeable. Wingard is clearly a director to watch, I just hope he can inject a little more humor and restraint (not something I typically need to encourage) when it comes to the skull crushing. His next film - The Guest - stars Dan Stevens (late of Downton Abbey) and Lance Reddick, so he's definitely got talent on his side. Let's see what he does with it.