Ready or Not

Ready or Not follows Samara Weaving’s Grace as she prepares to marry into the seriously eccentric Le Domas family, with murderous shenanigans ensuing after it becomes clear that the entire clan wants (or needs) to kill Grace before dawn. It’s an appealing (if overly quirky) setup that’s employed to progressively underwhelming effect by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, as the filmmakers deliver a somewhat one-note narrative that only grows less and less interesting as time slowly progresses – with the egregiously over-the-top bent of Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy’s screenplay paving the way for a midsection devoid of compelling (or even interesting) set pieces. (It’s all just so broad that it becomes impossible to care about/sympathize with any of the supporting characters, although Weaving’s solid turn ensures that Grace, at the very least, remains a relatively compelling protagonist.) There’s little doubt, as well, that the nature of the premise results in a repetitive midsection revolving almost entirely around Grace’s efforts at hiding and escaping from her pursuers, and although the climax is admittedly far more fun and lively than one might’ve anticipated, Ready or Not has long-since confirmed its place as a disappointingly uninvolving misfire that surely would’ve worked better as a short (or as an installment in one of the horror anthologies on which Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett cut their teeth).

** out of ****