Don't Hang Up

If you are a film student you know that the "reversal" usually comes in the final act, and there is a reason for that. By that point, the viewer is fully engaged, the endorphins are pumping, the action is flowing, and there is a need to take things up a notch.

What is happening here -- and let's give credit where credit is due -- is that the reversal takes place off the top, two pranksters get the tables turned, and it all happens in the first 10 minutes.

That is clever and it is a great start. But it creates problems. If you bring the reversal in too early, you run the risk of becoming dependent on it to drive the film, instead of relying on the basics. Such as dialog, characterizations, empathy, viewer connection.

Which is what happens here. After a great start there are major chunks that just lag, and the reason is that -- to be blunt -- by the halfway point, if you are a typical viewer, you don't really care if the 'slasher' gets the kids or the kids get the slasher. NO EMPATHY.

Many of the subsequent "slasher tropes" that close the third act are just that -- borrowed tricks from dozens of films you have already seen.

Overall the film is technically perfect and at some point in the not-too-distant future, those involved in it will look back at DON'T HANG UP as a great start for their Highlight Reel, but not entirely representative of their best work.

PROS: This movie really captured the thriller aspect of the film. It was tense and dark and kept you on the edge of your seat. The mood set in the film described very well what the film would be about. The overarching tone was very dark and bone chilling. This sort of vibe led to a great build up in tension as the movie progressed. At the peak of the movie was when the acting was undeniably good, other than that the acting was shaky. To continue, the acting didn't take away from how smoothly the movie progressed. When you got to the resolution of the movie you were completely absorbed. Overall, DON'T HANG UP had great tension and a well executed finale 

CONS: The biggest and most overt problem was the inconsistencies in the plot. There were way to many loose ends and things that didn't add up. This takes away from the film because you end up spending a lot of time trying to put together the pieces of the movie, and they just wont fit. It felt seamless, but there were actually way to many hidden issues. During, but most importantly after, you really tried to comprehend how certain events took place, when you clearly couldn't. The final problem was the acting. These actors clearly weren't meant to be horror actors. Actors like GREGG SULKIN did an OK job, but most of the other actors in the movie weren't meant for this genre.

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I did have low expectations going in after seeing the trailer thinking to myself "how many more times can they do this type of film?" However, it wasn't as bad as I expected. The plot twist at the end was refreshing, but I had trouble with the two main leads - I don't feel they were cast properly and belonged instead in some low budget comedy, not a thriller of this caliber. They were very unconvincing. Even the rest of the cast were nothing special. What was the most impressive was the directing, editing and cinematography - the latter of which I felt was too good for this type of film (i.e. camera zooms from keyhole). The pace was slow, but otherwise this film was not too shabby. It's a 6/10 form me

"Don't Hang Up" (2017) is an absolutely derivative horror movie that nevertheless manages to be halfway decent. I'd rate it a 7 out of 10.

We follow a handful of older teenage boys whose favorite avocation is perpetrating cruel prank phone calls and then posting them on the Internet. The horror genre's penchant for vengeance should make their comeuppance predictable. "Don't Hang Up" seems to borrow in equal (large) measure from the "Saw" and "Scream" film franchises, with touches of "Unfriended" (2014) and even "Silence of the Lambs" (1991).

Still, this was a halfway serviceable scary movie. There were nice moments of tension, and it held my interest.

This doesn't belong on anyone's must-see list, but it's a fun enough time-waster if you can't find a better movie.

When we look at what the characters did, it seems like they deserved what happened to them, but this situation is presented to us in such a way that we almost feel sorry for them. Both actors try to be believable. The directors' shots are successful and create tension, although not very surprising. It may have some boring and missing parts, but it can be said to be a good production among productions with social media content. It must not have been easy to film the movie with two people, but we can say that they succeeded in doing so, at least partially. Depending on the story, the ending could have been more interesting.