In 2007, filmmakers Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Rob Polonsky formed the filmmaking group Chad, Matt & Rob. They were mostly well known for their short films that mixed elements of comedy, horror, adventure, and science-fiction together. Their breakout hit was the short found footage film Alien Roommate Prank Goes Bad in 2008, garnering over 30,000,000 views. Later on, they produced a series of “Choose Your Own Adventure” shorts that were featured in the Wall Street Journal. Fellow filmmakers Justin Martinez and Tyler Gillett joined in 2010, but Polonsky left the group in 2011. Afterwards, they were renamed to Radio Silence, and they directed a segment of the 2012 horror anthology V/H/S. They followed that up with the found footage film Devil’s Due in 2014 and the anthology film SouthBound in 2016. Now, three years later, the group have returned to bring us Ready or Not.
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Rating
Synopsis
Grace (Samara Weaving) and Alex (Mark O’Brien) have recently gotten married at the home of Alex’s family, the Le Domas. There, she gets to meet his parents, Tony (Henry Czerny) and Becky (Andie MacDowell), and his Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni). Also joining are siblings Daniel (Adam Brody) and Charity (Elyse Levesque), plus spouses Emilie (Melanie Scrofano) and Fitch (Kristian Bruun). Before Grace and Alex can consummate their marriage that night, they must participate in a family tradition, a game night. As a new family member, Grace must take a card that randomly selects a game for the family to play. The game that’s selected is hide and seek, with Grace hiding and the family trying to find her before dawn. She goes off to hide, but she soon finds out that the family is actually hunting her down. While trying to survive the night, Grace soon learns the family’s secrets.
Review
Ready or Not is easily one of the most unique, subversive, and visceral films I’ve seen in quite some time. First off, the cast is terrific, with Samara Weaving easily being the biggest highlight and easily carrying the film. Not only is she charismatic and fun, but she can also hold her own and makes for a great lead. Adam Brody also stands out as the realist brother who realizes he and the family are terrible people deserving death. The rest of the family is entertaining in their own way, from Czerny’s over-the-top delivery to MacDowell’s dry sarcastic attitude. Elyse and Kristian are the only weak links, Elyse going slightly too over-the-top and Kristian doing a Josh Gad impression. Still, every cast member has their moment to shine, are entertaining, and know when to be funny and be intense. Ready or Not has a fantastic cast assembled for its insanity.
Speaking of, this movie is insanely gruesome, with some ridiculously violent sequences all leading to a fun and explosive climax. By the end, Samara looks as battered and bloody as Bruce Willis by the end of Die Hard. Admittedly, while this movie is fairly unique, there are certain twists that happen that are fairly easy to spot. This doesn’t detract from the film’s quality, but it is something worth mentioning, and I’ve probably seen too many movies. Given the fairly recent Disney acquisition of Fox, it’s surprising to see such a darkly comedic and violent film released. While many thriller/horror comedies sway more towards one genre, Ready or Not perfectly balances the laughs and thrills. Also, this film has some biting satire about the rich and wealthy, and how they look look down on others. Overall, Ready or Not is quite a fun and gruesome way to end summer.
Buy Ready or Not on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Mnxk1r.
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