Ready or Not is a darkly comedic and even thrilling film that doesn’t have the strongest story but with Samara Weaving in the lead, makes this worthy of at least a rental.
Ready or Not
(2019)
Genre(s): Horror, Thriller, Comedy
Fox | R – 95 min. – $34.99 | December 3, 2019
Date Published: 12/12/2019 | Author: The Movieman
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Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3.5/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Grace couldn’t be happier after she marries the man of her dreams at his family’s luxurious estate. There’s just one catch — she must now hide from midnight until dawn while her new deranged in-laws hunt her down with guns, crossbows and other weapons. As Grace desperately tries to survive the night, she soon finds a way to turn the tables on her not-so-lovable relatives. Quick Hit Review: Ready or Not isn’t some groundbreaking horror-thriller for sure, but still had a lot of fun which is saying something as I generally don’t enjoy dark comedies, and this one certainly is dark right to the bitter end. Where the film excels, beyond a nice supporting cast which consists of Adam Brody, Henry Czerny and Andie MacDowell, is Samara Weaving in the lead who definitely possesses a similar screen presence as her uncle, Hugo Weaving. She makes for a badass heroine but not to the point of also being invulnerable. Between this and Mayhem, Weaving seems to have a bright future (and is set to appear in Bill & Ted Face the Music and Snake Eyes) and this movie really showcases her talent and with a more consistent script, could turn in something special one day. Ready or Not was directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (the guys behind the awful Devil’s Due and V/H/S anthology feature) from a script written by Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy (Urge, a movie I didn’t care much for) and while it’s not the most engaging film, as it does drag a little here and there, ultimately I was still entertained not only because of the darkly comedic elements, and some f’d up moments, but for Samara Weaving and her solid performance. All in all, Ready or Not is a twisted fun horror-thriller excelling with an interesting enough concept in conjunction with a great and powerful (for what this is) performance by Samara Weaving who seems to be a star on the rise. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.0/5 |
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This release comes with a slip cover and redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Audio Commentary with Radio Silence (Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett and Executive Producer Chad Villella) and Actress Samara Weaving. The four commentators go into a wide array of subjects, from the long days or how shots were done, with Weaving getting more into the character, all the while keeping it friendly. Let the Games Begin: The Making of Ready or Not (42:28) — Split into three parts, this behind-the-scenes featurette delves into the background on the project to the style and casting, with interviews by the actors and filmmakers. Gag Reel (4:05) filled with line flubs and on-set fun. Gallery:
Red Band Trailer (2:26) |
VIDEO – 4.75/5 |
| Ready or Not comes to Blu-ray presented in its original 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and has been given a 1080p high-definition transfer. Although the dark comedy is indeed very dark and a good portion of the film seems to take place at night, I found this to look pretty darn good with sharp detail on close-up objects with the more distant ones losing some focus. Meanwhile, there is a fair amount of colors, leaning more towards the bronze or warmer hues inside the mansion and there were no apparent or obvious instances of artifacting, aliasing or other flaws. |
AUDIO – 4.5/5 |
| The movie comes equipped with a typical DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which gets mostly utilized, especially during the zany third act, for the front and rear channels with the score as well as some ambient noises as Grace tries to escape her pursuers while dialogue does come through the front speaker with good precision. |
OVERALL – 4.0/5 |
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Ready or Not is a darkly comedic and even thrilling film that doesn’t have the strongest story but with Samara Weaving in the lead, makes this worthy of at least a rental. The Blu-ray release from Fox includes a nice selection of bonus features to go along with admirable video and audio transfers. |