Until Dawn

"Until Dawn" is a decent film, entertaining in some scenes and dull in others. Its script, based on the 2015 video game of the same name, is interesting, but as I mentioned, it has its ups and downs. It combines, in a less than successful way, several horror subgenres such as slasher, gore, found footage, and even includes a witch, zombies, and a mad scientist. The cast performs well, with Ella Rubin and Michael Cimino standing out. The director's work could have been better, but he manages to maintain a decent level in his film. The cinematography achieves an oppressive atmosphere reminiscent at times of horror films from the mid-2000s and early 2010s. The special effects have a mixed result, ranging from positive in makeup effects to negative in digital effects. The editing is good without standing out in any novel way. "Until Dawn" is a decent film with no further pretensions.

Until Dawn (2025) takes place in the same universe as the video game, and while it's not a direct adaptation, it has some fun little Easter eggs for fans. It follows Clover and her friends as they return to the remote valley where her sister disappeared a year earlier. They explore this creepy abandoned visitor centre and then a masked killer shows up and starts picking them off one by one. But after they die, they mysteriously wake up at the start of the same night again. There are some genuinely fun moments here. The kills are awesome, really creative and super violent. Big A+ on the gore. A lot of it is practical effects too, which I always love. Sure, there's some CGI, but the practical stuff looks amazing and makes the kills hit harder. There are even some funny moments sprinkled in, which I appreciated. Each night plays out a little differently with new killers and deaths, which was kind of fun to watch. Some nights are stronger than others. One of them dragged a lot, nothing really happened except for one important detail. It was definitely the weakest part of the movie, especially after it started so strong. Thankfully, the next night brought it back to life. There's a moment where a character looks through old videos on their phone from past days they don't remember. I wish they'd done more with it. Instead of just showing the videos one by one, it would've been way more effective as a fast paced montage. It could've really ramped up the tension and adrenaline. It just felt like they skipped over a bunch of really cool stuff we didn't get to see. The movie is loosely inspired by the game, and that's where some people might be disappointed. It has the wendigos, the masked killer (the psycho), and even the doctor, but it's not the same characters or story. I get why fans wanted a more faithful adaptation (I'd love a true Until Dawn movie too!), but for what it is, it wasn't bad at all. The ending hints at a sequel, showing a snowy cabin and a car pulling up. It looks like it's setting up the events before the game takes place. If you haven't played the game, I think you'll enjoy this even more. For me, it wasn't perfect, but it was still fun, and I'd watch it again.

Until Dawn is the latest video game adaption over the hit horror choose your own adventure. Unlike most adaptions, this does its own thing for the most part adding only certain elements and characters from the game into the story. Which will either anger fans of the games or make you interested to see what they do different. I like it doing its own thing. So this Until Dawn follows 5 kids as they get trapped in a death loop while searching for a missing person. The kids are fine although I felt one character gets unrighteously villainized even though they made the most sense. I do like the aspects of togetherness in the kid group as it didn't make any of the kids annoying even though I didn't buy any of their chemistry as friends. The kills are done mostly well. There is a montage section that felt like it would have been better exploring than speeding through it. There is also the stereotypical dumb decisions made by character because they are in a horror movie. I also didn't like their explanation of adding certain creatures from the game and felt a little too fan service. All of that being said, I still had a decent time watching this.

Based on the popular video game by Supermassive Games, this movie adaptation focuses on a group of university students dying and come back to life again and again on the same night. David F. Sandberg returns to horror with a film that blends classic slasher tropes with video games formula, delivering a story that focuses more on jump scares and fast pacing than building complex atmospheres. Essentially, the film works like a cinematic haunted house: archetypal characters, well-timed scares and graphic deaths, all wrapped up in a structure that plays with a time-loop narrative. Although the script offers a promising premise, it doesn't fully realise its dramatic or thematic potential. Nevertheless, the film remains entertaining thanks to Sandberg's efficient direction, which ensures that the time-loop mechanics don't become monotonous and contains some visually inspired moments. Without reinventing the genre, Until Dawn offers an entertaining experience for viewers who want to be creeped out, or for anyone who just wants to enjoy a perfect laid-back, popcorn-filled evening.

These reviews have me wondering how good the game is. As it seems, any reviewer who loved the game didn't enjoy this movie. Well I enjoyed it. But I haven't played the game, yet!

I'm not saying this is the scariest and best horror movie I've ever seen. The concept was really fun. The acting was pretty good. The reason the friends were there, a little silly but added an interesting dynamic.

I came into this movie with an open mind, and enjoyed it. I could watch it again, but I don't have to.

The kills are fun, the spook factors are a little hit and miss, and perhaps I would liked to have seen more different monsters come to life. But that's life and I can't say i disagree with the director on any decisions that were made. Sometimes you can't have it all.

The atmosphere of the movie is sort of typical isolation/cabin fever style with a ground hog day twist. In some ways it reminded of a good rogue like video game, every night is something sort of different.

I actually gave this movie a 6.5/10. I enjoyed it, I liked the story and acting. I also enjoyed not knowing what the threat was going to be next. It's a fun movie, and that's the point.