Intriguing photography and aptly composed soundtrack aside, I can't help but think that this movie's missing a good chunk of its plot.

[spoiler] Sure, we get that Jack and other husbands wanted their wives to be "happy", and we even know why some of those women (like Bunny) who were in the know chose to stay in the simulation, but... _Why_ did Frank set all of this up? _What_ was his end goal? Plus that part where his wife says that she was gonna take matters in her own hands led pretty much to nowhere. And what about the _mechanics_ of this whole operation? How did it even work, exactly, and how was it even sustainable in the long term? And how is it that Alice escaping it would bring everything down? She doesn't know where everyone's body is in real life...

I would conclude that, after a drawn out build up of tension and mystery, the reveal felt lacking and unoriginal, just like in the "Watcher". If you want to delve into themes such as societal gender roles and male control over women, I'd suggest watching the new "Men" horror flick, a much more successful attempt at meaningful debate in this respect. [/spoiler]

i'm still a bit confused by a lot of it

[spoiler]if it was all a simulation, then how exactly did their bodies survive in the real world? were they hooked up to some kind of feeding tubes?[/spoiler]

[spoiler]how could frank not know where these people were physically? wouldn't it be an insane risk not to find that out just in case?[/spoiler]

[spoiler]why did the cover story for the men's jobs have to be so mysterious as to arouse curiosity? wouldn't it have been easier to come up with a more mundane lie to explain what they do for a living and why it's dangerous to go there? like, i dunno, radiation or something?[/spoiler]

[spoiler]why did they make it so easy to exit the simulation? one just had to be curious enough to wander into the forbidden zone and touch this building - why didn't they put it further away from the town or hide it in a cave or at least build a fence around it?[/spoiler]

[spoiler]what was the deal with the airplane? why did alice see it?[/spoiler]

[spoiler]why did they care whether she took her pills in the simulation, when jack could just inject her with anything in real life?[/spoiler]

**Don't Worry Darling has a lot going for it, but its script keeps it from being more than a pretty coat of paint on a mediocre story told several times before.**

Don't Worry Darling is a new take on The Stepford Wives. Same basic story with some fantastic cinematography, great costuming, beautiful visuals, and committed, top-notch performances from the cast. But all that is lost in a script that gets stuck on coming up with as many ways as possible to show its characters' slipping sanity rather than telling a complete story. The plot twists were pretty easy to guess, and the finale ended abruptly without providing any conclusion or resolution for the character. With all the bright spots this film had to offer, the sloppy story squandered all its high points leaving me let down and a little bored even with an exciting climax. With that said, I'm still trying to figure out what could have been done to make this story more compelling. The Stepford Wives concept has been done several times before and seems always to fail to find a way to end with a satisfying resolution.

It is no surprise that _Don't Worry Darling_ has been marred with public controversies and poor critic reception, but is it really bad as the media would want you to believe? While I admit, there are plenty of issues in the story department, like completely abandoning certain plot details as they are introduced or leaving certain character plots half-baked to name a few, the other aspects of this film really make this an enjoyable viewing experience.

Olivia Wilde's direction is actually really well done here. I could tell that certain shots and elements were done with the specific intent to create a romanticized version of the 1950's while still giving glimpses of something sinister hidden underneath. Although it is a shame that these elements didn't lead to much in terms of a reveal at the end.

The acting is a mixed bag here. Florence Pugh and Chris Pine absolutely carry this film. Pugh carries such complex emotions and is able to show her internal struggles while putting on a pretty face for appearance sakes. It is captivating and the audience can completely be resonant with her, this connection makes her character easy to root for. Chris Pine was really sinister in this role. I have not seen him as a villain in many shows and he does a fantastic job. For whatever reason, his mannerisms really reminded me of James Spader in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and that is a complement. Pine was not giving much screen time or character development, but he does the most with what he has. Olivia Wildes was fine, do not really have any complaints really, wasn't great but wasn't bad. Harry Styles' performance is hard to pinpoint. While I don’t think he did bad, but when he is constantly sharing the screen with Pughe, he is overshadowed a lot and his deficiencies show much more.

Overall, I was disappointed with _Don't Worry Darling_ and the potential that was there to be such a special film. But it was still a good film that I had a fun time in.

**Score:** _69%_
**Verdict:** _Good_

Pretty cool, I wasn't expecting the reveal of what's really going on towards the end. Wish it leaned into the horror / unsettling aspects a bit more.