‘It only ends when all the players are dead. And your turn is next…’
It’s almost unkind to accuse a horror film of ripping off another horror film when the entire genre is built upon theft. There would be no Friday the 13th without Halloween. There would be no Sleepy Hollow without The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and there would definitely be no Truth or Dare without the Final Destination franchise – to the extent that you could foreseeably turn this movie into a Final Destination sequel with nary a rewrite. Is it derivative? Yes. Does it make sense? Not really. Is it a lot of fun? Hell yeah…
When a group of friends inexplicably follow a random man to some kind of ancient burial ground whilst on spring break in Mexico, this predictably leads to a deadly game of sleepover favourite Truth or Dare where choosing either option can lead to deadly consequences. The blandly attractive cast is led by Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey and Violett Beane.
I should begin by pointing out that the version I watched was the “Extended Director’s Cut”. Presumably, the PG-13-rated theatrical release watered down some of the violence which probably harmed the film’s reputation (but certainly didn’t harm the box office receipts – Truth or Dare was a huge box office success despite leaving no cultural footprint whatsoever). The death sequences are some of the most fun moments (as should be the case) and they are pleasingly nasty and brutal throughout. The plot falls apart under even the lightest scrutiny but the cast all know the kind of film they are making and act accordingly, particularly Hale who knows a thing or two about schlocky melodrama having appeared in hundreds of episodes of Pretty Little Liars.
Truth or Dare is the epitome of a three-star popcorn movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it while it was on. It didn’t challenge me in any way shape or form which is exactly what I wanted from a film made for the mind of a teenage girl (a frightening place indeed). My truth? This film is a good time at the movies. Lovely stuff.
