TO YOUR LAST DEATH (Film Review)

 

Starring: Morena Baccarin, William Shatner, Bill Moseley

Directed by: Jason Axinn

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     Let me just preface this review with this simple declaration, and it may be one that ruffles the feathers of MANY a horror/sci-fi fan: I am NOT a fan of animated features - never have been, probably never will be. Now, this isn't me poo-pooing on the format or premise one bit, but there's always been something that I never felt like a fulfilling characteristic was achievable (to me, anyway) with an animated result.   However, when I was approached to check out director Jason Axinn's latest feature, To Your Last Death I was a bit intrigued simply due to the fact that I've seen and heard some pretty rave reviews about the product itself. What the hell, am I right? Devote a little time to some cartoonish violence and give my honest review - shouldn't be too difficult, so here we go!

  The film's premise itself is simple (yet ultimately deranged): four siblings who've lost touch with each other have been reunited by their power-hungry daddy (Ray Wise in a stellar performance), and dear old dad has got bloody revenge on his mind. He's convinced that his offspring are to blame for his lost bid at the Vice-Presidency and now he plans on making them pay. With "Jigsaw" inspired traps and enough vehemence this quartet of siblings are in for one hell of a family get-together. Oldest daughter Miriam (Dani Lennon) is no stranger to her demented daddy's sadistic games, and with the assistance of a mysterious woman known only as The Gamesmaster (Baccarin), she might just have a clear shot at making it out of this sick scenario with only minimal blood-loss...something tells me there aren't any Christmas cards being exchanged within this group.

  The visuals at times can seem a bit choppy and sedentary, but the violence and gore factor is what makes this beast growl - Axinn certainly didn't ease up on the gas pedal with this presentation, and the movie shines as a result. With plenty of strong voice performances, each character breathes life and acts as their own entity - we've even got the Captain himself, William Shatner handling narration during the film itself - a nice touch, indeed. If there were a negative to poke at it would be the idea that the ending does seem a bit road mapped - if you're following along during the runtime it can seem a bit anticlimactic once the inevitable occurs. However, no harm-no foul as this one should have the juice to appease even the pickiest of genre-aficionados - I mean, it impressed me and that's no easy task - make sure to give this one a look when it crosses your screen!

FILM RATING: 3.5 out of 5