Until Dawn
“Until Dawn” isn’t great, but it’s better than a lot of video game adaptations and is a nifty-enough piece of horror programming.
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Being more of an Xbox backer as opposed to a PlayStation pro I’ve never dabbled with the “Until Dawn” survival horror series, but I am familiar with most of Swedish director David F. Sandberg’s filmography (including the “Shazam!” franchise) and was therefore interested in his video game adaptation.
Clover (Ella Rubin) is struggling after the loss of her mother and the disappearance of her sister Melanie (Maia Mitchell).
Clover’s friends – ex-boyfriend Max (Michael Cimino, he’s of no relation to the “The Deer Hunter” director of the same name), gal pals Nina (Odessa A’zion – an old hat at this stuff having starred in Hulu’s “Hellraiser” remake) and Megan (Ji-young Yoo, late of “Freaky Tales”)and Nina’s boyfriend Abe (Belmont Cameli, he played Jessie Spano’s son Jamie on the “Saved by the Bell” reboot) – agree to accompany her to Glore Valley where Melanie disappeared in hopes of getting some answers.
Clover encounters a gas station attendant (reigning Minnesota wood chipper champion and current “Call of Duty” avatar Peter Stormare – reprising his role from the original game) who’s more than he seems on their way to their destination. Upon arrival weird things start happening up to and including a masked killer turning up to terminate Clover and company, but they don’t stay slain long and must now fight for survival and against time in the form of a haunted hourglass. Much like the tagline to the Tom Cruise sci-fi action vehicle “Edge of Tomorrow” it’s very much a case of, “Live. Die. Repeat.”
“Until Dawn” isn’t great, but it’s better than a lot of video game adaptations and is a nifty-enough piece of horror programming with an appealing-enough cast that’s fun to watch be dispatched in increasingly creative ways. My favorite is a series of human explosions (think “Ready or Not”) prompted by ingesting tap water … a wonderful message to the chatty and far-too-young little girls seated beside my wife and I. (If you mix some Kool-Aid in there maybe that’ll nip the whole exploding bit in the bud?)
“Until Dawn” is capably directed by Sandberg and scripted by former G4 fixture Blair Butler (she also penned fellow Screen Gems film “The Invitation”) and horror writer/producer/director Gary Dauberman (reteaming with Sandberg after “Annabelle: Creation”). It’s passable Friday night entertainment … just leave the little girls at home lest they stop drinking tap water.