Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) Movie Review and Film Summary

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), an A24 horror movie

Many films try to be modern. Whether it’s with an over-wrought use of social media and relevant technology, or with lingo that feels cringy and forced, there has been a heavy dose of faux-current filmmaking lately that generally lands somewhere in the land of mediocrity or forgottenness. At the same time, there’s a revival of the whodunit? genre with films like Death on the Nile and See How They Run in a post-Knives Out world.

At some point, it felt inevitable that this style and genre would eventually clash into a film that would either be zany and fun (if in the right hands) or a catastrophe. Leave it to A24 to string together a perfect cast and crew for their 2022 release Bodies Bodies Bodies, which may go down as the best iteration of both of these film categories this year.

Now there may be quite a generational gap with Bodies Bodies Bodies – one that sure made it a decisive film when it first dropped amongst critics. It is incredibly winking and self-deprecating with its commentary on class and wealth amongst a younger generation, mainly because it’s being told through the lens of a handful of rich 20-somethings. But it mixes this delicate commentary with a cast that knows exactly what type of movie they’re in.

The film stars Amandla Stenberg (Across the Spider-Verse, The Hate U Give) and Maria Bakalova (The Apprentice, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) as a couple reuniting with a group of friends at a remote mansion for the weekend. When a hurricane strikes and their innocent party game Bodies Bodies Bodies goes horribly wrong, the friends begin to accuse and question each other in the classic whodunit? narrative style.

Perhaps Bodies Bodies Bodies greatest strength is in its cast because beyond Stenberg and Bakalova, there’s a handful of inviting and promising performers, including Rachel Sennott (Bottoms, Shiva Baby), Myha’la Herrold (Leave the World Behind, Dumb Money), Chase Sui Wonders (Past Lives, On the Rocks), and boyfriends Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Marvels) and Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts). It’s a pretty stellar group of actresses and actors that seemingly self-parody this film just by being in it.

Stylistically and visually, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a real treat. The scenes are lush and vibrant, and the color design for this film is excellent. As all A24 projects go, this film finds its pocket early on and sticks to it. Even with a narrative that can feel generic at this point, Bodies Bodies Bodies excels at amplifying and hyper-intensifying the world around its main plotline.

Characters are obvious caricatures of the smarmy, ingenuine and “fake” millennial culture that streams through social media and online culture. But there’s enough sincerity and love for the cast that it doesn’t feel as if director Halina Reijn (Instinct, Babygirl) hates the set of characters she’s working with in the same way that her contemporaries do (the Coen brothers are particularly notorious and great at presenting their harsh feelings towards their protagonists).

Tonally, Bodies Bodies Bodies is an extremely tough film to pull off by Reijn and co-screenwriters Kristen Roupenian and Sarah DeLappe, but they manage to land the plane in a film that feels naturally satirical, yet sympathetic and self-loving. Even at its tensest moments, the film juggles comedy and commentary at a highly successful rate – a quality that even the biggest blockbusters struggle with at times.

Bodies Bodies Bodies lands quite well for me in the same way that contemporary programming like Euphoria does – because style and substance clash to create a palette of ideas easy to conceptualize and accept as a younger moviegoer. Many films try to relate to millennials and Gen Z-ers, but they come off insincere and preachy. Bodies Bodies Bodies comes off natural and timely, and it makes it one of the best horror films of 2022.

Score: 8/10

Genre: Comedy, Horror

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) is available to rent and own on VOD

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