It was okay. Visually and aesthetically appealing, casted well, great acting, and I appreciate the symbolism used (such as all the red foreshadowing blood spill, Felix lying dead in an angel costume under a devilish figure). I actually liked the uncomfortable scenes that most people thought were unnecessary, like the bathtub and the grave scene, because it's raw and realistic for someone with the psychological issues Oliver has, and ended up being some of the most honest moments in the film, however the whole thing felt overdone, a little boring, and predictable. The satire, kill the rich, and the psychotic, compulsive liar underdog narrative portrayed in saltburn is a bit tired. I have seen so many movies like it. I was hooked at the beginning but my interest declined throughout. Leaving secrets and unanswered questions then unveiling the truths in the last 5 minutes, it can be done really well wuth a great shock value, but in this movie felt like an overzealous student film trying to be mysterious and clever while being cliche.
The movie just fell flat for me. It didn't have strong enough highs or lows, the happy and sad moments were short lived, like you didn't really have a chance to feel them before you were on to the next scene. The visit to Oliver's parents and Felix's reaction to it, was underwhelming and didn't come across like the tense, pivotal moment it had potential to be. Instead we just got a lot of filler scenes with drinking and partying, Oliver ogling at Felix, and Felix's family rambling on about shallow nonsense.
Aside from Oliver, the characters lacked depth. I get that maybe the goal was for everyone in the movie to seem a little empty, vapid, to emphasize how ignorant rich people can be, but it's not very realistic. That's not how most people are. Even Felix could've had a little more. The side characters were actually really important to the story I thought, but they didn't give them enough. I like to see more personality and emotional turmoil, because when there isn't much, I don't feel very much, and saltburn didn't make me feel very much, except maybe sad that Felix died. At the end I was just like "oh, that's done now"