Director: Jacob Chase
Distributor: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Duration: 96 minutes
Come Play (VOD) – Movie Review
Every year, countless horror movies get released, that often just mimic the concept of older films, that reboot franchises or that try to be innovative and tend to fail. While some are cheesy and enjoyable, most turn out to be bland, boring, and somewhat cryptic. Over the last few years, we have also encountered the same formula over and over again, where, in the end, the evil was still lurking around the corner, and that it was generally always an ‘unhappy’ end. Come Play initially looked to be yet another empty husk to add to the endless wave of generic horror films, but ended up surprising us very much. Come Play is based on a short film called Larry.
In Come Play we get to meet Oliver (Azhy Robertson) and his parents, Sarah (Gillian Jacobs) and Marty (John Gallagher Jr.). Oliver is not like every ‘ordinary’ kid as he suffers from a form of autism, which renders him unable to communicate like most people. Oliver communicates via his phone (or tablet) with a speech app. When kids bully him at school and throw away his phone, Marty saves the day by giving Oliver a tablet he has found in an old lost and found box at his work. This seemed to have solved the problem but things turn a bit spooky when the tablet starts communicating with Oliver and also showing him a spooky story about a misunderstood monster called Larry. Larry is very much desperate to make a friend with another lonely person and will stop at nothing to claim this person as his friend. When Oliver starts to resist, and the rest of the family notice something is going on, things go south really quickly.
When the movie began, we somewhat assumed Come Play would follow the same flow and pacing of a lot of horror films, where you have an hour of nothingness, and roughly half an hour to start wrapping things up. We were immediately proven wrong. Only mere moments into the movie, things started kicking off, and what is first wrapped into somewhat of a mystery soon becomes clear. There is clearly a presence in this film, and the movie does its best to actually show it to you, sometimes a bit more subtly than at other times. We loved how the viewer gets the information that is necessary, to start wondering about what comes next. We were more than often surprised with the twists and turns the movie makes at key points. Nonetheless, there is some generic horror movie content to be found as well.
In terms of the quality of the acting performances, we were left with very mixed feelings. While every cast member pulls its weight, it often feels a bit shallow and as if everyone is disconnected from the other performers. We feel that certain children make remarks that do not suit their age, while also dabbling with very generic sequences and predictable actions from different characters. This does not mean the acting is bad, it just feels a bit rough around the edges, making the experience unpolished at times.
If Come Play would get released on DVD or Blu-ray, we’d love to see a few snippets of how the movie was made. Sometimes we wondered if certain scenes were done with practical effects, or if it was all CGI enhanced. We’d perhaps love to learn more about its origin, and how they fleshed out what was originally a five-minute YouTube clip into a full-length feature film.
Conclusion
What at first seemed like yet another generic horror movie, turned out to be something quite intriguing. Come Play presents an interesting and original plot for a genre that has not seen many original entries for years. Even for those who are squeamish and often link horror to a lot of gore, the movie’s storyline, as well as how it presents itself might win over a few hesitant viewers. We did very much enjoy the experience, even though a few cringe-worthy scenes were included, as well as some mediocre acting performances.
Come Play (VOD) - Movie Review,
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