Review of The Neon Demon (2016) by Crystal C — 04 Jul 2016

The Neon Demon is a beautiful movie that sucks you in with its visuals to tell a morbid but entrapping story. The plot certainly has been done before, however Refn's stylized take on a Narcissian tale is just too stunning to overlook.

Combined with a hypnotic score, some of the visuals created a dream-like euphoria that conveyed more than words ever could. The simplest way I can put it is that the visuals tell more of the story than the actual plot.

That may sound like a criticism but it shouldn't be taken as such. The dialogue can be stale at times, however I think that there is a great deal of development between the lines. Much more is done with silence than with actual conversations, and in an age where so many movies are packed with unnecessary exposition, narration, or conversations, I found this truly refreshing.

It certainly has its faults, for instance while grotesqueness was one of the tools Refn used to make his point there were some scenes that just seem over the top. But I can easily forgive them for the genuine thrill that this movie creates.

Overall the Neon Demon is an entrancing and unnerving experience, and I would absolutely see it again.