About the film (courtesy of Fox Searchlight):
Ready or Not follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband’s (Mark O’Brien) rich, eccentric family (Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell) in a time-honored tradition that turns into a lethal game with everyone fighting for their survival.
By the time the end of August rolls around you’re typically in for a very mixed bag of movies in terms of the quality. Typically this is where those titles end up that weren’t good enough for the Memorial Day Weekend or the Fourth of July fireworks. And often these offerings are simply subpar. Every now and again we surprise or two, but don’t hang your hopes on that trend. Fox Searchlight is hoping to shake up the status quo with their new action thriller, Ready or Not.
Co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett look to make a late summer splash with a uniquely twisted game night horror romp. The story is a mashup of classic Agatha Christie novels combined with violent horror thrillers such as The Purge franchise sprinkled with a dash of satirical humor throughout. Ready or Not is built upon a familiar foundation but its execution is both bold and brash which sets it apart from previous “safer” offerings.
Ready or Not is not afraid to take risks and this pays off for the most part. Starting off as a more traditional type of horror quickly escalates into something way more sinister and daring and, dare I say, gruesome. There’s no way this movie would have had anywhere near of an impact if it was Rated PG-13. Thankfully playing it safe just wasn’t in the cards.
Samara Weaving continues to build upon her ever-growing screen presence, this time taking a commanding role front and center. It is her modern day strength that propels her to a positive spotlight here. Rather than being the damsel in distress. Weaving pulls up her independent britches and proceeds to kick some ass…and have a little fun along the way. This is another thing that allows Ready or Not to be more enjoyable than expected. The witty humor and the actors behaving like real people in real situations gives this a enjoyable vibe. There’s horror, mystery, comedy and more coming at you from all directions.
Ready or Not is not a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination but it excels in the area of entertainment. While not taking itself too seriously, the plot is action not as far fetched as you might think…well not in the first half of the movie at least. There’s nothing SCARY about this movie but it does turn up the tension in parts and pretty much revels in its gorier moments. I’d definitely say that this is one worth checking out, if for nothing else, its enjoyment factor. For a movie that is flying so far under the radar, it can possibly be classified as an unknown gem. Now playing in theaters everywhere, so check it out.
