Review: Bodies, Bodies, Bodies

Directed by: Halina Reijn

Written by: Sarah DeLappe

Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha’la Herrold, Rachel Sennott

Rating: [3.5/5]

Not every friendship can sustain high-stress situations, no matter how much either party wants to admit it. However, it’s only in those moments of high stress that the resolve can be truly tested and then the results speak for themselves. While not every friendship-testing situation will be as drastic as the one found in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, the film surely makes for a fascinating little study on what it takes for friends to turn on each other and settles itself as a very fun flick overall. 

With a hurricane about to hit, a group of friends stay at a house to ride it out and have some fun while it all occurs. There comes some tension when Sophie (Amandla Stenberg), who struggles with her drug addiction arrives and brings her new girlfriend, Bee (Maria Bakalova). As they play the infamous game “Bodies, Bodies, Bodies,” something goes awry and the search to find a potential killer between them turns chaotic. 

If the marketing of this feature brought you to this film then you know very much what vibe the film wants to emulate throughout. Not only be a fun slasher film, but also a comedic satirical jab at Generation Z and the general way they interact with each other, particularly during stressful situations. While the film does not necessarily poke that particular bear as much as one would expect, this film manages to create distinct characters that represent someone you probably know and it makes for some hilarious moments. 

The game at the center of this story is the title of the film, and it’s where a random person receives an indication that they are the “killer” and when the lights are shut out, the killer needs to tap someone on the shoulder, where they drop dead and someone finds the body. The game continues until the killer is identified. For anyone who plays the online game “Among Us,” it carries a similar premise. However, in this situation, something goes incredibly wrong, as in someone who actually appears dead. That’s certainly not how the game is meant to go, and it causes some obvious mayhem amongst the group. The jabs thrown in this film as this group of friends try to identify who is actually killing people in this game provide plenty to enjoy and it comes together in a finale that very much fits with the overall theme and scope of the film. 

With it being a slasher, this film is fairly light on the scares, which is to be expected seeing the killer is seemingly amongst the group. Instead, this film relies on its comedy attributes to entertain and it most certainly achieves its goal. This all occurs because of the relationships established by these characters in what they mean to each other and how quickly things get completely out of hand. The day starts with tension because of Sophie’s presence and it only gets much more heated as the night progresses. 

All the mayhem and messy relationship dynamics make Maria Bakalova’s Bee the closest thing we have to an audience surrogate and she does a splendid job in just taking in all of the madness going on with these friends and this dangerous search to find the killer but with that being said, this film belongs to one person and that is Rachel Sennott. She had a splashy breakout role in the independent film scene with Shiva Baby and she took the fame it brought her and absolutely did not miss when getting the opportunity to work in a production that would get more eyes on her. She absolutely steals the show as Alice with all of her ridiculousness with everything coming out of her mouth being absolutely hilarious partly because of the screenplay but mostly because of her delivery. Everything she does in this film absolutely works and they did a spectacular job casting her along with all of the others to create a complementary group to help this film shine. 

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies from the outset strives to become a good time and it certainly delivers on that promise. It takes a fun premise with a good young cast and brings them all together for a mysterious circumstance that truly tests the power of their friendships. The dynamics on display make this all the more fun and the ending truly puts the cherry on top of what is an incredibly enjoyable experience.