Wrong Turn (2021) | Film Review

 

I am such a big fan of the original 'Wrong Turn' movie - and I still watched the rest of the movies, even when the sequels got worse and worse. So when I heard about this reboot, I was more excited than apprehensive, because the basic concept is one that I love.

A group of friends hiking the Appalachian Trail encounter a mysterious community that live in the mountains. 

I am really disappointed with this film, for quite a lot of reasons.

However, I didn't start off disappointed. I really liked the modern setting, and feel that this story can almost suit any time period.

The film makes a big deal out of the accomplishments of these characters (they include a doctor, successful business owners, a girl with many degrees etc.), but these characters looked and felt really young to be so accomplished. Maybe there was some exaggeration, or maybe they were supposed to be older than they looked, but it felt like some aspects of these characters weren't written for these actors.

This film proves that horror movie stupidity is alive and well. Not only because they chose to stay in this town, but because of the many bad decisions that they made throughout the film.

Ultimately, my biggest problem with this movie is that it isn't a 'Wrong Turn' movie. The antagonists weren't what they usually are, and the franchise lost its signature as a result. The idea is fine, but it's not what these movies are.

After a while it didn't even feel like horror anymore to me, it was just a bit weird.

Having said that, it did pick up towards the end, when the two plots collided. You're rooting for the characters, and you care about how it ends.

And then the ending was just... fine. It could have been worse, but it could also have been a lot better.

Overall, I appreciated the idea of changing up the original movie, and I really enjoyed the mix of characters this time around, but overall I really wish it had been closer to the original.

Now I have to go back and watch the first 6 movies!

3.5/10