Stars: 4/5

Although there was nothing particularly new about a scary game night gone wrong, “Ready or Not” adds some surprising twists and comedic relief to an overdone plot.

The movie turned out to be more of a gruesome thriller rather than a horror. I wouldn’t even go as far to say it was remotely scary. For those who do scare easily, I will forewarn you there are a lot of pop outs and cheap scares.

Samara Weaving plays the role of Grace, who marries into a wealthy family with some mysterious new in-laws. Her not-so-typical wedding night begins at midnight when her husband has her partake in an old family tradition to be initiated into the family.

The newly inducted member of the family must play a game which they randomly select from an old game box. Seems simple right? Well, she just so happens to draw hide and seek, the one card that his family believes is cursed. What Grace thinks is just a silly little game turns into a violent hunt to kill the bride before dawn or else the entire family dies.

What really made the movie was the excellent performance done by each actor/actress. Weaving, in particular, executed her part with perfection. She always performs and delivers in every role she plays and her part in ‘Ready or Not’ was no different.  As we see her character evolve from a sweet, innocent girl to a bloody killer, you can’t help but feel a little proud of her progress. Weaving did a phenomenal job playing both ends of the spectrum and really making her character come alive. 

I wasn’t particularly scared, however it was an extremely entertaining movie. If you don’t like overly bloody scenes I would sit this one out. The animations were so realistic and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. You could almost feel the chunks of human flesh fly out of the screen. 

I won’t spoil the ending but I do love a good old plot twist and I was extremely caught off guard by this one. The movie ended with just about everybody exploding into what looked like ground meat. Gross but super funny — if you have a messed up sense of humor I guess. 

Overall the directing, acting, and production of ‘Ready or Not’ were some of the most enjoyable aspects of the movie. My only criticism is that the plot is old and a bit worn out. You can’t just take a used plot, tweak it up a little bit and try to pass it off as a brand new idea. However, I would definitely watch it again and I highly recommend it for a good action packed laugh.