**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**
“That’s where people get in trouble…”
Until Dawn released in theaters on April 25th 2025. Based on the video game of the same name, the survival horror film stars Ella Rubin, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Odessa A’zion, Michael Cimino, and Peter Stormare. It runs for approximately an hour and forty-three minutes.
One year after her sister’s disappearance, Clover and her friends head to the spot where she vanished looking for answers, leading them into a never-ending trap that causes them to relive the same day over and over again after facing horrific deaths.
Here is the trailer:
Until Dawn has an eerie enough premise and some decent kills, but does it do enough to stand out in the horror genre? Let’s find out…
The Pros:
Solid premise.
I was hooked by the trailer and thought this one had a lot of potential. I’m familiar with the game, but I wouldn’t say that I am that knowledgeable on it so I went into this with no real expectations. I thought the setup was a decent one and our cast did a good enough job with what they were given.
Peter Stormare!
He voiced Dr. Hill in the game and I thought it was genius that they cast him in the movie. I’m a huge fan of his since Prison Break and thought he was the BEST part of the movie.
He embraced his role (even though it wasn’t a large one) and just went with it, bringing us plenty of creepy vibes.
Ella Rubin gave us a decent performance as well as Clover, but she needed some more layers. The backstory was there, but it wasn’t fleshed out enough. I liked her though!
The Cons:
Cheesy jump scares and too many forced tropes.
Ugh, I really wanted to like this movie. It wasn’t bad, but it really wasn’t good either. It was just kind of meh…?
I didn’t jump once despite all of the overused scares. I thought it was cool that they had some Easter eggs for fans of the game, but I think they could have used more of them.
The reliving the same day over and over plot has been done a million times before and I don’t think this film did anything that unique or new with it. Some of the effects were cool, but everything just felt really safe and by the numbers.
I wanted this movie to just break some barriers and go for something extreme, but we never reached that point.
So am I in or out?
Unfortunately I’m out on this one…
Until Dawn ultimately misses the mark, relying too heavily on cheesy jump scares and overdone plot gimmicks.
This was a boring and frustrating watch and I was really disappointed.
I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Until Dawn in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
CHECKING OUT WAS NEVER AN OPTION…
A weekend getaway goes horribly wrong when Charlotte suspects that a guest at her bed-and-breakfast has gone missing. A heart-pounding thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. We Hope You Enjoy Your Stay is available below! I hope you enjoy!
We Hope You Enjoy Your Stay is available here!
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