Blink Twice (2024)

Blink Twice spends its first half looking like the fanciest vacation ad ever made, and that’s the trick. Zoë Kravitz’s directing debut follows Frida, a cocktail waitress and nail artist, who catches the eye of tech billionaire Slater King at a gala and lands an invite to his private island with her friend Jess. Phones get collected the moment they arrive. It’s a dream getaway that isn’t what it seems, and saying more would wreck it. Naomi Ackie holds the center with sharp, quiet suspicion, and Channing Tatum is unsettlingly smooth as Slater. The opening stretch drags, one critic compared it to a dull reality show, and the plot has holes if you poke at them. The last act is where Kravitz cuts loose. It holds a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes and made $48.09 million worldwide on a reported $20 million. A 6.4 because the ending hits harder than the slow road there. $30.52 says you never hand your phone over at a party door again without a long pause.

What works: Kravitz directs with real confidence, Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum are strong, and the final act lands with force.

What doesn’t: The first half drags, and the plot comes apart a little if you stop to think about how any of it works.

Who it’s for: Adult viewers with patience for a slow first half and an ending that flips the whole trip around.