There’s been a lot of buzz leading up to the release of Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice on the 2024 movie schedule, whether it’s the changing of its original NSFW title or Kravitz finally making her red carpet debut with fiancé Channing Tatum, who stars in the movie. But now the behind-the-scenes work is done and the focus can turn to the project itself. Critics have seen Blink Twice, and they say despite some faults, this is a fun watch and a great first effort from Kravitz.
The film stars Naomi Ackie as Frida, a cocktail waitress who snags an invite for her and her friend to join tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) for a big party on his private island. The too-good-to-be-true getaway turns into exactly that. In the CinemaBlend review of Blink Twice, our own Jessica Rawden says Zoë Kravitz’s vision is super fun and chock full of leading lady energy. Rawden rates the movie 4 stars out of 5, praising Tatum and Ackie’s performances. She writes:
Travis Hopson of Punch Drunk Critics rates it 3 out of 5 stars, saying Zoë Kravitz’s career is off to a good start with a film that shoots for the moon and just barely misses the mark. Despite its imperfections, Blink Twice is still edgy and provocative, Hopson says, writing:
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times agrees the rookie director takes a big swing in her debut and says she sticks the landing far more often than not. Roeper praises the skillful way she blends satire with horror in Blink Twice, citing the film’s striking visuals and smart dialogue. The critic gives the movie 3.5 stars out of 4 and says:
Aaron Neuwirth of We Live Entertainment gives the upcoming horror-thriller an 8 out of 10 User Rating, calling it effectively gripping and darkly humorous. Not having a definitive understanding of all that took place over the 102-minute runtime doesn’t take away from Neuwirth’s appreciation of the film. The critic continues:
Sophie Butcher of Empire says Blink Twice is a seriously effective, incisive thriller that both establishes Zoë Kravitz as a bold directorial talent, and shows us a side of Channing Tatum that we’ve never seen. The critic rates it 4 out of 5 stars, writing:
The critics agree this is an impressive — though not perfect — first effort from the director, and many voiced that they can’t wait to see what Zoë Kravitz does next. Overall the good seems to far outweigh the bad, as Blink Twice holds a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes from 72 critics as of this writing. The movie hits theaters on Friday, August 23.