Not's Landing

Some movies don't quite seem worth the trouble of catching in the movie theater... but they just might be good for some fun on the comfort of your own couch? (At least, that's how it was in the before-times. The math has now changed on the idea of movies in a theater.) Ready or Not seemed like one of those "at home" movies, so I didn't take the plunge last summer when it was on the big screen. But it did recently show up on HBO, and turned out to be fairly fun.

Grace is marrying into the wealthy Le Domas family, and on her wedding night must take part in a family tradition: draw a random card, play the game it describes. But there's more to this game of "Hide and Seek" than she expects. Grace is soon trapped in the family mansion with all her new in-laws determined to kill her before sunrise.

I think perhaps the greatest aspect of this movie is its expectation management. After a brief opening scene that's dark and moody, it very quickly shifts into a lighter, more fun gear. There's plenty of flippant dialogue, a sense that the machinations of the plot are deliberately being left exposed... basically, the movie is telegraphing to you that it will not be taking itself very seriously, and you shouldn't either.

It's not serious, but it is oddly realistic -- as much as you could make a story like this, anyway. This is a story about a group of crazed killers who are bad at being crazed killers. They have a spectrum of enthusiasm and a spectrum of capabilities. Most are hilariously incapable and incompetent, not polished as movie characters normally would be. Because of this, it's remarkably easy to overlook the less convincing aspects of the movie, such as: this family is filthy rich from an empire started on board games?

The result is vaguely "what if Clue, but a slasher movie?" It's fantastically gory in a way that works. It has a dedicated cast starring Samara Weaving (who plays a great Scream Queen / Final Girl archetype), and featuring Adam Brody, Andie MacDowell, and many others. And notably, the ending pays off, delivering all you feel you were promised.

Is it amazing? Not exactly; it's not a movie that's ever going to convert people who don't like this kind of movie. But it's a brisk and solid piece of entertainment for the kind of people who do. I give it a B-. Horror fans should definitely check it out.