<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Starring Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell, Melanie Scrofano, Nicky Guadagni

Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes

My friend saw the trailer and said there are lots of people screaming and she didn’t want to watch it. I saw the trailer and thought, ‘How fun!’. I was right.

There’s something very likeable about Ready or Not, which is probably why it’s gotten all the great reviews. By all accounts it’s a small film (which is also why it’s good). What makes it so good is the character acting and the bent of mind that the directors have imparted to their creation. It’s like how you know what sort of crazy creativeness you’ll get when you watch a Tim Burton film or a Quinten Tarantino movie. They’re distinctive and influenced by their director’s unique styling and brilliance.

The premise is simple: Grace (Samara Weaving) bounced around foster homes as a child but now she’s an outstanding young adult who wants to marry Alex (Mark O’Brien), the man she loves. He’s a part of an eccentric, billionaire family called the La Domas, who’ve made their fortunes on the back of a deal with Satan and some devilish board games. On the night of their marriage, instead of making love, Grace is required to participate in a family ritual of a ‘game’. She must pick a card out of a magic box and it decides they will play ‘Hide & Seek’. She must hide, they’ll look for her, and then if they find her, they’ll kill her. Simple enough. Alex and his brother Daniel (Adam Brody) aren’t fans of this game that they remember was played way back in their childhood when their aunt (Nicky Guadagni) and the family had to kill her new husband. The reason is… well you watch it and find out why.

Needless to say, Grace’s lovely white gown turns redder with each passing scene in the film. There’s drama, violence, slapstick, humour and lots of digs at rich people and the institution of marriage.

Ready or Not is an over-the-top film that could’ve gone terribly awry, but with the deft handling of the plot, a great script and some wonderful performances it turned into what could be a cult-classic. A bit more exposition about the curse and some more background would have been nice; as it is, it’s a delightfully decadent look at senseless deaths, mindless violence and the determination of the rich to hold on to their money, even at the expense of losing their house help in the most hilarious of ways!