Don't Hang Up

I read the plot first before watch the whole movie. Then, I get interested and then I watched the whole movie. First 15 minutes was okay for me for the story, two boys prank a lot of people with terrible jokes. By the time the antagonist play the role, I intentionally started to feel like "it is a bit exaggerated". It doesn't make sense that the protagonist knows every corner, every single thing the two boys did. It could make a sense if this film tells us the story behind it how the antagonist set all the cameras, how he get into those two boys' life, house, and makes an acceptable rapprochement. The good thing is the ending is not disappointed and makes sense yet I'm not that satisfied with the sense of its technology in this movie (it's like the murderer is a god. Knows everything).

There's not a good guy on this movie so you really don't care much for the teenagers getting targeted by the mysterious man.

You do feel bad about the collateral damage though.

One of the main characters tries to redeem himself by acting morally to try to solve the situation which is nice to see but ultimately it's kinda too late and you don't actually have sympathy for what he's trying to accomplish.

The acting was poor.

That being said, the plot is interesting and well executed.

The characters acted smart which was a breath of fresh air among the average horror movies victims.

The movie got me interested about what was going to happen next and who was going to win that battle and survive.

Ultimately I enjoyed the watch and the ending was satisfactory.

It's definitely better than the fat majority of "horror" movies available on streaming platforms and it deserves a better rating on IMDB.

I did have low expectations going in after seeing the trailer thinking to myself "how many more times can they do this type of film?" However, it wasn't as bad as I expected. The plot twist at the end was refreshing, but I had trouble with the two main leads - I don't feel they were cast properly and belonged instead in some low budget comedy, not a thriller of this caliber. They were very unconvincing. Even the rest of the cast were nothing special. What was the most impressive was the directing, editing and cinematography - the latter of which I felt was too good for this type of film (i.e. camera zooms from keyhole). The pace was slow, but otherwise this film was not too shabby. It's a 6/10 form me

If you are a film student you know that the "reversal" usually comes in the final act, and there is a reason for that. By that point, the viewer is fully engaged, the endorphins are pumping, the action is flowing, and there is a need to take things up a notch.

What is happening here -- and let's give credit where credit is due -- is that the reversal takes place off the top, two pranksters get the tables turned, and it all happens in the first 10 minutes.

That is clever and it is a great start. But it creates problems. If you bring the reversal in too early, you run the risk of becoming dependent on it to drive the film, instead of relying on the basics. Such as dialog, characterizations, empathy, viewer connection.

Which is what happens here. After a great start there are major chunks that just lag, and the reason is that -- to be blunt -- by the halfway point, if you are a typical viewer, you don't really care if the 'slasher' gets the kids or the kids get the slasher. NO EMPATHY.

Many of the subsequent "slasher tropes" that close the third act are just that -- borrowed tricks from dozens of films you have already seen.

Overall the film is technically perfect and at some point in the not-too-distant future, those involved in it will look back at DON'T HANG UP as a great start for their Highlight Reel, but not entirely representative of their best work.

"Don't Hang Up" (2017) is an absolutely derivative horror movie that nevertheless manages to be halfway decent. I'd rate it a 7 out of 10.

We follow a handful of older teenage boys whose favorite avocation is perpetrating cruel prank phone calls and then posting them on the Internet. The horror genre's penchant for vengeance should make their comeuppance predictable. "Don't Hang Up" seems to borrow in equal (large) measure from the "Saw" and "Scream" film franchises, with touches of "Unfriended" (2014) and even "Silence of the Lambs" (1991).

Still, this was a halfway serviceable scary movie. There were nice moments of tension, and it held my interest.

This doesn't belong on anyone's must-see list, but it's a fun enough time-waster if you can't find a better movie.