Until Dawn (2025) is directed by David F. Sandberg and written by Blair Butler & Gary Dauberman. It stars Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Peter Stormare, and Maia Mitchell. Based on the 2015 video game, the film follows Clover (Rubin), who, along with four friends, finds herself stranded at an isolated cabin while searching for her missing sister. After they’re all murdered by a masked psychopath but wake up alive, they realize they’re trapped in some kind of horrific time loop. As their bodies slowly deteriorate after each death, the group desperately searches for a way to break the loop and survive UNTIL DAWN. 

For a film adaptation of one of Sony’s most beloved and unique gaming experiences, you’d think they’d cast at least one actor capable of providing a memorable performance. The characters are written to be nothing more than the stereotypical archetypes fans expect from the typical “cabin in the woods” movie. Even then, the characterizations are so poor that even the costumes do more to flesh out who everyone is. It feels as if any character could say any line of dialogue, and it wouldn’t make a shred of difference. Additionally, these characters are often inconsistent in their feelings and actions toward one another. The shifts in how they feel about one another throughout the story feel forced and unearned, to the point where it becomes confusing. For example, there’s is one character who acts like a complete ass throughout 90% of the film, and in the climax everyone forgives him even though he does nothing to redeem his previous actions/behavior. We’re not even allowed to hate the character who’s completely hatable? 

For a video game whose main draw is its cinematic, choice-based storytelling, it seems like an odd choice to take the film adaptation in a much more generic direction story-wise. There is some fun to be had in the film’s time loop-related premise. It allows the story to tackle multiple, typically unrelated subgenres, creating a buffet for diehard horror fans. That being said, it’s more like a Cici’s as opposed to a place with all-you-can-eat steak and lobster. It’ll do the job if you’re starving or inebriated, but you’re never going to describe it as a high-quality meal. This naturally prevents the film from deeply exploring any of these subgenres in a way that is either interesting or memorable. The premise is intriguing, but it quickly becomes apparent that the filmmakers lack a clear understanding of how to capitalize on it. Disappointingly, the film only uses the premise as a tool to showcase as many brutal deaths as possible. The problem is that the time spent watching these characters die over and over again feels empty because the impact is stripped away. I felt like I was just impatiently waiting for their “last lives” so that the threat of death would be present for once. This would be less of a blunder if the film tied things together in the climax, but it ends up doing the complete opposite. There are plot holes galore, crappy to no character arcs, and not a single interesting theme to be found.

 The story of the game isn’t groundbreaking by any means, but it was fun genre storytelling of the highest level. After faithful video game adaptations like The Last of Us have been met with such praise, it feels like a real head-scratcher that this film would shun such strong source material in favor of a story that honestly feels more “corporate” than anything Blumhouse has released (if that’s even possible). It’s obvious that Sony saw this IP as a perfect opportunity to make a quick buck. It’s filled with what are clearly the cheapest actors they could find and features a script that feels like it was written in a weekend and had maybe only one rewrite. I’m a fan of the game who played it on day one, and although I don’t feel this way often, I’m truly insulted. 

Overall, this is not only a disappointing adaptation of the video game but also a generally disappointing horror experience. The characters fall flat due to weak performances and an even weaker script; the horror lacks any kind of stakes, and it’s filled with numerous inconsistencies and plot holes. The only redeeming qualities are a few brutally creative kills and its central time loop premise. Unless you’re a diehard fan of the game, there’s nothing to recommend here. That being said, even if you do love the game, I can’t imagine this will be a satisfying experience. It won’t make your eyes bleed, but boy is it worse than I was expecting. C-