Movie review: Final Girl

For years a group of young men has been taking young blonde girls into the woods where they are hunted and killed for sport. When the group sets their sights on Veronica, not realizing she is a trained killer, they may have finally bitten off more than they can chew.

Abigail Breslin (Veronica), Wes Bentley (William), Logan Huffman (Danny), Cameron Bright (Shane), Alexander Ludwig (Jameson), Reece Thompson (Nelson), Francesca Eastwood (Gwen), Gracyn Shinyei (Young Veronica).

Final Girl begins with the hint of a backstory as Veronica and William meet and she is recruited as his pupil. William then trains Veronica to be a killer, explaining that she will eventually defend herself against a group of young men who kill women for sport. Along the way there is a bit of romance and some mild character development. Eventually Veronica engages the group of killers as her final test, proving she has the skills to kill. The film finishes without explaining anything that has just happened, or answering any of the questions it raised about how everything came about.

Acting was decent with Bentley delivering well and working nicely with Breslin. Breslin was enjoyable though she felt a bit odd for the role at times, seeming both too young and fragile. Ludwig was a nice fit and did well in his role as antagonist, and Huffman rocked his quirky role. Bright and the remainder of the cast were solid and delivered nicely.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were pretty good. Forest scenes were nicely done with a fitting creepy feel. Action scenes were decent and fit the film well. Dialogue was enjoyable but it would have been nice had it explained some things better. Sound and soundtrack were solid.

Overall Final Girl, while interesting, doesn't come close to telling an entire story and actually somewhat frustrating from that perspective. Those who enjoy action or horror and care less about a coherent storyline should enjoy this one.

With plenty of graphic violence and some foul language, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2015
Reviewed: 4.5.16
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Teen horror, Action & Adventure, Action Thriller, Crime Action

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel