Until Dawn: A Solid Adaptation That Misses The Landing

Video game adaptations have had a mixed history when it comes to both critics and audiences but that is the game with any adaptation. The existing IP that is given the adaptation treatment inherently has the baggage of fans and their expectations for said properties. As legions of filmmakers enact their creative freedom, the level of freedom some fans are willing to give them may not always be fair, or rational. Video games are such an interactive medium as players control their main character (or characters) and engage with their respective stories, so it is confounding how their film adaptations often can’t replicate the same kind of experience. With studios always looking to leverage video game IP with large fan bases for possible success at the box office, that practice does not look to change anytime soon. Until Dawn, the popular PlayStation game, is the next property to get the film treatment. The horror game with a premise that saw a group of friends forced to survive a night or risk being trapped in a time loop where they face forces looking to kill them in increasingly gruesome ways. Undoubtedly an interesting premise for a film, it is merely a different means to present another tale of dumb characters making dumb decisions to advance a plot basically serving to facilitate its premise. New, but also not new, there is plenty of fun to be had here.

Until Dawn, as mentioned, is based on the video game of the same name and centers around Clover (Rubin), and her group of friends, as they helped her investigate the mysterious disappearance of her sister Melanie (Maia Mitchell) as a means to help her find some closure and finally move on. Their journey took them to a remote valley and a seemingly abandoned visitor center where they would quickly find themselves trapped by an unknown force. As the day became night, combing through potential clues as to Melanie’s disappearance, Clover and her friends would become targets of a masked killer who would go on to murder them one by one. Dictated by an ominous hourglass, as its sand flowed completely to its opposite end, their evening would reset. Stuck in a time loop and forced to repeat the same night over and over, facing different threats each time, each more horrifying than the last. Taking advantage of their confused and vulnerable state, their dynamic was put to the test as they attempted to navigate their new circumstances. As they learned the rules and quirks of their current predicament, what followed was an exercise on how to kill is characters in different, and creative ways.

Evolving as an dynamic, going from fodder to characters becoming more and more aware of their surroundings, it was certainly interesting to watch them grow. However, that process was not without dumb character decisions, mostly motivated by a silly story designed to get them where they needed to be. Little did they know the consequences of every new loop on them as individuals as, aside from the threats they faced, the real horror was how many lives they had left. After going through loop after loop, not even they knew. Now as all the pieces of the story started to come together, one thing was clear, in order to survive, Clover and her friends must first survive the night. Easier said than done, the film was at its best when its focus was on its character trying to survive the night. Fully grasping their circumstances, the night became a game of trial and error in trying to game the system in order to get to the group’s ultimate goal. That being said, the personal dynamic between the characters would also play a role in their outcome.

Where the film falters is its attempt to make the landing and find an out for its characters and end the story. Introducing its antagonist in Dr. Hill (Peter Stormare), a name that should be familiar to fans of the video game, the pieces truly started to come together. However, getting a bit lost in the clouds with its premise and characters, the story then seemingly overcompensates for that with a messy, chaos-filled ending that loses the spirit of what it was through its first two acts. Aside from Dr. Hill (with Stormare reprising his role from the original game) and its general premise, the nods to the Until Dawn video game culminate in a nice Easter egg, or something that may rub some fans the wrong way. Meanwhile, on the technical side, the film is solid all around in terms of VFX, both CGI and practical, in bringing every incarnation of its world to life. Though not the flashiest stuff, it is nonetheless effective.

In the end, the film would not have worked as well if not for the strength of its central dynamic. The chemistry of Rubin, Cimino (Max), A’Zion (Nina), Ji-young Yoo (Megan), and Belmont Cameli (Abe) is what makes it work in spite of the lack of strength of their respective characters. Stormare, on the other hand, brings an effortless gravitas and imposing screen presence to any role he plays, and as Dr. Hill, it is no different.

When viewed beyond the scope of a video game adaptation, Until Dawn delivers a solid horror film that offers just enough different to get by, led by the strength of its compelling young cast.

Score: 77/100

*still courtesy of Screen Gems*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.