By Spencer Bates
“Choose or Die” is the film version of a Jackson Pollock painting. The culmination of a plethora of movie tropes and themes comes together to form a familiar and overall solid film.
Immediately upon the opening of the movie, the feel is “Black Mirror”-esque with how hazy, cold and off putting the scenes feel. A collector of 1980s memorabilia finds himself indulging in a long forgotten video game named “CURS>R” and unknowingly awakens a curse that gets placed upon him. Through a series of levels, the video game sees and knows all and forces whoever is playing to make graphic and sometimes deadly choices or, as the title suggests, die.
The curse is then spread through other copies of the game, one of which falls into the hands of the protagonist Kayla (Iola Evans, “Carnival Row”), who is immediately interested in the unclaimed $100,000 prize. Little does she know she is about to awaken the curse that will put her life and those around her at risk. Narrowly surviving the game after the first few levels, she seeks help in the for of her best friend and computer expert, Isaac (Asa Butterfield, “Sex Education”), who is immediately entranced with the game. He comes to realize the severity of the situation and takes it upon himself to help Kayla on her mission as the only way to stop the curse is by beating the game.
The movie combines aspects of “Jumanji,” “Death Note” and most importantly, “Nightmare on Elm Street.” As Toby Meakins’ directorial debut, he clearly was inspired by the 1984 horror and mystery film, as several similar sequences were apparent throughout. What takes the cake is that Meakins was able to secure Robert Englund (“Red”), who played Freddy Krueger in “Nightmare on Elm Street,” as a voice actor in the film. The cameo by the first ever actor to portray the “Springwood Slasher,” gave horror fans something to rave about.
The movie takes a turn once the game is beaten and the curse is now in the hands of Kayla who is then tasked with what to do with it. The transition to a vigilante-type movie towards the end, leads viewers to believe there will be at least one more installment in the series.
Overall, “Choose or Die” is a very easy watch that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire time. With a run time of just under one and a half hours Meakins delivers a brilliantly filmed piece that Evans and Butterfield took and made even better with their chemistry and acting.
Not to be glossed over is the great special effects throughout the movie. Without being overly grotesque and gore-dependent, the movie successfully uses special effects to supplement the overall uneasy feeling of the entire piece.
However, with the combination of so many movie tropes and a shorter run time things can get messy and feel rushed. It almost takes another 20 minutes after the film ends to fully digest what happened and form an actual opinion. The Netflix Original was released on April 15 and was in the top 10 in the U.S. a few days following its release.
Image from Netflix via YouTube
