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This film holds interest throughout, but it is not a good film. The visuals are stunning. Many intriguing ideas float about in this film, but the film stridently avoids having a thesis. The cast may have done the best anyone could do delivering a steady stream of turgid dialogue, but the performances nonetheless do not congeal into convincing characters. The live performance part of the ultimate experience is an unnecessary gimmick that distracts from - rather than enhances - the viewing experience.

The city of New Rome is the main conflict between Cesar Catilina, a brilliant artist in favor of a utopian future, and the greedy mayor Franklyn Cicero. Between them is Julia Cicero, her loyalty divided between her father and her beloved.

The impressive parts of BLINK TWICE do not add up to a satisfying whole. This is a visually appealing film filled with solid performances by accomplished actors. It also is a weird film devoid of thrills, tension, frights, or emotions. Though the performances are good, the characters are undefined. Without improving on them, the script cribs from GLASS ONION, THE MENU, and other limited location thrillers.

When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It's paradise. Wild nights blend into sun-soaked days and everyone's having a great time. Nobody wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. Something is wrong with this place. She'll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.

Except for some questionable de-aging effects, this is a generally well-mounted, ambitious production. Condensing the life of one of the nation's oldest presidents into a feature film runtime necessitated jettisoning many facets of his life and political career. While the film mostly made wise decisions, critics will take note of the absence of almost anything that could seem critical of Ronald Reagan. Penelope Ann Miller gives an excellent, moving, believable portrayal of Nancy Reagan. Dennis Quaid's performance is less consistent, and he never delivers a political speech as compelling as Reagan's original delivery of the same words.