Barbarian Review

Barbarian review.

Barbarian hit theaters in September to strong reviews and box office success. A review of this movie is difficult without heavy spoilers…which we will not be discussing here. This Barbarian review will instead discuss whether the surprising hit lives up to the hype. Barbarian is available now streaming on HBO Max and for rent or purchase on Video on Demand.

New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.

Barbarian

Directed by Zach Cregger

Written by Zach Cregger

Starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgard and Justin Long

Barbarian Review

Barbarian has a secret. Movies with a secret make for fun watches…but it also makes discussing them difficult. So much of what makes Barbarian a worthwhile watch is locked away in spoilers that it borders on “take our word for it” territory. We wouldn’t dare ruin the experience of watching the story unfold in the interesting manner that it does. As we talked about in yesterday’s Significant Other review…discussing movies so reliant on a secret or twist can make for a difficult task. So…I guess…take our word for it?

Tess (Georgina Campbell) is staying at an Airbnb in Detroit as she prepares for a job interview. She arrives at the house finding Keith (Bill Skarsgard) already staying there. A screw up has apparently double-booked the home. With no other options, Tess decides to stay the night despite her apprehension.

There is a lot more to Barbarian than meets the eye. The story shifts and twists to reveal more and more…accelerating the fun at every turn. What starts as a slow build of whether to trust a stranger eventually turns into something different altogether. Something different we can’t begin to talk about until this is no longer a new release.

What we can talk about is how well-structured Barbarian is. It reveals its secret exactly when it should, gives you a taste of what’s happening, and then moves on to something else entirely. By the time we get back on track you’re more filled with anticipation and excitement about where the story is heading. The pacing of the film is excellent.

Campbell and Skarsgard are both very good. They spend a lot of time building up the obvious tension in their situation. Skarsgard walks the line between likable and slightly off putting in a totally naturalistic way that makes you question if he’s trustworthy or not. It’s a clever set up. You’re in a situation where your instinct would be not to trust a stranger. It would have been easy for the character to fall into stereotypical creepy guy…but Skarsgard brings more to it.

Campbell does a lot of heavy lifting early. She plays into the uneasiness and tension of the situation walking the line between justifying her choices and wanting to yell “what are you doing” at the screen. The realistic awkwardness between the characters is a highlight of the early part of the movie.

Eventually, as mentioned, the movie shifts to a different gear. This is where horror fans will find their fun. Barbarian isn’t going to show up on a list of scariest movies you’ve ever seen…but what it does with its suspense and scares it does well. The movie heightens in fun and thrills as it goes on.

It’s not a flawless movie by any stretch. While the abrupt story shift works well structurally in the film, it takes too long setting up a backstory that just isn’t as interesting as the rest of the story. The radical turn in the story is a welcome addition…you just feel like what they shift too could have used some better material. With the confidence of the first act and the cleverness to cut to something new it’s just a bit of a letdown. It’s mostly…fine. There’s nothing wrong with it. It doesn’t make Barbarian a bad movie or anything like that…it just makes it a very good movie that was dangerously close to being even more.

With a good first act build and a nice, but slightly disappointing, second half shift in narrative…we reach the third act. Again, we find ourselves unable to discuss anything that happens…but the third act is where most of the fun of Barbarian takes place. It ups the craziness enough to feel like a worthy finish. It gets a tad absurd in the end…but by that point you’ve been on a well-crafted ride and are on board.

Scare Value

Barbarian is definitely worth your time. It marks a great genre debut for writer/director Zach Cregger. We purposely avoided spoiler talk in this Barbarian review in hopes that you will experience the surprising unfolding narrative for yourself. You’re likely to be happy that you did. Featuring strong lead performances and a confident structure, Barbarian overcomes some slight missteps to deliver a very good overall package.

3.5/5