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We tend to think that our family is the most important thing ever, and we strive to protect that. But how far will you go to protect your "loved ones" when they're not necessarily "loved"? That is the situation that the Davison family finds themselves as they have to navigate the threat of being attacked by a trio of masked killers inside their home with the personal issues and estrangement between them.
You're Next focuses mostly on Erin (Sharni Vinson), the new girlfriend of Crispian (A.J. Bowen), as they arrive at the family's vacation home to celebrate their parents anniversary. Along for the ride are Crispian's siblings: Drake (Joe Swanberg), Felix (Nicholas Tucci), and Aimee (Amy Seimetz), with their respective partners. But just as their personal differences start to boil, all hell breaks loose as the killers start their attack.
This is one of those little films that manages to surprise you. I know I had heard good things about it but I really didn't know much about it. I thought the script from Simon Barrett and the direction from Adam Wingard have a great balance of horror and thrills with a bit of dark humor peppered in. That balance is not something that every director can find, especially in a home invasion film that still manages to pack a decent dose of scares and violence.
I thought that the tension between the siblings felt real, and the script did a great job of walking around that in the first act, although I think they could've fleshed out one or two characters more to give the last act a bit more punch. I also thought that the design of the killers with their masks was clever, and the way they are introduced was effective. The film really doesn't waste a lot of time, and Wingard does a great job transmitting the dread and menace of their arrival.
I really enjoyed the mystery of what is really going on, and what are the background and motivations of everyone. However, once all of that is cleared towards the last act, I felt that the film got less interesting. Still, I really enjoyed what I got for the first two acts, and I still think the final act held its own. To be honest, I don't know what's scarier; a random attack or a targeted one, but even though I love my siblings, this film could've easy be targeted to me. Fun watch.
Grade:
YOU'RE NEXT
(2011, Wingard)
A film with a title that starts with the letters W, X, Y, or Z
(2011, Wingard)
A film with a title that starts with the letters W, X, Y, or Z
"This wasn't a random attack! Our family's being targeted."
We tend to think that our family is the most important thing ever, and we strive to protect that. But how far will you go to protect your "loved ones" when they're not necessarily "loved"? That is the situation that the Davison family finds themselves as they have to navigate the threat of being attacked by a trio of masked killers inside their home with the personal issues and estrangement between them.
You're Next focuses mostly on Erin (Sharni Vinson), the new girlfriend of Crispian (A.J. Bowen), as they arrive at the family's vacation home to celebrate their parents anniversary. Along for the ride are Crispian's siblings: Drake (Joe Swanberg), Felix (Nicholas Tucci), and Aimee (Amy Seimetz), with their respective partners. But just as their personal differences start to boil, all hell breaks loose as the killers start their attack.
This is one of those little films that manages to surprise you. I know I had heard good things about it but I really didn't know much about it. I thought the script from Simon Barrett and the direction from Adam Wingard have a great balance of horror and thrills with a bit of dark humor peppered in. That balance is not something that every director can find, especially in a home invasion film that still manages to pack a decent dose of scares and violence.
I thought that the tension between the siblings felt real, and the script did a great job of walking around that in the first act, although I think they could've fleshed out one or two characters more to give the last act a bit more punch. I also thought that the design of the killers with their masks was clever, and the way they are introduced was effective. The film really doesn't waste a lot of time, and Wingard does a great job transmitting the dread and menace of their arrival.
I really enjoyed the mystery of what is really going on, and what are the background and motivations of everyone. However, once all of that is cleared towards the last act, I felt that the film got less interesting. Still, I really enjoyed what I got for the first two acts, and I still think the final act held its own. To be honest, I don't know what's scarier; a random attack or a targeted one, but even though I love my siblings, this film could've easy be targeted to me. Fun watch.
Grade: