Our film introduces us to Grace (Samara Weaving), a gorgeous bride who is having her wedding day and marrying the groom of her dreams. Grace was an orphan growing up, and she’s always desired having family around her. As the groom’s parents and other family members attend the wedding, they seem happy and supportive of Grace and the marriage. Grace is welcomed into the family, however.

It is a tradition in this family that after a wedding, a game is played in a big mansion and all family members must participate. Grace is now part of a game of Hide & Seek in which her new, loving in-laws are trying to hunt her down and kill her unless she can stay alive until the crack of dawn.

I enjoyed the performance of Samera Weaving as the lead actress. I found her work here very convincing as she embraces her character.

The film’s general style and set design, particularly of the mansion (which is the film’s main setting), looks fantastic and has lots of detail for audiences to appreciate.

I also loved the idea of this film, but it did remind me a lot of another film entitled “You’re Next” (2011). This was a film which also involved family members trying to kill someone. Based on the film’s marketing (trailer, poster), I also had the impression that our leading lady would be fighting the family members one by one, serving them bloody revenge through the night, but that isn’t the case. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of blood and gore for horror nutbags to enjoy.

My two biggest issues with the film is some of the characters and elements in the film’s plot. Many of the characters are slightly silly. Many side characters will change motives rather quickly, and at times they will seem in a rush to kill Grace and then at other times seem not to care at all. The film’s plot and the concept is fun but don’t expect any back story or deep details into the elements and workings of the story. The film’s final moments are rushed, and there are unexpected twists in the plot (but some would say this is a good thing). The pacing during the finale for me just didn’t match the pacing of the story or the tension that was built up.

Overall, Ready or Not brings many elements to the screen that can be enjoyed, such as Shock factor, gore and comedy. Impressive work from actress Samara Weaving as the leading lady and her solid performance is a big positive for the film. The film’s side characters however come across somewhat silly and make unwise choices. Nevertheless, this film has got some creativity and freshness about it even if it’s not a perfect or if it’s similar to a previous horror flick we’ve seen before.

6.2/10