Under the Radar's excellent film "Missing" arrived on Netflix on Saturday, May 20, and was quickly discovered by online viewers Just a few days ago, it was No 1 on Netflix's list of top US movies, and it had held the No 2 spot since Sunday (according to FlixPatrol)

Written and directed by Will Merrick and Nick Johnson, the thriller is a sort of sequel to 2018's Searching, which had a similar visual style The story is by Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty

It competed with big names at the box office, competing with "Avatar: A Watery Journey," "M3GAN," and "Puss in Boots": but critics liked it Critics were favorable, however, with a high rating of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes And the attendance (90%) was even better, indicating that this is not just hype

But this alone is not enough to determine whether or not you should see "Missing" Let's break it down

June (Storm Reid) thought she would have it easy while her mother Grace (Nia Long) was away in Cartagena, Colombia Her biggest nightmare was supposed to be cleaning up after the big house party she was not supposed to throw June was wrong

When Grace doesn't get off the plane, June begins to panic and tries to locate her mother using the Internet Her mother's new boyfriend, Kevin (Ken Leung), is suspect number one, and June discovers all sorts of suspicious things about his past

However, when the trail runs out and the FBI becomes involved, June makes her most 2023-like move yet Javier (Joaquin de Almeida) goes above and beyond, but he and June will soon witness a series of breathtaking twists and turns

And another, "Missing/Missing," is told through the screens and cameras of those who track Grace

Overall, critics and audiences alike liked "Missing," although some critics have condemned the film Amy Nicholson of The New York Times, for example, described it as "an intense techno-thriller" and noted that "when June's quest goes viral, the investigation, along with her own role in the story, almost slips out of her hands"

Lee Monson of the AV Club praised "Missing," writing, "It's a thrilling ride, and the audience just has to follow along" Johnson and Merrick have masterfully crafted a film that rivals "Searching," elevating their skills as editors and virtual cinematographers into a compelling pulp story While screen life may never be one of the primary ways in which a film tells its story, "Missing" is a fine example of the format's potential for brilliantly exploiting our increasingly digital human nature

Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave "Missing" three stars out of five, calling it "propulsive and involving, at times genuinely innovative, but upgrading our lead character to a more skilled figure behind the keyboard" He also noted that "Reed is a compelling and commanding protagonist"

In the audience review section of Rotten Tomatoes, Deron B wrote, "Great story with a twist June Bugg is emotionally engaging and her acting is engaging Would have been 5 stars if the computer scenes weren't so gimmicky

Daniel N praised the film, saying, "With its unique style, fast pace, and extravagant number of twists and turns, you will stay on the edge of your seat while being taught a thing or two about your digital footprint"

I saw "Missing" in theaters earlier this year and I am confident in saying that it is not for everyone There is a totally bizarre turn of events in the third act that may test the limits of some audiences Also, in a particularly low-budget scene, we see a cable TV news program talking about Grace's disappearance

Still, if you like thrillers and enjoy sillier films, I fully recommend watching "Missing" online Even better, invite a friend As I experienced, "Missing" is a great movie to watch with a group