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2/5
Sam Raimi is back at it again, this time with an extended version of Triangle of Sadness’s culminating third act—filled with his well-known cinematic flourishes, avert-your-eyes gore, and iconic jump scares.
It’s a shame the script by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon can’t live up to the best of Raimi’s filmography. While Dylan O’Brien and Rachel McAdams (who they shockingly manage to make look believably unattractive, at least in the opening act) are giving 110%, the rest of the film feels like everyone is just phoning it in.
For a $40 million budget, I was shocked by how bad this film looked. Distracting CGI—especially when 80% of the film takes place in one remote location with two characters—makes it feel like everything wrong with the Hollywood machine. If this film were made for a fraction of the cost, I’d be more sympathetic, but I cannot excuse the sloppiness on display when Mona Fastvold is making an international-spanning epic like The Testament of Ann Lee for a quarter of the cost.
Yet, there is quite a bit of fun to be had here. O’Brien plays the perfectly hatable, silver-spoon-fed boss who inherits the title of President through no apparent work of his own. He’s the worst parts of corporate America rolled into one despicable “leader.” The few values he displays are purely superficial, and his comeuppance is a sight to behold.
When the tables are turned and the frumpy McAdams—O’Brien’s subordinate—seems to have been shut out of the corporate elevator, relegated to the stairs, where she has dutifully served in her role for seven years, with all the good old boys taking credit for her work and receiving her well-earned rewards, it’s almost impossible not to be entertained. Her dutiful Survivor viewing translates a little too perfectly to their tragic turn when O’Brien and McAdams are stranded on an island off Thailand after their private jet inexplicably crashes on the way to Bangkok.
On this island, Raimi hits us over and over again with his greatest hits. From the brutal hunting of a boar (including a decapitation that feels unnecessary but certainly had me smiling in the theater) to the grossest food poisoning you can think of (I’ll confess I had to avert my eyes more often than not), this retread of Raimi’s iconic filmography is entertaining for fans, but feels hollow when you realize there simply isn’t anything new on display here.
Even Danny Elfman’s score, which is perfectly serviceable, reinforces the idea that everyone here outside our two leads is simply collecting a paycheck. And why shouldn’t they? This isn’t bad by any stretch. My full theater was wincing and groaning in unison, and I found myself entertained throughout most of the runtime. But I left the theater feeling hollow. This is a fine way to waste a couple of hours, but it unfortunately does feel like a bit of a waste.
The most interesting story beats have been plumbed more succinctly—and more interestingly—in other films, including some by Raimi himself. If you are dying to see an extended cut of the third act of Triangle of Sadness, then by all means, you’ll enjoy this film. Unfortunately, I found myself losing steam by the time the final act rolled around, with a climax and conclusion that feel entirely too predictable, and downright lazy. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien deserved better here, and I fear even those who like the film will find it’s the performances alone that make this remotely watchable.