Until Dawn

Going into this film, I had the unique advantage of being completely unfamiliar with the game it was based on. I hadn't seen trailers, read fan theories, or followed any of the development buzz. My expectations weren't colored by nostalgia or comparisons to the source material. All I had was an open mind - and I came away thoroughly impressed.

Let me start by addressing the elephant in the room. If you've read online reviews or listened to fans of the original game, you've probably heard a lot of criticism. Many longtime players felt the film didn't live up to the standard they expected or deviated too much from the game's lore, mechanics, or tone. While I respect that perspective, I think it's crucial to acknowledge a simple truth: not every adaptation is made solely for the original fanbase. Sometimes, they're designed to welcome newcomers, and this film does that exceptionally well.

From the very beginning, the film pulled me into its world. The atmosphere was rich, immersive, and clearly crafted with care. Visually, it's stunning - full of detail and texture that hint at a deep lore without overwhelming you with exposition. The direction balances action, suspense, and character development in a way that's accessible for viewers like me who don't know the backstory. It's entertaining, engaging, and - most importantly - it stands on its own.

One of the film's biggest strengths is its pacing. It doesn't rely too heavily on prior knowledge, nor does it try to cram in every bit of lore from the game. Instead, it focuses on telling a solid, coherent story with compelling characters and emotional weight. The performances are grounded and believable, especially from the lead, who brings just the right amount of vulnerability and grit. Whether or not you know who this character is "supposed" to be, you'll care about their journey.

The action sequences deserve a special mention. They're well-choreographed, intense, and refreshingly devoid of the kind of overdone CGI that often plagues video game adaptations. There's a tactile quality to the combat and set pieces that gives the film a sense of realism and stakes. You feel the tension, the danger, and the thrill - all without needing to press a button or dodge an enemy yourself.

What really surprised me, though, was how emotionally resonant the film turned out to be. There are moments of quiet introspection, subtle character dynamics, and even a few scenes that hit surprisingly hard. It's clear that the filmmakers wanted to do more than just appeal to fans of the game - they aimed to tell a human story that anyone could connect with. And they succeeded.

Of course, no adaptation is perfect. I'm sure if I were a devoted fan of the original game, I might have noticed choices or changes that felt off. But coming into this with fresh eyes, I didn't see anything that detracted from the experience. If anything, it made me curious about the game and its world - and isn't that part of what an adaptation should do?

In the end, I think it's important not to let negative fan reviews dictate your expectations. This film might not be exactly what longtime players wanted, but for those of us coming in blind, it's a fantastic ride. It stands strong on its own merits and offers an exciting, emotional, and visually rich experience.

So here's my advice: don't listen to the noise. If you're new to the concept like I was, give it a shot. You might just find yourself loving it - just like I did.

Until Dawn is loosely based on a 2015 survival video game. I say loosely as it doesn't follow the game at all.

The mixing of various horror sub-genres from slasher to ghost story to zombies to witchcraft, is an exciting attempt of keeping the audience glued to their seats for the next unexpected way to die for our fateful five protagonists.

The movie Cabin in the Woods come to mind as it resembles it somewhat with all the events monitored by an overlord.

This movie has three to four good jump scares and is not for the faint of heart for sure. Its basically ""Groundhog day"" with a bucket load of blood and gore!

Overall, a bloody good time if you prefer to turn your brains off. However Spontaneous Combustion had me rolling with laughter.

Until Dawn (2025) takes place in the same universe as the video game, and while it's not a direct adaptation, it has some fun little Easter eggs for fans. It follows Clover and her friends as they return to the remote valley where her sister disappeared a year earlier. They explore this creepy abandoned visitor centre and then a masked killer shows up and starts picking them off one by one. But after they die, they mysteriously wake up at the start of the same night again. There are some genuinely fun moments here. The kills are awesome, really creative and super violent. Big A+ on the gore. A lot of it is practical effects too, which I always love. Sure, there's some CGI, but the practical stuff looks amazing and makes the kills hit harder. There are even some funny moments sprinkled in, which I appreciated. Each night plays out a little differently with new killers and deaths, which was kind of fun to watch. Some nights are stronger than others. One of them dragged a lot, nothing really happened except for one important detail. It was definitely the weakest part of the movie, especially after it started so strong. Thankfully, the next night brought it back to life. There's a moment where a character looks through old videos on their phone from past days they don't remember. I wish they'd done more with it. Instead of just showing the videos one by one, it would've been way more effective as a fast paced montage. It could've really ramped up the tension and adrenaline. It just felt like they skipped over a bunch of really cool stuff we didn't get to see. The movie is loosely inspired by the game, and that's where some people might be disappointed. It has the wendigos, the masked killer (the psycho), and even the doctor, but it's not the same characters or story. I get why fans wanted a more faithful adaptation (I'd love a true Until Dawn movie too!), but for what it is, it wasn't bad at all. The ending hints at a sequel, showing a snowy cabin and a car pulling up. It looks like it's setting up the events before the game takes place. If you haven't played the game, I think you'll enjoy this even more. For me, it wasn't perfect, but it was still fun, and I'd watch it again.

As someone who has played and loved Until Dawn I was so excited for this movie to release.

Unfortunately I was incredibly disappointed. If this was an original horror movie I would've liked it more than I did.

The film had some good scary moments, decent cast, setting, gore and character design. The kills were inventive and looked good. But this was NOT enough to save this movie.

This was not Until Dawn. This was a poor effort in putting some elements from the game into a messy incoherent movie. The plot was not intriguing and it had little to no mystery/lore that the game so perfectly created. In summary it was a combination of random "scary" things that added very little to the overall experience.

The movie had the makings of an interesting story. But by the finale, nothing was really explained and it ended underwhelmingly.

I would've preferred a carbon copy of the game. I appreciate the effort to try something but when the game had very little to fault I don't understand why so much was changed. At least keep the snowy setting.

Disappointed.

As I was not familiar with the fact that this was a game adaptation beforehand, I liked how the characters revived repeatedly while watching it, but I suppose that was to be expected. Also, the movie was not horrifying at any point for me. Catered many cliches and was unfulfilling from a horror perspective. I'd describe it as a decent survival film - that's all i can say.