If you have not been living under a rock, chances are that you have heard of the movie Saltburn. While the movie officially released early on in 2023, its popularity did not catch fire until it was released for free on Amazon Prime in early December. Social media platforms quickly latched on to the movie, with numerous posts about a few of the shocking scenes that take place. Furthermore, the performances by Barry Keogan and Jacob Elordi were often pointed out by these social media posts as fantastic. 

   The plot of Saltburn is extremely simple. Barry Keogan stars as Oliver Quick, who starts the movie as a socially awkward, poor student at Oxford. He quickly develops an obsession with his classmate Felix Catton, played by Jacob Elordi. The two become very close throughout their time at Oxford, and the wealthy Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his estate: Saltburn. From there, the plot takes many shocking twists and turns, which this review will keep concealed, as Saltburn is definitely a movie best served by the viewer knowing as little as possible about how the story unfolds.

   Saltburn’s twist-filled story is complemented by its fantastic performances by the entire cast, as well as its beautiful cinematography. The movie is shot in an unorthodox 4:3 aspect ratio, which is essentially the size the film appears on the screen. In short, this aspect ratio leads to the boxy look of the movie, which in turn leads to an effectively uneasy feeling settling over even the most lavish shots of the film. 

   However, Saltburn is far from a perfect movie. While it desires to have nuanced social commentary about the wealthy and class separation infused within its story, the commentary it does offer up feels shallow and has been done many times before by movies like Knives Out. Furthermore, some of the twists revealed in the final act of the movie did not sit well with many viewers, as these twists undermined some of the emotional beats that occurred in the earlier portions of the movie. 

   Overall, Saltburn is a very enjoyable, well shot movie if viewers are okay with a few very shocking scenes and a messy final act. If people are looking for well thought out social commentary, however, they would be much better served by films such as Triangle of Sadness or the previously mentioned Knives Out.