To Your Last Death

Wow, where do I even begin with this one? Here's what you need to know.

1) The script is freaking GREAT. These writers deliver. This script is SO good. There are so many twists, and all of them I bought because of the depth of character. All the characters in this movie feel dimensional and realistic. They all are complex and have real-world trouble and moral ambiguity. I felt more for these 2D people than I have for a lot of live action horror movies lately. Kudos to the writers big time.

2) The voice talent is through the roof. From the Shat's opening monlogue, to the gorgeous Inara from Firefly as the evil mystery woman, the performances are amazing. Special mention to Ray Wise whom you may remember as Leland Palmer from Twin Peaks as the sadistic family patriarch.

3) The pacing is relentless (in a good way.) I was actually breathless by the end of this movie. My heart was beating fast. It was a ride.

4) The themes. The movie actually has something to say. There's a lot going on here and the movie doesn't shy away from making a few political points at the expense of the monied class. In that way this movie reminded me a lot of Parasite, except I enjoyed this one way more. Another theme has to do with whether or not we are all just pawns of a bunch of degenerate gods. Seriously. Trust me on this, it's awesome.

5) the animation. OK so I'm split on this. On the one hand it reminds me of Metalocalyspe meets Scooby Doo And it works for the story being told. I was never pulled out of the story because the art or animation wasn't cutting it. That said, this is a film that is clearly indie geek supreme to the max and you just know every dollar is up on the screen so no this is not Pixar, so don't expect that. This is a obviously a bunch of geeks who wanted to make the most insane movie they could, and they brought it with the $ they had.

6) Make sure you watch to the very end.

Give this one a chance you will be glad you did. I am still thinking about it two days later!

It's not terrible, it's not good either. It could have been a lot better than it turned out though. The story was sloppy and the voice acting was good for some characters but poor for others. It seemed like the film was attempting to tell some sort of life lesson with the story and how it had different possible outcomes but it just doesn't work. The animation style isn't exactly enjoyable to watch either.

I would've thought this was really cool back when I was 14 years old, but alas now I expect more of a plot and a point. Think the violent contraptions of Saw (2004-2017) animated like Heavy Metal (1981) in an intergalactic contest like Rick and Morty ("Get Schwifty" 2015). The voice cast is great but the animation is mediocre, like the first episodes of Archer (2009). The convoluted Groundhog Day (1993) storyline is a good excuse for tons of over-the-top violence, some sex, and adult themes. This movie will do well on late night cable TV and niche streaming.

It's just plain bad, not worth the time it requires you to watch it.

While not a masterpiece, how could anyone rate it only 1 star? That's confusing to me, as it seems a lot of care was put into producing this. Some people seem to have a problem with the animation, but I kind of like it. It's more of a comic-book art style full of gore and murder, and that appeals to me a lot more than Japanese animation does, even if the excessive blood isn't exactly what I look for in a movie. I'm not much for the torture porn, but this film balances it nicely with dark humor and an atmosphere of dread and anxiety. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea but it's definitely not boring, and I give it 7/10 for at least being an original animated horror feature within the manhunt sub-genre, and not just another remake of something old.