Harmony Korine is known for his bizarre screenwriting and art direction, but his end product typically leaves audiences in awe and his latest film, “Spring Breakers,” is no different.

Audiences expecting a party film like “Project X” or “21 & Over” would be shocked to find out that “Spring Breakers” is actually a riveting crime-thriller.

Four college students, Faith (Selena Gomez), Brit (Ashley Benson), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens) and Cotty (Rachel Korine), want to go on a spring break vacation, but don’t have enough money. The girls plot, and successfully rob, a restaurant. The four head down to Florida and eventually meet rapper and drug dealer Alien (James Franco).

Franco is the scene-stealer in this film, delivering his lines with quirky sort of comedy that doesn’t reduce what a badass Alien is. What really establishes Franco’s appeal is the fact that, despite the bikini-clad girls everywhere, your attention is always on him.

His performance is jaw-dropping, but a recent story by Grantland.com’s Amos Barshad revealed that rapper Riff Raff was the first choice for the role. It makes a good deal of sense, too, as Franco’s character looks exactly like Riff Raff, more than likely an intentional decision.

It does have a few downfalls though. The first half of the film feels as if it’s just a spring break montage. While it’s great to see Gomez and the other girls show off their sexy side, it’s really only captivating when Franco is onscreen. In fact, most of the movie’s problems involve Franco not having nearly enough screen time.

Rapper Gucci Mane plays Alien’s rival but comes off as miscast and some of the sloppier moments in the film happen when he is on screen. His interactions with Franco, though, were good enough for him to not be too great a detriment to the film overall.

The second half of the film more than makes up for any folly, as the plot takes a turn in a very unpredictable direction. One of the best parts of the film is that it is surprising and not generic. The film does feel like two different movies, but the theme remains consistent.

In the end, the film takes a little to get going, but it is a beautiful work of art.

3.5/5