The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

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Casually saying that you think your in-laws are trying to kill you is something that is not completely uncommon, but what if they actually are? Ready or Not takes a funny, and bloody, spin on the fear of in-laws; which, this time, isn’t an overreaction.                                              

Ready or Not follows new bride Grace (Samara Weaving) on the eve of her wedding to Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), heir to the massive Le Domas family-fortune. As part of the family’s tradition, a new member has to play a game, decided by a card drawn from a mysterious wooden box. Grace’s happens to choose hide and seek; little did she know that the stakes of this game are life and death.

The basic premise of the plot is a lot like Richard Connell’s renowned short story, The Most Dangerous Game, however, it is not just about the rich hunting the poor for pleasure. The film discusses major themes like trusting and knowing a partner enough to get married, the effect of family on what children perceive as “normal”, and the costs and effects of extreme wealth.

Sounds serious, right? Well, it is not.

Despite tapping on such major themes, this horror/comedy takes itself very lightly, constantly making jokes at the expense of the wealthy. There aren’t a lot of movies that can pull this genre off, but Ready or Not somehow does, even if the horror is mostly bloody violence – absolutely not for the faint-hearted – and the comedy is mainly satire-laced profanity.

Ready or Not gets points for not portraying Grace as the damsel in distress or a plain old boring victim, nor does it let selfish men off the hook without exposing their intentions.

For the acting, Samara Weaving gave a very powerful performance that not only has audiences hoping she survives, but also completely threw away the damsel in distress cliché. Mark O’Brien’s performance was adequate, but he was excellent in the last scenes of the film. Playing Alex’s brother Daniel, Adam Brody gave a very distinct performance that made his character one of the most interesting in the movie. Brody excelled in showing Daniel’s struggle with the family traditions, and how deep he has become involved in their monstrosities. Playing Alex’s parents, Henry Czerny and Andie MacDowell gave performances that were mostly over the top for a comic effect, which sometimes came off rather silly.

Ready or Not is a lot; a lot of violence, a lot of vulgar comedy. To some it may be too much, to others it could be a lot of fun.