Mo lun

The Precipice Game falls under a horror sub-genre that I like, namely people being thrown into a dangerous situation such as a game. Other movies that tick this box would be the likes of SAW (2004), Circle (2015) and The Human Race (2013).

It's not that simple however here and this Chinese made horror is not what it first appears to be. I do however mean that in a good way, mostly.

It tells the story of 6 people who get onto a cruise liner to participate in a treasure hunt with a million prize! The whole thing turns sour though after they witness and death and find themselves fighting for their lives.

If you can get past the awful dub the Precipice Game is actually watchable stuff. Sure it takes some influence from other films (Okay a LOT of influence) but it has it's own identity.

When the ending is delivered however I can imagine viewers being very split on whether it makes or breaks the film. For me I liked it, but it couldn't make up for the movies flaws.

In places it looks very cheap, the handling of the concept could have been better and the cast? I'm not convinced. However my head is still spinning regarding their ages, the main ones all look in their early 20's but are in fact 40+. Whatever they're putting in the water in China these days, I want some.

Watchable stuff but few surprises.

The Good:

Interesting concept

Great setting

The Bad:

Concept isn't utilized very well

Awful dub

Against her mother's opinion of her boyfriend, a couple decide to try to win a game offering $1 million dollars as a prize. The game takes place on a cruise ship but once the game starts it turns into a fight to stay alive.

I thought this was decent enough. it was a bit slow to get started but it became far more interesting once it moved along. The acting is decent, set is decent and the story, while a bit predictable, is keeps you interested.

I ended up liking it and would probably suggest it to a friend for a night on the couch.

I know that there will be a lot of comparisons to a famous horror/thriller analogy from people watching this, due to the mechanisms/traps on the boat. But once you've watched it, you may find another maybe even more suitable comparison (movie-wise that is). But since I don't want to spoil the experience I'll leave it at that .. I am going to mention that the end will most likely break the movie as a whole for most people.

It is really something that shouldn't have happened, but there are some notions of it throughout. Still the movie has some nice effects overall and it has the tension it needs to keeps you on the edge of your seat. You can't be squeamish about violence of course, but there is no nudity. Characters are paper thin, but they mostly are in thrillers like this