On her wedding night, a bride is forced to participate in
her wealthy in-laws' sadistic ritual game of hide and seek. COMEDY/HORROR
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Ready or Not (2019)Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Written by Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy Starring Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun, Nicky Guadagni, Elyse Levesque, John Ralston |
Talk about a surprise. Watching the trailers, I was definitely interested in what this film had to offer. And then I heard people talking about it once it was released. At that point, I had to see it. After seeing it, I was pleasantly surprised. This is one of the most funny, entertaining, and gory horror films I've had the pleasure to see in a theater this year. Add to the fact that this is technically a Disney film due to the recent merger, I’m even surprised this ended up getting released. But, luckily, it’s been released to the theaters. So, if you haven’t seen it, go see it. Don’t even read my review first. Go see it with fresh eyes. But, if you don’t care, here’s why I liked it.
The biggest thing is the star herself, Samara Weaving. She has quickly become a scream queen in recent years due to her starring role in a string of horror films. Based off her performance in Ready or Not, I hope this continues. She flawlessly goes from confused to scared to badass warrior throughout the runtime. She also doesn’t lose her trademark humor. Speaking of which, the humor. Something that wasn’t heavily advertised in the marketing and has caused a little backlash. For me, we don’t really get that many horror comedies, much less ones that work. In this case, it does. Other than Weaving, the actors playing the wealthy Le Domas family are hilarious. Much like our main actress, they straddle the perfect line on when to be scary and when to be funny. Finally, like I said, the gore. As many know, once the “torture porn” era of horror died down, there was a noticeable shift in the distribution of gory horror films by mainstream studios. We only get them so often now. And Ready or Not, luckily, is one of the few that goes for it. The gorehound in me was extremely satisfied. And how could I forget the ending. All I will say is, much like the rest of the film, they go all in for the conclusion. Of all the horror films I’ve had the pleasure to see this year, Ready or Not may just go down as one of my favorites. This is destined to become a cult classic and a well-known film in the genre. Samara Weaving gives one of her best performances, the humor is on point, the horror works, and plenty of gore. I really enjoyed this movie. So, if you haven’t seen it and you’re a horror film, go see it. Support this and show Disney they shouldn’t be afraid to release inventive films like this more often. |
Ready or Not is a dark comedy in every way, and the perfect 50/50 split is the only way this film would've worked. Too serious, it's not entertaining. Too funny, it's hard to take it seriously. But the film has the right balance and never loses it, making for a crazy ride through a wildly original film featuring a breakout performance from rising star Samara Weaving. If there's one thing this film teaches audiences, it's this: Never marry rich. The baggage is never worth the inheritance.
Weaving plays Grace, a newlywed who marries into a wealthy family that started a game empire. But she learns on her wedding night that new familial recruits must play a randomly chosen game as a tradition. But she draws Hide and Seek, which only happens once a generation. In this game, the family must hunt down and kill her to appease the devil. So, a battle of wits begins between Grace and the Le Domas family, and it is crazy. So much gore, so many brutally hilarious moments, and one hell of a brutal ending. Ready or Not is future cult classic that is already getting high praise from critics and audiences alike, all of it well-deserved. It's a memorable concept that's executed in a fun, tongue-in-cheek way that both hardcore horror fans and casual moviegoers can enjoy. Definitely a winner in my book. |