Movie Review: Ready or Not

A wedding is a beautiful thing, and much of the world hate the 1 percent, so Ready or Not turns marriage into a nightmare along with making some despicable rich people into complete monsters. Too many horror movies try to come up with an original idea then fumble it at some point, except this one. Tyler Gillet and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin delivered one of the best scary comedies of the year.

Grace (Samara Weaving) has married Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), she is now a member of this eccentric, wealthy family. At midnight, it is revealed she must play a game which is chosen from a card, and the dreaded hide n seek is drawn. The sinister motives reveal the family must kill her to please dark spirits, kicking off a night of thrills, comedy, and survival.

The family is full of memorable characters with performances to nail each unique personality. The father Tony (Henry Czerny) is a commanding figure is intimidating, his caring wife Becky (Andie MacDowell) makes me feel safe, alcoholic older son Daniel (Adam Brody), and Alex is the good boy who would probably be me. Less immediate family members like the coked-out Emilie (Melanie Scrofano), the ominous Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni) and the goofy brother-in-law Fitch (Kristian Bruun) add extra flavor to this wild clan of nutcases.

Weaving and O’Brien have a wonderful dynamic. Co-stars like Czerny, MacDowell, and Scrofano share the spotlight, but the couple is the centerpiece. The two feel like an adorable couple, but seeing that relationship change once murder begins is just as gripping.

The gold star goes to Weaving on her own as she belts out raw emotion during the most painful of times, contrasting against the delightfully fun girl she was in the first act. Her arc soars to plenty of compelling places from the dramatic to comedic. She is the ultimate heroine that I did not know I needed.

The ancient ritual that bonds the family on these special nights gets time to flesh out into something fascinating. The lore was given love, making me question whether hell will rain upon them or are they killing because of a bloodline filled with psychopaths. That mystery adds much more depth than expected from this summer bloodbath.

Horror and comedy have a long-lasting relationship that can be a hit or a miss. Ready or Not leans more towards brutality and tension to keep with its thrilling roots. The humor comes in a few hefty chunks, but those were worth the wait as each dark piece of levity landed to impress the harshes of Olympic judges.

This year has disappointed me a lot, especially with this genre. I got hyped by word of mouth, and it lived up to what I was told. While a balance between the neverending suspense and the laugh out loud scenes, every moment is still worth whatever happens as this is pure gory enjoyment.

Score: 9/10

Image via Walt Disney Motion Pictures