“‘Ready or Not’ is a bloody wonderful movie for all the right reasons.”
It’s a strange world we live in where Fox News and the horrible jackass in the White House conjure up bogus debates that ultimately led to the cancellation of a movie called ‘The Hunt‘, which followed a group of people who hunt and kill someone else with different political views. Now, its own movie studio (Fox Searchlight) has released ‘Ready or Not‘, which is practically the same story, but is more subtle in its satire of the political and class system in America. This incredible darkly comic film is part ‘The Purge‘ and part ‘Jumanji‘ in a twisted way where an uber-wealthy family looks to kill people who join their clan. It’s a hell of a fun ride that mixes great humor and bloody violence into a short run-time from the filmmaking club Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olphin and Tyler Gillett).
The movie focuses on Grace (Samara Weaving) who marries Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), who seems like the only normal member of his family who made their large riches in the board game industry. It’s interesting to note that Grace grew up in foster care, where she only wants a real family and doesn’t care about money. This background is funny to see unfold when we see Alex’s family tell Grace to her face that they don’t like her and would rather count their money than accept her into the family to a comical degree.
When the wedding guests have left the premises, Grace is told that the Le Domas family has a bizarre ritual when someone marries into the family. That is everyone must play a game that is chosen at random. It could be Pictionary or Checkers. Instead, poor Grace draws Hide and Seek, but little does she know that this fame in the Le Domas family means she hides, and the seek her out with brutal weapons, including axes, antique guns, and bow and arrows. With an odd superstition through the years in the family, they believe they must kill her before dawn or else they all might die a horrible death. Hilarity ensues when this affluent family has no idea how to use the weapons they carry, which usually results in amusing death scenes with each other and the help.
Samara Weaving does an excellent job in the bloody game of hide-and-seek, which she’s been privy to before. Weaving starred in 2017’s ‘Mayhem‘ from Joe Lynch, which followed a similar story, but rather than a family trying to kill you, it’s your co-workers at the office. She plays the deep emotions and tends to have a bit of fun with her terror here. Other names that pop up are Adam Brody as a wealthy brother who cares about his whiskey more than playing the game. And of course, there is the mother of the groom, played by the amazing Andie McDowell, who delivers her southern charm in a sadistic way.
There’s no doubt I’d love this film, because of Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olphin and Tyler Gillett) conveying their unique brand of horror and humor, as we saw in the best V/H/S segment title ’10-31-91‘. Their knack for telling this gory story with sharp wit goes a long way, while never divulging too much of the background. ‘Ready or Not‘ is a bloody wonderful movie for all the right reasons.