Review of Barbarians

I remember seeing the trailers and wanting to see the film. Then waiting long enough to forget every element introduced. I recommend seeing this after forgetting everything in the trailers.

For that reason, I won't speak on any plot element or character. I found it compelling. It was shot well. The classical music score added to some of the satirical humor. It was well-acted. I found the characters realistic and properly developed. It was shot very well, and I appreciated the effort that went into some of the shots.

I could very well see why so many of the negative reviews were disappointed with the lack of action in the first half. It takes half of the run time to set up the scene for the eventual action. It also introduces many symbolic elements that are never truly concluded or explained. For me, personally, I did not mind that those elements had no concrete payoff, because when the inciting event takes place, the movie became exponentially more thrilling and engaging.

I'm sure I will see it again, to see if any of the symbolic elements take on more meaning after more than one viewing. I enjoyed the experience overall and would recommend it.