Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Review: Ready or Not

Ready or Not is probably one of the most fun and entertaining gore films I've ever seen, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and starring Samara Weaving, Adam Brody and Andie McDowell. It tells the story of Grace (Samara Weaving), a woman who marries Alex (Mark O'Brien) and becomes the latest addition to the rich Le Domas family who made their fortune out of board/card games, but before she officially becomes part of the family she must participate in their tradition of playing a game at midnight. Tony (Henry Czerny), the patriarch of the family tells the story of their great-grandfather Victor Le Domas who made a deal with a Mr. Le Bail (who is like the devil figure in the story), who promises to help create fortune for the family if Victor establishes the tradition. Grace draws a 'hide and seek' card and believes for the game to be harmless, the family (minus Alex) then arm themselves with weapons and firearms to hunt her down within the house.




The characters remind me of the ones from the classic film Clue with Tim Curry and Get Out, it also criticizes classism but there's also something sinister lurking behind the facade that the Le Domas family puts on, they believe that if they don't finish the game (with Grace being caught) by dawn that something terrible is going to befall the family. While Grace and the family are playing hide and seek you're also guessing if it really is true that something will happen to the family if they don't catch her and the twist is never given away until the end. I feel like this film could have been too conscious about the humor in it, but the actors sell the dialogue well and there's a balance between the humor and the horror, the humor never derails the horror element and vice versa. The actors in this feel like they're all having fun with their roles particularly the supporting ones, Samara Weaving is brilliant and the film really hinges on whether she could sell it or not. Andie McDowell who plays Daniel and Alex's mother Becky is also in great form here, I don't think I've ever seen her in a role like the one she plays here, a mother who wants what's best for her family no matter the cost. The supporting cast including Mark O' BrienHenry Czerny, Kristian Bruun, Melanie Scorfano, Nicky Guadagni and Elyse Levesque are beyond solid, there's an old Hollywood feel to the way they play the family members or people who married into the family but I have to give praise to Adam Brody as Daniel, Alex's older brother who is torn between helping Grace escape his family and also protecting the family, it also seems like we're getting a Brody career revival since he was also in Shazam! earlier this year.






















I enjoyed this screwball take on the slasher/gore genre, it also reminds me of 2011's You're Next starring Weaving's fellow Australian Sharni Vinson, and if anyone asks your to describe the film for them to check it out just say that it's like Clue, Get Out and You're Next. My only complaint, which is more of a nitpick is the color grading and aside from that I can only hope we get more films of it's kind in the future complete with a creepy yet catchy 1920's inspired song.

4 stars.

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