The first reviews for Olivia Wilde's upcoming thriller Don't Worry Darling are out, and it looks like there is a bit of worry in them after all. Starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, the film has been shrouded in some major controversy since its inception. All leading to a premiere at the Venice Film Festival that had more tabloid drama behind it than any other recent Hollywood release, it looks like the film wasn't quite able to stick the landing, but the journey was still worth taking. Lets take a look at what some of the critics are saying. Did Harry Styles Spit on a Bemused Chris Pine at 'Don't Worry Darlings' Venice Film Festival Premiere? Viral Video Leaves Twitterati Baffled!

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Empire: Pugh is superb, while Wilde confidently steps up to a bigger subject and budget to deliver a slick, beautiful film. It doesn’t quite stick the landing, but its flight to that point is fascinating.

ScreenDaily: Discussing in detail what those arguments are would reveal the film’s ending, but speaking broadly, Wilde plays with questions about how we perceive our lives — and how we lie to ourselves about how happy we actually are. Touching on different genres and flaunting a sly sexiness — which is especially embodied in Pugh and Styles’ lusty rapport — Don’t Worry Darling doesn’t lack for confidence. But much like the elaborate charade at the heart of Victory, Wilde’s film ends up not being all that it seems — in both cases, the alluring surface belies the hollowness underneath.

BBC: It's disappointing, as there may well be a smarter, more sophisticated film nestled in here like a Russian doll: perhaps something that's more incisive about contemporary incel culture, or the mental gymnastics required when you feel ethically obliged to dismantle a society that is designed to serve you. When Frank tells us that "modern society has smothered our true selves," it rings hollow like marketing speak, as it should: but Don't Worry Darling is similarly laden with half-baked, risk-free ideas that do little to shock or stir.

The Wrap: As a director, Wilde does an effective job of provocation, and the movie may stir up its share of worthy conversations if people can move beyond the gossip that threatened to overshadow everything else before the Venice premiere or the Sept. 23 theatrical release. But it feels as if there’s a better movie in here somewhere, lost beneath the wild-eyed freneticism and the unsatisfying exposition.

Vulture: Ultimately, Don’t Worry Darling goes for a fairly familiar twist — a revelation that will likely have already flitted across many viewers’ minds as they watched the movie. But the explanation weirdly winds up being one of the strengths of the film, because Wilde brings to it enough captivating grisliness that the twist effectively reframes most of what’s come before. In other words, it brings that bit of chaos the movie has been sorely missing. Is it enough? Probably not. But it’s not a total failure, either.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 06, 2022 11:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).