Movies Home / Entertainment Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
Buy your copy from Amazon.com
| Stay Alive (2006)  
Starring: Frankie Muniz, Samaire Armstrong, Jon FosterDirector: William Brent Bell Rating: PG-13 Category: Suspense/Horror  |
The latest teen horror flick hastily thrown together by Hollywood could have been better, but it also could have been much worse. First time director William Brent Bell turns in a respectable attempt at a genre that, more often than not, is much worse than “Stay Alive.” Not to say that the movie is any good: it isn’t. It’s chock full of cookie cutter characters that navigate the same plot hole-ridden formulaic plot found in 90 percent of these films. But some decent acting, some well-placed humor, and an interesting premise make “Stay Alive” slightly above average.
After a friend is murdered, a group of video game enthusiasts find themselves in possession of his horror video game ‘Stay Alive,’ which revolves around a 17th century noblewoman known as the Blood Countess. After playing the game, it becomes evident that if they die in the game they die for real, and in the same way they were killed in the game. As the friends try to unravel the mystery of the game, the players find themselves falling victim to the Blood Countess one by one.
Despite the paint-by-numbers plot that feels a little too close to “The Ring,” the film’s cast is an entertaining assortment of actors. Jon Foster, Frankie Muniz, Jimmi Simpson and Samaire Armstrong are among the talent pegged to play the usual motley crew of buddies consisting of hunks, geeks, freaks, and hotties that would never be friends in real life. A humorous and not-so-terrible script, co-written by director Bell and Matthew Peterman, also helps the actors along, and even manages brief moments of genuine emotion.
Ultimately, “Stay Alive” fails to answer some key questions. Things like: who the hell made the game or where it came from, for instance, were evidently considered not important enough to the filmmakers to include in the movie. This might leave some viewers a bit unfulfilled, but a moderately suspenseful climax satisfies the audience for the most part, and the film wisely ends before it can be disliked too much.
DVD Features:
The DVD release of “Stay Alive” may even be worse than the film itself. There’s only one genuine special feature (a commentary with director William Brent Bill and co-writer Matthew Peterman), while a lame visual effects reel and a pointless interactive game round out the rest of the disc.
~Andy Kurtz
You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for content updates. Also, sign up for our email list for weekly updates and check us out on Google+ as well.