The Neon Demon – I obviously didn’t get it

Sometimes when I watch a film and totally dislike it, I feel really bad. ‘The Neon Demon’ is one such example.  I’ve checked out other people’s reviews and there are those out there who clearly loved it.  And I can see why.  It’s visually amazingly and disturbingly creepy.  And yet I still found it a chore to sit through.  In short… I found it dull.

It’s about a young girl getting into the seedy underbelly of the modelling industry and encountering the sleazy men who dominate it and the catty women who already exist in it.  I know a deliberately slow pace can be used to great effect in order to create tension, mood and atmosphere.  However, as I said above, I just wanted something to come along and ‘properly’ move the story along.

So, I sat through it and berated myself for not liking it more.  It’s very tempting to have a go at modern cinema audiences for only wanting ‘simple’ films with plots that involve car chases, punch-ups and a damsel in distress.  I like to think my taste does incorporate a little more than the next Michael Bay disaster film.  However, there are times when a more ‘linier’ story is needed.  I felt that this is one of those times.  And, it’s a shame.  I’ll say again how much I enjoyed watching the shots.  They truly are well crafted to perfection and intensely creepy.  It’s just not much happens quickly enough.

There are nice moments of satire in the dialogue between the models, but it wasn’t enough for me. Basically, if you’re thinking of watching this, you need to be aware that it’s very ‘feel’ over story.  It’s like an ‘art movie’ where it leaves you to fill in a lot of the action yourself and interpret characters’ actions as you will.  It does look great though and should be shown to anyone looking to get into film and create artistically-awesome shots which create mood and atmosphere.

4/10 You can watch this film while you're doing the ironing (you'll still get the general gist of it)