You're Next
You're Next Directed by: Adam Wingard Cast: Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins Rating: R Release Date: August 23, 2013
PLOT: The Davison family reunites for their parents' wedding anniversary. A gang of mysterious masked killers starts attacking, but one victim is a little more skilled at fighting back.
WHO'S IT FOR? Fans of slasher films that are looking for a little bit of humor.
OVERALL
Home invasion movies rarely excite me. The idea that someone bigger and stronger may attack with a variety of weapons doesn't really give me pause. Luckily You're Next doesn't spend much time at all with the concept that we are not safe in our own homes, mainly because this house doesn't feel like ours.
You're Next starts off showcasing the dysfunction Davison family. Actually, that's not totally accurate. First, someone has to die and this film choosing some neighbors. It's ugly, but not too over the top gruesome. After that, we're stuck with a overly tense mother, a boastful son, a goth girlfriend and some other semi-colorful characters. You might not recognize some actors, like Swanberg. The director of the film Drinking Buddies and many others gives a pretty entertaining performance as the parents' favorite. Swanberg also has a rant about commercials being the most entertaining current form of media. It's a way for us to learn about Swanberg's Drake, and a chance for him to play someone who clearly would hate his films. Vinson is the one who truly shines in this film. I wasn't aware of her and that definitely helped. In fact, most people who see You're Next probably won't be familiar with the actors involved, and therefore they won't have any concept of a kill order. Top billing won't necessarily help you survive here.
Suddenly the arrows start flying (literally) and many people are killed. For a while, everything seems random, but it's obvious something more is at work here. It can't just be people in masks killing at random. Thankfully, that's not the focus. The focus turns to be that someone in the house is pretty dang skilled at handling killers. The tables turn, and the film flies along. There are some creative deaths, with my "favorite" involving a kitchen appliance. In fact, it might be the best kitchen appliance death since Gremlins.
Did I like anyone? Not really, I don't think I'm supposed to. Did I care about anyone surviving? Nope. Am I done asking myself questions? Yes. It's impressive that I didn't care, but I still had fun. It's also impressive that they made a fun home invasion film.
FINAL SCORE: 7/10