AAAAAHHHHH

Due to its classification of 18 in the UK I had to sneak into the screening, which sure was an exciting welcome back to the theatre - I haven't been for a while, but will be making it a regular thing from now on - nearly getting caught only added to the excitement.
When I realised it worked, and was sitting down watching the trailers that come before, I was even more ready to see this...and wow. This. Midsommar. Uh, it's astonishing.

Midsommar laughs in the face of the horror genre even more than Hereditary did. An overly bright look and a vivid colour palette as opposed to the more traditional gloomy darkness of night time, the antagonists are always friendly and smiling as opposed to a mean-spirited monotone personality. This brings a surprisingly peaceful feeling to the film, and by the time we witness the first shroom trip, it has us immersed in this sunny, daydream feeling...and it really is one hell of an atmosphere! In fact, this brings me to perhaps counter what I just said two sentences up: maybe Midsommar isn't a horror. A lot of it is horrifying, but the same could apply to many dramas. The atmosphere feels too meditative for it to be - well, if it is a horror, it's a new kind.
I had read a few reviews beforehand and had seen some say that the film used the central relationship as an excuse to show some shocking cult stuff - I strongly disagree. This is completely and utterly about the relationship between Dani and Christian, almost from start to finish.
[I would like to talk more about this; I certainly will on one of my rewatches]

Ari's style of terror is completely for me. I have been thinking and speaking about this movie as soon as I finished it, just like with Hereditary. Speaking of which, the comparisions between the two films are rather odd. Midsommar borrows a lot of camera techniques and minor themes from his debut but they are still very different movies, very different experiences. This whole anxious yet dreamy mood does not apply to Hereditary, and because of that his sophomore feature is more hypnotic and immersive, like a drug - the run time flew by!
One thing the two movies do share however is the loud chaos of their endings, and the sheer quality of their final shots. Wow.

This is one I could talk about for hours. Lots of memorable, wild and explosive meat to feast your eyes on.