Like so many others have already pointed out, this is a movie with a massive amount of potential that fails tremendously in the last act. Lets start with the good.
Barbarian has fantastic acting, great shots, great music, great atmosphere, and a unique take on a relatively simple idea. The suspense and pacing of the first half are masterful. Everything is coated in dread and mystery and you're left on the edge of your seat. All of this stays true throughout the duration of the film. It's the story that takes a hit in the 2nd half.
When the first "switch" happens, the movie tonally changes. It becomes more tounge and cheek with a lot of humor. Some of it really works and is a nice break. Some is borderline slapstick and eye-rolling cringe. As it goes on, the writer doesn't know when to stop. And this is an issue that bleeds into nearly all parts of the story. It doesnt know when to stop the humor, it doesnt know when to stop giving us information about the monster, and it doesnt know when to end.
The absolute worst part is the ending that it does decide to go with. By the time the movie is over, the monster is comical and the characters arcs are in ashes. One of the worst endings I've seen in a horror movie and you'll be left with such a bad taste in your mouth, you'll be reevaluating the whole movie. This is the reason for a lot of the 1-star ratings. What it leaves you with is such a different level of quality than what you started with, its hard to remember the gem that it started out as.
All in all, disappointing, original, annoying, riveting, all wrapped up into one cult horror movie. With a painfully bad ending. 7/10.
Barbarian has fantastic acting, great shots, great music, great atmosphere, and a unique take on a relatively simple idea. The suspense and pacing of the first half are masterful. Everything is coated in dread and mystery and you're left on the edge of your seat. All of this stays true throughout the duration of the film. It's the story that takes a hit in the 2nd half.
When the first "switch" happens, the movie tonally changes. It becomes more tounge and cheek with a lot of humor. Some of it really works and is a nice break. Some is borderline slapstick and eye-rolling cringe. As it goes on, the writer doesn't know when to stop. And this is an issue that bleeds into nearly all parts of the story. It doesnt know when to stop the humor, it doesnt know when to stop giving us information about the monster, and it doesnt know when to end.
The absolute worst part is the ending that it does decide to go with. By the time the movie is over, the monster is comical and the characters arcs are in ashes. One of the worst endings I've seen in a horror movie and you'll be left with such a bad taste in your mouth, you'll be reevaluating the whole movie. This is the reason for a lot of the 1-star ratings. What it leaves you with is such a different level of quality than what you started with, its hard to remember the gem that it started out as.
All in all, disappointing, original, annoying, riveting, all wrapped up into one cult horror movie. With a painfully bad ending. 7/10.