Review of Thoroughbreds (2018) by Wendy T — 09 Apr 2018

Thoroughbreds is a very solid effort, but not a successful film. It has an unreasonably fantastic soundtrack, and a few amazing visual moments (including often-talked about long pans). A transformative performance from Anton Yelchin (wasted on a spineless and redundant character) caps off my list of good things to say about it. Its greatest weakness is the device at it's center; a character completely incapable of feeling. While a.

theoretically interesting philosophical dilemma, this device fails to create a more complicated or sophisticated story and should've been abandoned. The trailer presents it as a story of two teens suffering from acute Affluenza who become suddenly, singularly obsessed with committing murder. It doesn't develop much beyond this premise, and although it is beautifully shot, there isn't much that changes between the first and last frames. It seems out of touch with most horror film history- in fact the only apparent film references are a shirley temple sequence and a possible kubrick reference- leaving the viewer to think this is meant to be seen apart from the horror genre. it's just as well since it isn't an altogether horrifying story. But it isn't raucous enough to be suspenseful or bombastic either. It fails to make any major decisions about where it's heading or what it's style is, thereby floundering in indecisiveness, an attribute that the movie itself decries as "worse than being evil".

I'm harsh, and it's fine. but it doesn't hold a candle to the greats that it's being compared to, and anything taking a stab at my personal favorite genre (horror) ought to come out with guns blazing. This one should consult with Chekhov's gun.