Visually it is stunning but the rest was just meh for me. I thought the script was atrocious and it was tedious to sit through most of this movie. Within 30 minutes you knew exactly how this was going to play out. I get the ending added shock value and so many people went crazy for it, but it just didn't work for me. You knew Fanning's character was going to die but even though the girls literally devoured her. The final scene was laughable. It wasn't disturbing in the least. Poorly acted. (eyeball eating and all) Kudos to Nicolas for trying something different. Only God Forgives is still his best movie imo.

Overall a big disappointment considering I really enjoy most of the director's films. What are your thoughts?

I'm not a big fan of the script either. But visually, it is pure eye candy. Great music too.

Yeah the music worked for me as well. Loved the opening sequence. It was just all downhill from there lol

Overrated for sure. The only thing going for it is it's style and even that gets old when there's nothing interesting going on

^ This.

^This.....contradicts the top ten lists for 2016 among several critics (I also got it among the top for the year). It was given the #4 ranking on the year from Col Needham, who stated the following:

"A brilliantly twisted film from the mind of Nicolas Winding Refn with the perfect casting of Elle Fanning and a visual style which will blow your mind, thanks to cinematographer Natasha Braier. Another fabulous score from Cliff Martinez. I just missed this in Cannes so first seen at the UK premiere in London. ”

About halfway through it started getting lousy and then it was all downhill from there. The first fifteen minutes held some promise, but there premise was so thin there was nowhere to go. I still think his best film was "Bronson" and that was largely due to the physical investiture of Tom Hardy. Ryan Gosling looked like he was brain dead in "Drive" and "Only God Forgives" was too indulgent (and even worse, boring).

I thought it was very good, not on the same level as Only God Forgives/Drive, but probably a bit better than Bronson.

I understand some of the Refn backlash but I've at least enjoyed everything I've seen from him.

Great music, great visuals, but that's it really. Long boring scenes that never amount to much. A good effort, but the pay off wasn't worth it for me. It's no Only God Forgives, definitely no Drive either. I sound like I hated it it, but it was just a lesser product than I'm used to from this director.

I liked it. The cinematography and score are amazing, I liked the performances, and the story was good.

Crap. Had to watch a couple Ren and Stimpy cartoons to cleanse my brain palette.

It was okay for me.

Lame, I agree with what you said.

It's on par with the rest of Refn's work (that I've seen). 7.5/10

Literally its the only Refn film that I don't like. It had some things going for it of course (liked the soundtrack and cinematography with some really trippy imagery ) . Just way too ridiculous for me to enjoy.

I agree the script was bad.

Appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for the post.
The reader comments that followed your original posting on 1/11/17 validate three of my opinions:
(I) The Neon Demon is the most divisive movie of 2016
(II)The Neon Demon is the most misunderstood movie of 2016
(III) Although not the very best film of 2016, The Neon Demon was the most interesting to analyze

Upon re-reading your comments, all I can suggest is that you (and others on the board) give it another try - with a slightly different perspective. There are two ways to enjoy TND. One is to turn off the lights, turn up the surround sound and take in the remarkable sensory experience - which was what many respondents apparently did....and unfortunately stopped there.

The second way is to think about the REASON why the visual and auditory aspects were presented in such a manner. I found the acting style to be delivered in an obtuse style on purpose (and note that Jena Malone has already been awarded for her performance). The actresses were actually an accessory to this allegory, so film aficionados who crave deep dialogue over expression (visual, symbolic, auditory) may find it off-putting on first watch. For many of us (including those who put it toward the top of our lists for 2016) our opinions transformed from calling this an "effort", to an "achievement" after looking a bit deeper.
The following is a list of symbols in the Neon Demon that I picked out after seeing the film a couple of times:
1. The Moon
2. Eyes
3. Red
4. Predatory cats
5. Triangles
6. Gold
7. Blue
8. Binding
9. Strobe lighting
10. The concept of 3 (trinity)
11. Mirrors/reflections
12. Green
13. Swastika (NOT the Nazi symbol, but rather the ancient Eastern reference)
14. Frontlets between the eyes
15. Black
16. Feet
17. Water/cleansing
18. Beige/White
19. Pink

I was hoping for something more Black Swan style.

Knowing where the movie is going isn't a problem for me. In fact I mostly dislike movies that have clever plot twists. I guess if that stuff is important to you, then Neon Demon isn't your movie.

In the cinema I was in they laughed at the scene you mentioned too.

However I think the main point of the movie is that there is a real problem in society with valuing physical beauty, as the premier virtue. I just think it's a terribly sick way to live. I would have hoped that a lot of people watching it would look inside themselves and assess how they are part of that system. Do they love physical beauty so much that they would feed off the regurgitations of someone who had eaten it.

I guess the movie is set in the world capital for this new breed of morality.