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| Happy Death Day |
HAPPY DEATH DAY: B+
Had GROUNDHOG DAY been a horror this would be it. A mystery thriller with a clever plot, driven by strong performances and edge of your seat suspense that keeps you hooked to the screen.
The film's greatest strength was also its greatest weakness. Like all film's of such nature, the make it or break it pivotal moment comes in its revelation. To answer with a yes or a no, as to whether the revealing scene worked or it didn't, is tricky. To think of the film on the surface, in its literal state, the revelation of who is killing Tree, is weak, yet clever.
Clever in that there are enough signs to figure it out, without being overly obvious. I'll commend the film for its unlikely, yet plausible scenario. Yet, the motive seemed weak and a more realistic ending was sacrificed for a wanna be yet not so shocking reveal.
Twists weakening what would have otherwise been a very strong ending? Well, when will that not be the case with modern film?
The real revelation came in the character Tree, played brilliantly by Jessica Rothe. And while I suppose in a thriller, an audience expects....rather DEMANDS a revelation to be who the killer is and why he/she is doing it....the self awareness and change that Tree goes through was enough for me. I genuinely bought that Tree was a selfish, shallow, superficial and egocentric person. A narcissist with little regard for anyone other than herself. The revelation she made that she wasn't that great of a person, and that she had the opportunity to become a better person each day, was very sincere and genuine. By the end of the film, I bought that she had changed. A once rotten human being, now a caring, uplifting and sensitive soul. It seemed a difficult role to play and again Rothe did very well with it.
It is tongue in cheek, as have other critics claimed it to be. And it could have been a bit more realistic in the direction that it ended up going. Yet it wasn't completely implausible. Unlikely yes, but still plausible.
I did enjoy this film.
