Countdown

As this horror film opens a group of teenagers are at a party; one of them has downloaded a phone app, called 'Countdown', that claims to predict when the user will die; the others install it and one of them is somewhat disturbed when it says she has three hours to live; her boyfriend is only predicted slightly longer. This being a horror film she does indeed die. He is injured in a car crash and is worried because he is predicted to die at the time of his surgery. He tells newly qualified nurse Quinn Harris about the app and soon many of the staff have added it... it tells her she has three days to live. At first she laughs it off but when the boyfriend dies she starts to take it seriously. After a chance meeting with a man who has also been given a short time to live she sets about trying to find a way of avoiding her fate. This will involve seeking help from the likes of a nerdy priest and a tech support guy. If that weren't had enough a doctor at work harasses her.

The idea of having somebody trying to avoid a predicted death might not be that original; there are famous examples from antiquity, but having an app make the prediction is a nice update of the idea. The story gets off to a good if predictable start... we have to see a couple of people die as predicted to accept that anybody could take it seriously. The film provides some good tense moments but for a horror film I'd have preferred it if it were a bit scarier. The demons that came for those trying to cheat death should have been the scariest thing about the film; instead that honour goes to the sleazy doctor who tried to take advantage of Quinn. The characters were rather fun; most notably the priest who was really into demons and curses. The acting is solid; particularly Elizabeth Lail as Quinn. Overall I wouldn't say this is a must see but if you want a mildly scary horror film that will pass ninety minutes you could do a lot worse.

Honestly I was in the mood to be spooked, and that's what this movie did. It's all about jump scares, so if that's not your thing then I wouldn't suggest this movie. But I don't know why this movie is getting all these bad scores. If you want to be scared by jump scares and have some laughs then I suggest this movie

Great times when a movie completely surprises you by being good. PG 13 horror movies tend to be mediocre but #Countdown was really good. A bit more to the plot than the trailers implied. Witty (snarky) dialogue and a great group of unknowns, with two great veterans dropped into the mix, Tichina Arnold and Peter Facinelli, whom I didn't even know were in the film. As a teen movie, everyone is gorgeous *eye candy* but the twist in the movie gave it more depth than anticipated. Two peripheral characters added an unexpected comic appeal for a "horror" movie. I think the Happy Death Day franchise has spun off a new genre "com-horror" maybe? Anyway, on a regular movie scale this is maybe a 7? but for the PG 13 horror rankings, a solid 9. Great date movie, as there is no nudity, or a movie to see with a group of friends for laughs and jump scares.

The movie gave me the same feeling I had when I first watched Final Destination; trying to beat death with a few good laughs and nice characters. You know what's going to happen but still you're in suspense.

Not the best horror movie of 2019, but definitely enjoyable to watch around Halloween. And deserves a better rating than it has.

What I liked:

• interesting, original concept that feels strangely applicable to our modern society. Let's be honest: if we could really download an app like this, most people would.
• decent acting.
• surprisingly likeable and intelligent main character, which is kind of refreshing in this genre.
• not particularly scary to me but probably pretty creepy to someone who scares easily. Which is a good thing.
• no inconsistencies or plot holes I could find.

What I didn't like:

• unnecessary romance is unnecessary.
• the comic relief priest.
• the weird sexual harassment subplot. I feel like they could've done without.
• bit predictable at times, clichés throughout.
• a couple of dumb jump scares.

Overall not a terrible experience. Probably don't care to watch it again but if you're in the mood for a fun horror flick this'll do just fine.