Even before Until Dawn came out, the film received a lot of hate.
Months before the film premiered in April, Stacey Henley of TheGamer declared that Until Dawn was “Hollywood’s latest gaming insult.” Alix Blackburn of Tom’s Guide said of the trailer, “Within the first 20 seconds, I was already disappointed.” In every corner of the Internet, fans of the video game of the same name complained, “This isn’t Until Dawn!”
The film had a lackluster opening weekend, particularly compared to the smash success of Sinners. Naysayers celebrated Until Dawn’s apparent box-office failure. Nearly a month later, however, the film’s profits have significantly surpassed its $15 million budget, grossing almost $50 million worldwide so far.
Until Dawn clearly isn’t the flop that many might’ve hoped it would be. But the question remains: is it any good?
From left to right: Nina (Odessa A’zion), Abe (Belmont Cameli), Clover (Ella Rubin), Max (Michael Cimino), Megan (Ji-young Yoo)
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It’s a faithful video game film (no, really).
Before you get mad, hear me out. I know, I know; it’s not at all faithful to Until Dawn (2015). Sony shouldn’t have marketed it as that game’s adaptation. I agree.
Marketing misfires aside, though, Until Dawn is incredibly effective at translating the experience of playing a video game to the big screen — not any particular IP, but the general feeling. These movies, including Wreck-It Ralph, Nerve, and most recently A Minecraft Movie, have also attempted to replicate this experience.
In terms of execution, however, none of those capture what it’s like to play a video game, particularly an MMORPG, quite like Until Dawn does. The aforementioned movies are often too meta, spoofing and/or deconstructing game tropes at every turn with winking self-awareness. On the other hand, most video game films simply try to adapt a game’s story beats for the big screen.
Meanwhile, Until Dawn finds a sweet spot between those two approaches. The supernatural events of Until Dawn fully embrace video game logic while grounding it with realistic human characters and gimmick-free, straightforward visual language.
While the game was like an interactive movie, the film is the opposite. It captures the essence of the video game medium, putting it into film form. Although it isn’t a faithful adaptation of the game’s story, in that sense, Until Dawn is a worthy spiritual successor.
Unlike other time-loop films like Groundhog Day or Happy Death Day, each of the film’s five main characters remembers the events of the previous nights. There’s no prolonged mystery about why they feel a sense of déjà vu. The film wastes no time in establishing that the characters just want to get out and what they need to do to accomplish that.
As such, it mimics the experience of playing an immersive MMORPG. You and your teammates just want to beat the campaign. But it might take you a few or several attempts. You might be frustrated at your teammates’ mistakes or groan at the thought of starting again. Still, most players will stay and help their teammates.
Until Dawn is successful at conveying the tedium, tension, and exhaustion that often come with these playthroughs. But it also shows the warm camaraderie that can arise even when you don’t know your teammates behind their screens.
Speaking of…
A real team movie
Most horror films these days feature an ensemble cast yet focus on just one character, usually the designated final girl. The other members of the ensemble are just there so the filmmakers can give them gory deaths. They never really get a fighting chance, unlike that one (typically white) girl obviously marked for survival.
Until Dawn isn’t about the kills, though. The marketing makes it seem like Clover’s story. But her friends are all equally important to the goal of surviving the night.
They each have something to contribute and can’t figure stuff out without each other’s skills. This is their story too — a survival story.
Case in point: Clover is the one who deduces that Hill’s office is located in what used to be Glore Valley’s sanatorium. However, she couldn’t have done it without Megan’s psychic abilities leading her toward the map.
The film also plays with the final girl trope. Clover seemingly fulfills the usual criteria; she’s a young, doe-eyed white woman whose grief kicks off the plot.
However, Until Dawn gives Max and Megan, who would probably just be the Latino and Asian sidekicks in other films, the chance to be the heroes as well. On certain nights, Max emerges as the sole survivor.
On the twelfth night, too, it is revealed that Megan is the final final girl of the time loop. A part of me wishes that promotional materials emphasized Yoo a lot more. The actress is radiant and memorable onscreen as Megan, a real standout performance. But another part of me appreciates that a seemingly secondary character like Megan can rise up to become the final girl in Until Dawn.
David F. Sandberg, the director, behind the scenes
A labor of love
It’s clear that Sandberg and co. are genuine horror fans. Despite their modest budget, the crew put significant effort into practical effects instead of going digital. Where else can you find meticulously crafted cheek worms or chandeliers featuring severed doll heads instead of bulbs?
You can also see this passion in the film’s attention to detail, like its impeccable sound design. The film uses music sparingly. The tiniest actions in the film produce satisfying sounds, from the crackle of a neck turn to the squelch of a blood-soaked hand.
Dauberman and Butler’s script also tries to cram in as much information about the characters as they can within the constraints of the film’s brisk pace and lean runtime. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. But the writers’ care for Clover, Max, Megan, Nina, and Abe is palpable.
They’ve worked hard to make the main five friends real and relatable for Gen Z viewers like me. The main cast deserves recognition too, for their vibrant chemistry. Even though the dialogue is stilted at times, the actors are committed to selling Sandberg’s vision of a friend group that actually feels like, well… a group of friends.
Our verdict
Until Dawn isn’t a masterpiece like Sinners. But it’s still a refreshing, somewhat experimental take on slashers, strengthened by its team’s passion and vision, as well as the cast’s charming chemistry and performances. However, it will likely take some time — probably years — for the public to judge the film by its own merits, rather than comparing it to the beloved 2015 game.
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Photos: Sony Pictures, Screen Gems
