Don't Hang Up

I read the plot first before watch the whole movie. Then, I get interested and then I watched the whole movie. First 15 minutes was okay for me for the story, two boys prank a lot of people with terrible jokes. By the time the antagonist play the role, I intentionally started to feel like "it is a bit exaggerated". It doesn't make sense that the protagonist knows every corner, every single thing the two boys did. It could make a sense if this film tells us the story behind it how the antagonist set all the cameras, how he get into those two boys' life, house, and makes an acceptable rapprochement. The good thing is the ending is not disappointed and makes sense yet I'm not that satisfied with the sense of its technology in this movie (it's like the murderer is a god. Knows everything).

Some friends do sick pranks on people like pretending to be the police on the phone, telling them their spouse died and then post their reactions to their sites. Not having any remorse, they continue pranking until a mysterious man calls them, turning the tide. Just desserts are served as he ups the ante by knowing everything about them. Having their parents tied to a chair, waiting to be killed, persuades them a bit. He continues to make their lives hell as they struggle to keep from hanging up the phone.

This one starts off with some cool camera shots and then the film just grabs you and doesn't let up much at all. If there was a tension meter this film would have it maxed out.

There are some predictable scenes and a minimal amount of violence but overall it still rocks. A decent budget and loads of jump scares keep you on your toes. Watch this one for sure and whatever you do Don't Hang Up! 6 pizza pranks out of 10.

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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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.

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