FilmSnobReviews

Title: Ready or Not
MPAA Rating: R
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

What It Is: Grace (Weaving) is a young woman absolutely in love with her fiance and new husband Alex (O’Brien). Their wedding is a beautiful affair, one with a surprising turn of events. You see Alex’s family… the La Domas’ made their fortune in board games. With that whenever a stranger joins the family they must pick a card. On this card is a game that must be played, to completion. When Grace draws “hid and seek” it is something far more sinister than its preadolescent history would suggest.

What We Think: This is such a fun and frantic film. Full of flavor and with fervent energy. Samara Weaving is gladiatorial in her efforts here. She’s against the world and plays that up to the teeth. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, formerly of Southbound fame keep the pace at a breakneck speed. Like I don’t even really know how they did it. To keep up the pace like that. It’s a huge testament to Weaving as she’s in like every scene. Narratively it isn’t perfect…nor is it any sort of reinvention of the wheel. No instead its a self-contained bit of mania. I think that’s something to realize. That the world of this film only extends to where Grace takes it.

Our Grade: B+, One of 2019’s biggest and most exciting surprises. It’s bloody and well structured. There’s something to be said for sitting back and vibing to the gory fun in this. Samara Weaving is a star. That is the biggest takeaway from this. Put her in stuff, put her in all the stuff. She has charisma for days. Do I recommend this? Duh? This is a definite see it for me!