Saltburn (2023)

Fennell’s deliciously dark comedy is a heady joy that skewers the English class system with sharp wit and captures the hollowness beneath the wealthy’s cosseted lives, buoyed by strong performances.

The class satire is diabolically clever with ingenious twists and gleefully derisive attention to the mansion's absurdities, but there is a void at its center as the protagonist remains a blank vessel for obvious class anxiety and sexual desire. The implied film with deeper psychology and motives is better than the actual one, which feels like an elaborately decorated simulacrum.

Tries to pass off bombastic provocations as a substitute for interesting observations about class and identity; a banal bacchanal that prioritizes aesthetics over analysis.

Derivative dramedy that fails to hit the mark despite strong performances; fumbles character construction and misjudges the audience's intellect.

Fennell's stylish second feature starts as an entertaining dramedy about class but veers into ridiculousness, feeling hollow and frustrating in its understanding of class dynamics beneath its glamorous veneer.

The critic finds the film full of strong vibes and seductive imagery but ultimately silly and empty, with a fondness for button-pushing endings that undermine the buildup. It is more about luscious montages of rich life than meaningful provocation.

The critic praises the confident direction, vivid noughties setting, charismatic cast and visual style, but faults the thin characters, clunky dialogue and writing that prioritizes shocks over substance, leaving a mixed impression.

The critic calls the film a deliciously twisty and ridiculous tale of overprivilege, highlighting its strong cast, aesthetic pleasures and gifted direction while noting its familiarity and focus on class, desire and deception.

A splashy satire of wealth and privilege that feels like Highsmith without the wit, dabbling in class and psychology with shock tactics but little insight, though the comic register with supporting cast is hugely enjoyable.

The critic describes a cold-blooded heart-clencher about inequality and class envy in which one vulture swoops in to feed. It singles out the precise direction, editing, and needle drops along with the nerve-racking transgressive sex scenes and strong performances for praise.

Fennell delivers a spikily entertaining, narratively rackety class satire drawing from Waugh and Highsmith, led by a formidable Barry Keoghan and featuring richly comic turns from the ensemble.

The critic finds Fennell’s eat-the-rich satire tired, showy and hollow, with superficial characters and flashy but meaningless visuals that fail to deliver genuine drama or tension.

Fennell's follow-up indulges in an untrammelled, wayward tale lacking character coherence, logic and pacing. Rosamund Pike as Elspeth provides some perverse pleasures as a gloriously rude presence.

The critic calls it a stylish but derivative and ultimately silly patchwork of borrowed ideas from films like Brideshead Revisited and The Talented Mr. Ripley. It is juicy and often wickedly funny, especially thanks to the supporting turns from Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant, but lacks real insight.

The critic finds the film seductive and stylish to watch, with strong performances and visual flair, but ultimately unfocused and condescending, treating characters as pawns in uneven plotting that lacks real emotional depth or perceptive class commentary.

The critic enjoyed the film as a deliberately jocular, silly gothic campus and great-house tale whose transgressive elements and plot are diversions from its candy-coated form. She singles out its sumptuous, gleeful style for praise over any deeper satirical content.

Fennell's anarchic class satire is a macabre, uproarious Brideshead regurgitated that is outrageously watchable, drunk on its own daring with terrific performances and fearless visuals.

Fennell takes judicious swipes at grotesque privilege in a biting film propped up by one-liners and deranged charms of the Catton family, though Oliver is a nonsense character.

The critic finds the film big on style but thin on substance, a vicious 'Talented Mr. Ripley' knockoff with attitude but nothing new to say. It praises the splashy look, visual sense, and colorful performances while criticizing the lack of originality, plausible psychology, and failure to rise above similar films.

Fennell delivers a bold, audacious, fearless film with spectacular performances, especially Keoghan, pushing boundaries in a wild, operatic way, ripping the ruling class, though with minor quibbles on length.

The critic calls the film one of 2023's bleakest comedies and a seductive monster movie in the vein of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley stories. They single out Barry Keoghan's outstanding, riveting performance as the cunning, morally bankrupt lead for particular praise.

The critic finds Saltburn a gloriously trashy and sexy thriller that's hugely enjoyable as pure entertainment, praising its handsome visuals, strong casting especially Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi, and camp approach to masculinity, while noting it's not substantial or deep.

The critic finds Emerald Fennell's follow-up to Promising Young Woman an intoxicating, funny satire of class and obsession that builds to shocking brutality and a gripping finale. They single out Rosamund Pike's hilarious supporting performance as the film's standout element.

The film lacks deeper meaning or bite and adds nothing new to the recent wave of 'eat the rich' stories. It stands out for its strong cast performances, exquisite cinematography, and the amusing juxtaposition of opulent estates with modern banalities and pop culture.

Fennell delivers heaps of directorial finesse and agile vision in this eccentric, gaudy gothic dark comedy that feels marvelously British. Barry Keoghan is brilliant as the intense, duplicitous lead, though the film stumbles with over-explained twists and an odd aspect ratio.

Saltburn offers a glorious, alluring surface with a sexy cast and psychosexual games but feels like an uneven gumbo that gestures toward satire without landing deeper blows. The provocative clash of old and new is noted but ultimately shallow.

The critic finds Emerald Fennell’s sophomore feature a vibrant if familiar class satire with an undeniable life force and strong direction, though the story trajectory feels overwrought and the tone shifts awkwardly in the second half. Keoghan’s lead performance and the lively writing are singled out for praise amid some eccentric casting choices that disrupt the balance.