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Countdown - A Movie Review

'Countdown' struggles between a comedy and a horror film.

By Marielle SabbagPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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You downloaded an app that tells you when you are going to die? Why?

Countdown is a 2019 horror film about a woman who downloads an app that tells users when they will die. Finding out that she only has a couple of days to live, Quinn has to figure out a way to outsmart the app.

Knowing that the film had a silly premise, I was curious to take a look at Countdown. The film struggles between a horror film and a comedy. Although it provided creative elements, Countdown expanded more on humorous moments rather than explaining the motivations behind this dark app.

Elizabeth Lail was the only genuine actress in Countdown. As Quinn, she is in the midst of becoming a nurse, but she is avoiding her family. I like how her character has layers instead of just being there as most of the characters in the film. Quinn’s aggressive studious personality is the best part of her character. Lail does a terrific job in most of her sequences conveying reactions to the horror.

For anyone who watched the Nickelodeon series, Unfabulous, you will recognize Jordan Calloway. Except, his character felt unnecessary in Countdown. He shows up out of nowhere in the middle of the film and suddenly becomes a protagonist. Matt’s character would have made more sense if writers introduced him early on or as someone who Quinn knows.

The film should have centered around Quinn’s distant relationship with her sister, Jordan (Talitha Eliana Bateman). Quinn and Jordan’s scenes unwrapped layers and genuine moments to their sibling bond and family history. Due to the death of an important family member, they have different reactions to grief.

Credits to include are Peter Facinelli, Dillon Lane, Tichina Lane, Tom Sugura, Lana McKissack, Anne Winters, Matt Lescher, and Louisa Abernathy. There is also a short cameo from Valente Rodriguez who starred as Ernie in the series, George Lopez.

Most of the characters in the film felt irreverent. And laughable. For example, there is an overly-enthusiastic priest who loves his job way too much. I had no idea if this film was trying to be a comedy. A lot of lines are oddly forced. For example, a reference to Game of Thrones is used to describe the capacity of a gigabyte.

And writers decided to include this oddly placed subplot of a doctor wrongly accusing Quinn of a sexual harassment case. Aside from a supportive message to audiences about standing up for themselves, this subplot did not take the film anywhere.

Overall, I was intrigued by the use of this app that kills you. If you try to escape death, the app won’t let you. Changing phones doesn’t help either. The history of this app could have been explained better along with who manufactured it. Why people would you want to download it is beyond me, but you have to tell yourself, it’s a movie. Why wouldn’t they?

I have to give a shoutout to Countdown for referencing Freaks (1932), a horror film that deserves more recognition.

Countdown succeeds at some of its jump scares. It is suspenseful. Designs and makeup for a character interpreted as death was startling. Justin Dec brought an interesting concept to the screen, but he didn’t succeed at making it a horror film. The comedy felt like it should have been in another film. The final product feels like the first draft of a script that was not edited.

Countdown is still a film that you should look for. For what it is, I found it entertaining and it had a chilling storyline. You never know, it could make you laugh.

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About the Creator

Marielle Sabbag

Writing has been my passion since I was 11 years old. I love creating stories from fiction, poetry, fanfiction. I enjoy writing movie reviews. I would love to become a creative writing teacher and leave the world inspiring minds.

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