The psychological thriller we’ve all been waiting for is finally here: Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling.” Unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype that Harry Styles fans projected on Instagram. If you aren’t patient, this might not be a movie for you, as the big reveal doesn’t come until the last twenty minutes. 

But considering it’s starring Harry Styles and Florence Pugh, what’s not to like? You would think a film starring two gorgeous actors would be a smashing success, but due to a sorely lacking plot, by the time the subject matter actually hits you, you no longer feel particularly attached. 

But the horrific discoveries made in the last twenty to thirty minutes might make it worth seeing.  

The basis of the plot follows Styles and Pugh in a ’50s-like society where every family lives on the same cul-de-sac and the wives wake up to send their husbands to work every day. They then attend to their same cooking and cleaning routines every day, passing the time until their husbands return from work. The kicker is that no one but the men knows what “work” actually is.

The beginning of the movie allows you to feel that something isn’t right from the get-go. The relationship between Styles’ character Jack and Pugh’s character Alice is based on sex throughout the first hour of the film — something supported by Wilde, but critiqued by the (arguably) more important lead actress Pugh in a controversy that has taken over the internet. When Alice begins to notice something peculiar about her friend Margaret and the place she is living in, Jack responds in a troubling way — especially considering his attachments towards her physically. He refuses to believe her or even entertain the idea that something may be off. From here, the growing feeling that something terrible has happened continues. As the plot continues to unfold, this idea of where Jack’s loyalties really lie becomes clearer.

Even with a somewhat lacking plot, if you want to see the movie for the actors, it’s worth a shot. Not that the acting was particularly great, but there’s something to be said for the value of seeing Harry Styles in a lead role for two straight hours. His importance to popular culture cannot be overestimated. However, Pugh and Chris Pine (playing Frank, Styles’ boss) had far more notable performances. Their roles were simply more important to what little plot there was, allowing them to add more drama and substance. Styles’ role simply required that he be appealing to the eye for the most part. When he did have a moment to add dramatic value, he took it for granted, and was not as elegant as Pine and Pugh in the important moments.

“Don’t Worry Darling” certainly did not live up to the hype that it got, but it was definitely not a total blowup. Whether it’s worth the time to go see it depends on how much you want to see the actors, or if you are content to do a spoiler search and find out what the big reveal is. The reveal was certainly a shock, and not something I could have seen coming. After the reveal, the plot advanced quickly up to a not-so-satisfying end. Any way you look at it, the film certainly provoked enough curiosity to draw viewers, and that should say something about its importance.