Until Dawn (2025)

Until Dawn (2025)

Endless Death!

Yet another film based on a video game! It’s fair to say that this is an interactive, dramatic survival horror game.

To recap, there’s been Borderlands (2024), The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) / The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026), Super Mario Bros. (1993), the trilogy: Silent Hill (2006), Silent Hill: Revelation (2012), Return to Silent Hill (2026), as well as Mortal Kombat (2021), Mortal Kombat II (2026), not to mention Street Fighter (1994) and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009). In short! Regardless of whether they’re good or really bad, video games have been inspiring the big screen for ages. Yes, to this day, there are still new Resident Evil films. It’s been going on since 2002. There was Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) and the latest to date: Resident Evil (2026).

I’m not at all familiar with the video game Until Dawn. I suppose fans of the game will hate the film yet again. Let’s see what one of them thinks: “The title is misleading!

If you liked the video game Until Dawn, and in particular its very elaborate storyline, don’t watch this film. The film’s screenwriters clearly had no idea what the game was about. You’ve been warned!” There you go! That’s pretty clear!!!

As for me, I’m continuing my quest as a critic. I’m not the most well-read person, and I’m interested in too many things to be an absolute expert on any one subject. What’s more, I don’t like really violent films, even though that’s become the norm. I’m more repelled by gore than fascinated by it. As a result, I can’t say I love this film, but it’s still relatively interesting for someone who isn’t familiar with the video game. Let’s not kid ourselves – it starts off like science fiction. We enter a sort of new dimension. The rain stops at the edge of the forest and doesn’t reach the house where the film’s main action takes place. Yet it continues to pour down. There’s a sort of wall of water separating our protagonists from this unwelcoming forest. As for them, the sun is still up, but about to set. Indeed, night is falling…

Basically, it starts off as a slasher film. But we’ll also be treated to monsters and traps, such as contaminated or poisoned water. Anyway! I’ll try not to give away any more, although that’s difficult.

Right! Looking at the negative reviews, I can see that people are angry, frustrated – sometimes with a touch of humour. You find those unrefined phrases that everyone uses when they’re unhappy and feel like sulking, whilst sharing it on social media – or even with the whole world! You know, those phrases parroted over and over again, such as: ‘My nieces do scarier make-up! Nothing like the 90s masterpieces such as Scream or the 2000s ones like Saw! They’d have been better off sticking to the PlayStation game than coming up with a new plot! The game was rubbish to begin with, so it’s off to a bad start! The actors are young, no doubt new to the business, and absolutely rubbish! The filmmakers should be punished and forced to watch this film every day…’

Yes, sometimes I wonder why people watch films! If they sit down to watch something already intent, right from the start, on tearing it to shreds, obviously it can’t end well!!!

No, personally, I didn’t hate this film. I thought I was going to tear it to shreds too, but no!

Of course, Generation X are going to complain about the characters again and say the blokes aren’t manly enough, that there absolutely had to be a psychic talking about energy, a girl with a nose ring, an Asian woman, and blah blah blah! These people would do well to get out of the house, because staying conservative and stuck in the past isn’t going to help their bitterness.

Right, I’ll stop making fun of people from my own generation and just say how I feel:

I didn’t mind the characters. The cast works very well together. Admittedly, there are moments when the acting isn’t great and there are plenty of inconsistencies. But you have to realise that a video game is just like a cartoon: very little is consistent or realistic. So adapting it into a film is a difficult task for viewers encountering it for the first time.

In this film, the days repeat themselves, but they aren’t exactly the same. The classic example of the ‘repeating day’ concept is, above all, the magnificent Groundhog Day (1993), which is both a comedy and a drama. It’s very moving. Then there was the excellent Happy Death Day (2017), a comedy-horror film based on the same concept. It even got a sequel: Happy Death Day 2U (2019). In French-speaking countries, they’re known as Happy Birthdead, which is almost a better title.

There are surely other films that have drawn on these ideas, but Until Dawn attempts to shake things up once again. We’re still treated to a murder in the opening sequence that sets the tone. The real, hyper-gory brutality kicks off roughly half an hour in. This alone will put off a few unprepared viewers. It goes without saying that these aren’t films for the faint-hearted.

Here’s another negative review: ‘Just like films adapted from video games, most of them aren’t exactly brilliant – Alone in the Dark, Uncharted, Hitman, Need for Speed and so on. Until Dawn is no exception. No depth, very underdeveloped characters. It’s all far too predictable.

Until Dawn? No, it was ‘Until Boredom’!”

Peter Stormare is in this film. He reprises the character he previously voiced in the game. Do we really need to introduce this very likeable actor, who all too often finds himself in detestable roles? In a nutshell, Peter Stormare’s filmography includes: Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), 8MM (1999), Jurassic Park 2 (1997), Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) and also Killing Room (2009). You might well find yourself wondering, ‘But what on earth is he doing in films like this???’, although it’s always a pleasure to see him again. One of those legendary actors we love to hate!

Let’s round off with this film! Immerse yourself in a terrifying, closed-room thriller where danger can strike at any moment – especially if you’re not familiar with the original game and don’t have too many expectations. Treat it as a straightforward horror film and try to enjoy yourself! That’s all!!!

The suspense is well-paced, the creatures are numerous and unsettling, and the deaths – which are unpredictable – maintain a constant sense of tension. The actors, often the weak link in this sort of production, deliver decent performances here that keep you engaged with the story without losing your interest. None of the characters are particularly annoying. The only one you’d want to give a good thrashing is also the one who knows the other four the least – the rest of them are like a family. So… it all makes sense!

Whilst it doesn’t revolutionise the genre, the film – which has been rather poorly received by critics – fulfils its role perfectly: to send shivers down your spine and keep you on the edge of your seat right to the end. I even had a laugh at some utterly absurd moments.

Some will see it as a lack of respect for the original game, or even a rip-off of the Resident Evil series, particularly when it comes to the old witch. Okay, David F. Sandberg, the Swedish director, presents a story that lacks originality and drags a bit after an hour or so. Nevertheless, I found the concept quite innovative, with gory kills and nods to various iconic horror films, such as Final Destination and Evil Dead. If you don’t like those films, there’s no need to watch this one.

The film stars Michael Cimino (Love, Victor); ultimately, it’s not a bad film, but it’s not memorable either.

It’s never easy to adapt a video game for the big screen, especially when the source material is already inspired by the entire horror film genre. But the result is entertaining enough to watch without too much discomfort. And, after all, that’s actually quite rare when it comes to video game adaptations.

Spoiler Alert:

As I’ve already said, there are several elements at play here: the slasher genre with brutal, gory murders; possession with supernatural elements; the haunted house with its eerie atmosphere; and even the creature feature. So it never gets repetitive, though not all parts are of the same standard. I found the final section to be well below par, with a conclusion that was a bit too easy after everything they’d been through. They didn’t even manage to see their mission through to the end. Still, it’s better than I expected.