From: Silver Screen
'Truth or Dare' is fun at times, but fails to live up to its promising premise
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“Truth or Dare” tells the story of five college students who are partying in an abandoned church in Mexico when they decide to play truth or dare. As soon as they get back home they realize they can’t escape the game, they are forced to either play, or die.
Jeff Wadlow, who previously directed “Kick-Ass 2,” assembles a strong cast including Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey and Violett Beane. They have great on-screen chemistry and elicit some sympathy for their characters and what they’re going through, despite the script not doing them any favors.
A horror film with a premise like this has room to explore and have some fun. Like the “Final Destination” films, “Truth or Dare” has potential for some really nail-biting sequences. However with the exception of a few scares, the film never really sets itself apart from other teen horrors, and often veers into unoriginal territory.
That being said, Wadlow directs this film with a sick and twisted sense of humor that surprisingly works. It allows the audience to laugh and find humor in the absurdity of the truth or dare questions. This kind of energy sometimes clashes with the real stakes of the film, especially toward the end. Real, tense situations seem humorous and strange at best, and ultimately make the entire thing less scary. It is worth noting how well the film is able to include blood and gore while still adhering to PG-13 restrictions.
Blumhouse’s “Truth or Dare” also loses a little steam when it gets toward the third act of the film and attempts to wrap up. For a film with four writers, it seems they couldn’t all decide on how to end it, so they just wrote something simply outrageous.
Grade: C-
Blumhouse’s “Truth or Dare” was released April 12th
