Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NTaDm3atkc&t=28s
Rating- PG-13
Genre- Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Warnings- Mild Swearing/Violence
I went to see the movie "Happy Death Day" that debuted on Friday the 13th of October which is about a college girl named Tree (Jessica Rothe) who gets killed on her birthday only to relive the day over and over again. So in order to stop the cycle, she must discover who is the person who keeps on killing her by inspecting each of her suspects- with there being far too many.
Upon watching the trailer, I was immediately interested and knew I was going to watch this movie at some point, although I predicted it would end up being silly like the movie, "Wish Upon" (which I also reviewed) where it would turn out to be sheer ridiculousness but somehow also easily forgettable.
Was my assumption on this movie dead correct or was I completely wrong and dodged a bullet by avoiding a horrible film?
The plot felt innovative- even with the common trope of reliving the same day- and the pace of the film was good for me. I understood a lot of what was going on, except for why Tree kept reliving the same day in the first place.
There didn't appear to be any supernatural elements going on in the story, so for her to keep coming back to life comes out of left field, but I'm not going to knock the movie too hard for that. It is a fictional story after all and if the writers tried to pull an excuse for why this surreal event was happening, then that would likely overcomplicate things, throw in some plot holes and overall just create a bigger mess than if they didn't explain it at all.
Something that I did find a major issue with was how predictable the killer was. The movie focuses on a lot of suspects by showing how each of them create their own sense of security as they attempt to calm Tree from her panic, but I would always have my eye set on one person who I suspected was the killer and I ended up being right! I had the killer down by the 20 minute mark, which can be a detriment to the storytelling if someone can figure it out that fast.
The characters were not as bad as I thought they would be, my guess was they would all be insufferable but a lot of them were actually very likable. Tree herself is not meant to be likable in the beginning, but as the story progressed I ended up rooting for her to defeat her killer. Her 180 spin from stuck-up drama queen to humble woman didn't occur so suddenly, the pieces of her immaturity was still imbedded in her even as she was dying all the time.
It shows that she's still a person and makes mistakes, even when her life is literally on the line but once I realized her gradual acknowledgment of her faults and showing her change in character by thinking of other people I grew to love her and felt a big smile on my face when I felt like she was going to be safe from the killer.
Side characters like main male lead Carter (Israel Broussard) and Tree's roommate Lori (Ruby Modine) were also very likable in their own right, with each of them having qualities that I admired about them ranging from genuine kindness to intelligence, as we don't see as many characters like that in a thriller. Other characters like Tree's sorority sister Danielle (Rachel Matthews) however played stereotypes. Seriously just stereotypes, so you can make a great guess on how Danielle's character was if you only know that she's part of a sorority.
I couldn't tell if the writers were personifying these sorts of characters as cardboard cutouts on purpose to make fun of stereotypes or they were oblivious to it, but I think I'm going to choose the later since according to Imdb.com, this movie is not considered to be a comedy.
While I am on that topic, the tone of the movie felt very comedic as Tree was trying to figure out her killer, as if she herself finds it funny to be reliving the same day. There is a montage where she is removing suspects from her list after she continuously gets murdered by her killer, and the way it is shown is like a Sunday morning cartoon, where she looks at the camera like, "Whoops!" and dies. Also, the song choice for that montage was Confident by: Demi Lovato too and that too got me questioning the direction this movie was trying to lead me to.
Should I laugh, be empowered? I don't know!
The violence wasn't gruesome at all as most-if not all of the time- the attacks are cut away from the audience. However, I feel the need to address that there is a scene where it quickly reveals Tree hanging from a rope. It goes by very quickly, but it may be triggering to some people so I wanted to warn you beforehand in case that type of stuff is uncomfortable for you to see (if you plan on seeing this movie after all).
"Happy Death Day" certainly exceeded my expectations and though it has some cliches thrown in and a predictable twist, I still enjoyed it a lot. Tree's development, plus the other characters' likability, in addition to the fine humor and good pacing, results in my belief that I think it wouldn't hurt to watch this one in theaters. I give "Happy Death Day" a 4 out of 5 stars.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
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When you watch this movie, there should be an introduction to Universal Studios production and it repeats itself 2 times to represent having Deja Vu. I was honestly spooked when it happened and I loved it!
This must be a small school for everyone to be so shocked that Tree is walking with her hair disheveled and wearing a sparkly tank top. We later find out that she didn't have a one night stand, but say that she did, is everyone really going to knock her for it? Really? I'm sure a lot of them did it too. Also, unless she's butt naked outside, no one should be this aghast at her walking out tired with messy hair and a sparkly tank top.
She has denied the cupcake. Lori will kill her for that!
Becky, why are you with them if they shame eating at all? You deserve better!
Is Tree checking to see if she's pregnant? No, she's having an affair with her professor. Well...
Teen Mom 2 promotion?
I hate when characters look at something unusual in a dark area. Run! I would run! Who cares if it's playing birthday music or if it might be a prank? Then again, I'm terrified of being alone in the dark...
The whole beginning scene leading up to her first death felt pretty pointless seeing as how we know most of what will happen from the trailer.
I admit, the scene when the professor being surprised that Tree is not in love with him made me chuckle.
Who's in the video? Her twin sister?
So the killer has to be a guy if he yelled to his friends in that masculine voice. That also means the friends saw him without the mask. Then why did he turn around so creepily to look at Tree?
Why is their mascot a creepy baby?
What is that guy doing with the lights anyways? That seems too odd for someone who wants sex from someone they previously made out with.
It's a Monday? So Tree went to a Sunday party? That's a really inconvenient time to get hungover if you got class in the morning. Why not Saturday? Oh, because plot.
Lori is so the killer. She's the only one who knows it is Tree's birthday.
Carter and Tree didn't sleep together? He respected her? I am so in love with this guy!
Oh right, the sorority planned a surprise party for Tree so Lori isn't the only one who knows it's her birthday. Maybe the dad is the killer?! I mean, he's been trying to call her all day!
Okay, are we heading into Looney Tunes now? Why is it so funny that she is dying?
So it's really just a stranger who killed her? I guess this could work...
No, not Carter!
Tree, thank you for resurrecting Carter.
Lori hasn't been around for a while and she does work as a nurse...She could have let the killer out!
I love when Tree put the pillow on the ground for the sleeping guy and she stood up for Becky. I love that she finally met with her dad and gave Carter the attention he deserves. She's really changed a lot.
Is it just me or has Carter always been this cute?
How did Tree die? Is this just not connected to the deaths at all, somehow?
I'm calling it, Lori is the real killer. The mastermind has to go.
A poisoned cupcake! Genius! Wait, not really...because first off, how would you explain that to the police? "My roommate died of a cupcake that I gave her." Your fingerprints are the only ones that touched it besides Tree's so you can't pin the blame on anyone else. I guess she can throw the wrapper away, but then what about the autopsy when they discover her body was poisoned and the last thing she ate was made by Lori? How would Lori explain that in the long run?
Now I understand more about what Lori meant by, "there are consequences to your actions" when Tree was meeting with the professor.
Now Tree's going to jail because she killed Lori. No...she's off the hook?! How?! I guess they tested the remnants of the cupcake.
Danielle, still and always will be a selfish jerk.
It's a little sad that Carter will never truly know of everything Tree did (or even what he did) to save their lives, but at least they're together now.
Uhh...no. Carter, you don't do that. You don't joke about someone reliving the same day of them dying after they've suffered through it for probably the equivalent to weeks by now. If I was Tree, I would not be giggling about that. You died how many times? And Carter has the nerve to make fun of that? Bad Carter! (I still like you though...)
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