With the popularity of video games, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came knocking and the plots of games became the latest fodder for television shows and feature films. Uncharted was a big success, the surprise death (well, not if you played the game) in The Last of Us was talked about around the office water cooler for weeks, Fallout became a hit, and Sonic the Hedgehog has already had three films completed with a fourth one on the way. Then, , Until Dawn came out in theaters, and now it has been released on 4K.
For those who are unfamiliar with the game, it could be described as what happens when a horror story meets the movie Groundhog Day. Every night Clover (Ella Rubin; Anora), Max (Michael Cimino; Love, Simon), Nina (Odessa A'zion; Hellraiser), Megan (Ji-young Yoo; Expats) and Abe (Belmont Cameli; Alto Knights), are murdered by supernatural creatures only to wake up and start all over again. They are stuck in a loop that, over time, physically changes them into wendigos (a creature or evil spirit originating from Algonquian folklore). The only way out of the loop is to survive until dawn.
The cast is made up of a terrific group of young actors, with Rubin and A'zion being the standouts. They all have good chemistry, giving the sense that they really are a group of good friends who have grown up together, except for Abe, who is Nina's latest love interest. The only other memorable cast member is Peter Stormare (Constantine), who reprises his role of Dr. Hill from the video game. Honestly, I'm still not 100% how Dr. Hill fits into this supernatural tale, but he is a pivotal character, so that suggests that the script is not well developed.
Director David F. Sandberg (Shazam!) brings the jump scares and the horror elements to life, and the hair and make-up team does a wonderful job in making the Wendigos look truly terrifying. Some of the best and funniest moments are when people explode. Blood and guts end up everywhere, and the reactions of others are priceless.
The 4K transfer to Dolby Vision with 2160p resolution and 1.85:1 aspect ratio is very well done and serves this title well. The details are beautifully defined, and the color saturation is excellent, especially during the goriest scenes. Equally as good, if not better, is the Dolby Atmos Audio. Sounds come lurking out of every surround speaker, making the experience more terrifying than a mono mix would have. Dialogue is clean and crisp as well, making the movie easy to hear.
The combo pack includes the 4K disc, Blu-ray disc, and digital download, and some extras. The aforementioned extras are a little thin and don't offer much in the form of insightful information. With such good special effects, it would have been nice if the filmmakers had spent a little more time discussing how they were created. Without the commentary, the extras total less than thirty minutes, which is disappointing. The extras are Audio commentary with Director David F. Sandberg & Producer Lotta Losten, Deleted & Extended Scenes, Adapting a Nightmare, Death-Defying Cast, and Practical Terrors.
Since I am neither a fan of horror movies nor video games, Until Dawn isn't exactly my cup of tea. However, the movie and the 4K release have some good things going for them. The cast is decent, portraying young adults in crisis, and the effects are really well done. I wish the plot had been fleshed out (no pun intended) a little more and that some aspects of the story were expanded upon, but, as is the case with many horror movies, the story is secondary to the gore since often times horror movies are made to bring in a lot of money.
Some funny moments, some good gore... how much more can you ask for from a video game turned horror movie?
Grade: C+
