Ready or Not - Review

Ready or Not

“Ready Or Not” follows a young bride named Grace (Samara Weaving) as she about to join her new husband in eternal bliss (Mark O'Brien). Yes, Grace couldn't be any happier for today is her special day marrying the man of her dreams at his family's luxurious estate. And as any fairy tale wedding could be the entire evening affair goes off without a hitch. Well, that is until after all the guest have gone home. Seems there is a long-standing tradition as to when anyone marries into the family, they must play a game. And what is the game you ask.

Grace must now “hide” from midnight until dawn while her new in-laws (supposedly) playfully “seek” her with guns, crossbows and other weapons to suggestively kill her for a necessary ritual in their concocted warped elitist self-indulgent eccentric minds to continue living their opulent and wealthy lives (so to speak).  

So, Grace goes along with the game. After all when you marry into families you must respect time-honored traditions…………..and as she said “The rich have always been different”. Problem is Grace soon learns the initially friendly game is not just a playful ritual but in fact a real life and death struggle with her fighting for her survival.

REVIEW: At times filled with robust fun, humor and action and others with eye rolling disbelief, “Ready or Not” ultimately is a commentary on the upper 1% idle minds, idle time and insatiable need to be entertained in exotic ways by lower class people. And in the first 35 minutes of the 1:35 minute running time I thought the directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett had an innovative concept and cinematic canvas to do something different – special here.

But shortly after the moment Grace realizes her in laws are trying to kill her the film slowly starts to fill less exciting and “horrific” into something spiraling downward into underwhelming by making me wonder just what kind of movie the directors wanted to make.

Specifically, ranging from scenes that were witty (making a call on “On Star” for help) and scary (a scene with the kitchen help – butler) to others making no sense where the characters actions seemed on the surface just plain stupid. I mean (for example) if you are running around in the dark with people chasing you trying to kill you with guns, knives and other weapons, …..does it make a lot of sense to keep screaming letting them know where you are?

Now, there were a few very funny moments delivered by actress Nicky Guadagni  who played “Aunt Helene”; a vicious, angry and 100% all the time mean looking “Cruella de Vil” guillotine chasing homicidal maniac and actress Melanie Scrofano who played “Emille” a  cocaine brain fried house wife who dare I say was not the most reliable markswoman with a gun. I also find it coincidental or intentional they made her to look and sound a lot like Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.

“Ready or Not” is not a bad film, just at times meandering silly. So, no need to rush out to see this. But if in a few months you are home working on your fifth vodka tonic definitely rent it for sure. You will think this is the funniest, madly hilarious and scariest movie of all time. Without the vodka………………Eeeeh, very amusing.

3.00 Stars