Would You Rather (2012) Reviews

• Interesting, bit of a let down though

  empressoftheflames2013-03-17

  The trailer had really impressed me so I was expecting to be blown away but I guess that the Saw franchise has raised the expectations regarding acts of self mutilation to a new level. The point of this movie was to showcase "decision making in its rawest form" something the Saw movies have already done. The main difference is that these people were dumb enough to come to the staging area by their own choice because they were eager to get their hands on lots of charity money instantly. In the Saw movies you pity the victims despite the sins of their past because they are thrown into awful traps by force. Here less sympathy is invoked and less of a point is made. The plot is simple really. The protagonist Iris has a little brother who is dying of Leukemia and she's desperate to save him. The answer to all her problems is a dinner party game, with 7 other contestants, at the end of which the winner will receive financial help from the wealthy Lambrick foundation. The game is revealed to be 'Would You Rather' only the stakes are deadly and players must act out their choice. Combining something as elegant as a dinner party with the crude tasks forced up the guests produces a uniquely creepy atmosphere and it is pretty much all the movie has going for itself. There are quite a few downsides to this movie. 1. We don't get to know the motives of everyone at the table or even understand their characters so we are minimally involved. The son of the benefactor and the doctor who is a previous victor of the game don't add much to the movie's plot or act as any kind of inventive twist. 2. The challenges should be new, inventive and unforeseeable to be impacting but none of the options are very original. In fact a few of deaths gave reason for doubt if something like that could kill/damage a person as much as the film shows it does. 3. Some of the options made me think that anyone in their right mind would just let the enforcers of the game shoot them in the head, a relatively painless way to die, than go through with their 'task'. 4. I feel like the movie should have made room for a little bit of happiness so the contrast would be more effective. For example if someone had left before the game started, it would've made everyone feel envious and idiotic. It also would have satisfied the audience if they knew that at least one of these characters has a brain. 5. There is no satisfaction or sense of accomplishment at the end of the movie thanks to its not-that-surprising twist. Iris's victory seemed to come pretty believably and easily (the game was specifically targeted at some of the others unfairly). 6. There isn't as much tension and anticipatory build up as you would imagine. The movie doesn't meet the standard it says it will. I'm not going to talk about the cinematography and lightning because I don't have much critical expertise in those areas but the script could have used some work. The pace of the movie was tolerable. The transition from refusal to willingly hurt others and trying to escape together to survival of the strong mentality was also fitting. In a way the movie was too short (it could have used extra time to let us get to know the characters and involve more tasks) but on the other hand I was waiting for it to end already (because it wasn't doing much for me). Is this movie going to scare you? Probably not. Will it stir some empathy in you? Maybe. Will it entertain a horror fan? I doubt it. It doesn't display as much gore as a Final Destination movie and its not as suspenseful as a Scream movie. It's a mediocre thriller in my opinion. I'd say anyone 15 and above can stomach it. It'll kill an hour and half of your time. I'd definitely recommend Stay Alive or Saw over this. I'd recommend this over Cabin Fever or 1408. Now after reading my review would you rather watch Would You Rather or watch something else? The choice is yours.

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• Passable film

  crazykittieboy2013-11-04

  Would You Rather takes an interesting look at a common children's game, playing it for the delight of a rich man with far too much money. The plot tells a story of a young girl whose younger brother lives with her after her parents have passed on, leaving nothing but mounting debt. Her brother is dying, her house has been sold, and ever job lead seems to fall through. One day somebody offers to pay for everything and find her brother a donor, at a price. This being said, the piece was decently acted, standouts being that of Sasha Grey and the always delightful Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator). The movie found ways to make you cringe without ever resorting to full on sight gore, the worst parts were left heavily to the imagination. This was a film that actually benefited from a lower budget, seeing that in a heavy budget one might be forced to see the over usage of all the stunts. The movie is certainly not without its faults, first and most prominently is the lack of a decent score. The film never really utilizes music to draw you in, which is especially noticeable at the beginning and end of the film. The ending also felt so flat that it could hardly produce sympathy from the audience, an attempt to cater to the twist-necessitating crowd that has been delved since Saw's low budget first film hit our eyes. Unfortunately, it is such a negative that it makes one wonder if the whole damn first 30 minutes of the film were worth anything. This also repeats itself with a worthless subplot involving the doctor. The amount of filler placed within this movie alone degrades it, and unfortunately tampers an otherwise great horror gem to unnecessary viewing. For all the gripes, though, the film does its job when it finally gets there. If I were to simply judge the 2nd act of this film it would get an easy 9, however, that being said, I believe a 6 is not only fair but accurate.

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• Not the worst but seriously unsurprising

  Tcarts762013-07-24

  "Would You Rather," is a decent, low budget. thriller about desperate people put in horrible situations for the entertainment of a wealthy sadist. Brittany Snow is a decent actress, but this definitely wasn't her best effort. The movie plot was OK, and I did appreciate that they didn't just go with the usual copy "Saw" plot that most of these movies use. That being said, the things that happen in this movie are just a bit lacking in creativity. The script was pretty lame, and there was generally a lot more needed to build some suspense and really make it memorable on any real level. Ex pornstar Sasha Grey is in this movie. She looks beautiful, but again the script was just way too lean to see if she could really act (I give her a pass on the bad reviews of "The Girlfriend Experience" because it was a Soderbergh movie, and I hate his movies anyway). All in all, I give it all a 5. To me Brittany Snow and Jeffrey Combs are good enough actor that could have made it decent with a good script, and a bit better writing. The twist at the end was pretty standard and not surprising at all. It's decent if you have nothing else to watch.

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• I would rather....be broke for life!!!

  tdrish2013-07-30

  SPOILER: Would You Rather tells the story of Iris, a young woman ( played by Brittany Snow ) who is in dire need of a job, trying to take care of her ailing brother who is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the measures get pretty desperate when she turns to the wrong man for help: A rich man worth millions invites house guests over to his mansion to compete in a sadistic game called Would You Rather. Now, rest assured, he's not inviting them over to play Wheel Of Fortune or Jeopardy. In fact, the only trivia question being asked is "Would you rather?", at that point each guest is asked to perform grisly acts to make it to the next round...if they even live to see the next round. By the beginning of round two, when the plastic is laid out to protect the expensive assets around the area, we can bet it's going to get pretty messy in here. Would You Rather delivers non stop intense suspense, along with that stressful, annoying music that always plays in a movie whenever something bad is going to happen. Don't want to play anymore? Want to go home? No problem...you'll be forced to continue the game by the wave of a gun, you have to play now! So, the question is : Can Iris survive this insane , violent game, and save her brother in time? Or will her fate be an early casket, along with her brother? Would You Rather is not a disappointment, however, gore hounds may be a little disappointed, it's not that gory. Would You Rather concentrates more on being a great, low budget film, rather then be a blood and guts film, and I liked that route...and you won't forget it. If you think you'd do anything for money, check this flick out, and see if you're still saying that.

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• Looking Into the Mind- Socially/Internally/Psychologically

  emomomotional2013-02-22

  Though I was displeased at not finding out the stories of any of the other characters (I think it would have made it a 9... the characters really don't hold much "character" at all), I did enjoy this suspense/horror film because it wasn't just another gore flick. This movie is, though sick, a very interesting look into the minds of people socially/internally/psychologically. It even makes point of letting the viewer understand what's truly behind each choice. Overall, I do think the lack of character did make for problems; however, I would absolutely recommend this movie- more so, if you like psychological movies and/or enjoy taking a step back to look at your own mind and the choices you would have made.

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