My Favorite Movies: Gone Girl - Does it still hold up? [SPOILERS]

When Gone Girl released last year, I didn't think much of it. It had a few actors that I liked in it, and it had an interesting idea, but nothing else that really interested me. I knew that it had fairly decent reviews on several aggregators and critics generally thought it was decent. So, one day, when I had nothing much better to do, I went to go see it out of random. That was a great decision of mine, because Gone Girl later went on to be my number one movie of the year. Let me explain it.

For those who never saw this movie or have never heard of it (I don't know how, it had a fairly wide release), I'm going to sum it up. Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is a man that comes home one day to find his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) missing. He of course sets out to find her through the help of the police, her parents, and his twin sister Margo (Carrie Coon). However, various rumors begin to unravel about the way Nick treated Amy and how their marriage truly was that goes against what Nick says, which makes the media and most of everyone start pointing their fingers at him, saying that he killed Amy. However, Nick and Margo find out through a letter left behind that Amy is in fact alive and well, and has left behind all these hints of a bad marriage to set Nick up and ruin his life, possibly leading him to jail time, or worse, the death sentence. Nick, being a pretty smart guy that he is, uses an interview to get Amy back from her ex-boyfriend Desi (Neil Patrick Harris (whom she kills to get away from, by the way)), and the movie ends rather unknowingly...whether or not Nick can trust Amy knowing what she's done to him, and what she's done to get back to him.

So yeah, it's kind of messed up, but, I think that's what I loved about it last year. I loved how crazy it got, how edgy and worn down it made that main character. That sickening twist in the middle, it was all so savory, it made my mouth water in anticipation. Couple this with fantastic acting from the main cast (including a f*%($#g fantastic performance from Tyler Perry as Nick's lawyer), and a great soundtrack from Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame, and it's a recipe for pure bliss. I gave it a 5 out of 5 stars last year, and I've watched this movie time and time again since its release on Blu Ray until the beginning of summer, when I planned to stop and do this editorial around this time.

So, now, it's been about a year since the first time I've watched it, and so, I watched it again to see how I feel about it. And, honestly...not much has changed. Just a few, very minor differences.

First of all, having read and watched some reviews for Gone Girl over the year, I noticed some of the problems that people were having, mostly with the messed up plot line and some of the casting choices. I still love the plot (especially after reading the book which the movie is based on and some of the making of stuff), and I still love each twist and turn  that the character of Amy sets her husband on. While the twist in the middle doesn't have that same lingering effect that shocked me in the theater back in October 2014, it still is one edgy little turn, that leaves me smirking more than anything. Also, that soundtrack is still amazing...you should go listen to it right now. Seriously.

As for the casting, I still loved it this time around, except for one part: Neil Patrick Harris (which was one of the most commonly complained about things by critics). In the book, Desi was a very suave, handsome, and snobbish character...and Harris only got the snobbish part right. If you know NPH, you know he's more of a comedic actor, and he just looked terribly out of place in this film, I'm afraid. The other complaint a lot of people had was about Ben Affleck...and I don't see it. He is the perfect rendition of a disheveled unfaithful but trying husband...a perfect casting choice. I just think people are looking for reasons to hate Ben Affleck (long live BatFleck).

So, Gone Girl, one year later. I think I'm still justified to have one of its teaser posters on my wall. It still remains one of the coolest and most well directed films I've ever seen, and even with that slight miscasting which I've now realized, it's still a solid 5 star film, and easily in my top ten. I deplore you to watch this if you enjoy thrillers like this...it's probably one of the best to come out in recent years, if not ever.