Stay Alive Review
Stay Alive Review Starring: Jon Foster, Samaire Armstrong, Frankie Muniz
Director: William Brent Bell
Year: 2006
Ah, movies that have video games, or are based of video games. They are usually terrible, but there is a great quality in some. The first time I watched Stay Alive was when it came out in 2006, and I was about nine. Not having a lot of experience with horror movies, I was sketched out, but not terrified as I already got over scary movies unfortunately. (I rarely become scared from movies nowadays cause I started watching them so young, and thus I'm not easy to scare in movies, which is sad because I like being scared in movies) The next time was I think at a friend's house, and I fell asleep while watching it, which proves this really didn't scare me as a kid. The next time was when I got it on DVD, and now again as I review it for you. Before I reviewed this, I heard a couple reviews, as I do many times before a review, and it's come to my understanding the theatrical version of this is FAR different than what I have on DVD. Apparently it was PG-13, and they even cut out serious parts of story to make for a PG-13. All I know is, if this movie was PG-13, then it sucked! I can only imagine what people saw in theaters, but all I know is that it must have been terrible, not to say this is a wonderful review, all I know is if somebody saw a PG-13 version of this, it should have been half the score I'm giving it. That being said, is this movie that great? Kinda. First off, the movie about a group of teens who stubble across a video game, play it, and then learn that if you die in the game, you die in real life. As shitty or possibly brilliant an idea that is, Stay Alive is a really scrambled movie. First off, I want to say I feel like hard work was put into it. I can tell people with a sense of video games made it (there are even a few references) and I feel they were going for a survival horror game movie almost. But in doing this, they first set up the movie for the game, add a almost goth mythological side story which leads to the main story, and finishes it with a below average ending. (I'm talking about the whole thing, and more over with the characters). Speaking of characters, the characters in this I felt were also scrambled. Not that they were bad, the actors and actresses were average, despite overacting at times, (I liked Frankie Muniz, and his character) but they just seem like randomly assembled characters, and the relationship is poor, and I feel like none of them would be friends in real life. We have a nerd, the average protagonist, the asshole, the goth, and the average girl). Also, there is one guy that made no sense to me. He was a random guy who was playing online with the main characters while they were playing. He had hardly an introduction, and he seems to have no point in the movie. He is useless other than sketching the main characters out, which is a terrible point of a character! He, and one of the cops feel like excuses for something I'll mention in the spoiler section. Also, parts of this movie just really bug me. Like throughout the movie the characters are being bugged by the cops (they always appear in the crime scenes and are near suspects) but that conflict seems to die out right when it hits its stride. Also, I don't like how I feel like there are convinces. Here's an example: the protagonist is at a funeral, then meet average girl, average girl randomly walks up to him and takes a picture for what seems like no reason. She somehow ends up going from there to the protagonist's house to play video games with his friends, which feels so convenient for the story. I mean I want to like this movie, but they're making it hard, and I guess from the other reviews I've seen of it, other people find it hard to like as well. Don't get me wrong there is things to like. The game's theme was very good, and the look they have within the game, and as they integrate it throughout the movie is really nice. Also, the villain seems full fledged in the non PG-13 review, and I almost want to review her, as she is extremely creepy. I feel Stay Alive had great potential, and had great feel to it. I feel like a few people will really love this movie, and I honestly felt it landing possibly up to a seven. But I can't give charity for potential, and I can't give more credit than where credit isn't due.
Stay Alive gets a 2/5
Spoilers: I have to say that from the gecko I felt the random cop and the extra guy playing online with the main character's deaths were almost to add extra death scenes. Both characters didn't need to be in the movie at all, and I just don't like them. Also, when Frankie Muniz's character survived, I loved that, as he was probably the best character, but it said game over, straight up. He defied it, and I'm not sure about if they should have done it that way, but I'm glad he survived. I just wish the characters had better closure. We have to assume the protagonist and his love interest got together, Frankie's character I guess went back to his normal life, as did the other's, and I hate resolutions where that happens. But what saved it was the creepiest, possibly spine chilling moment in the movie, the last minute, where it did a one-eighty, and the antagonist basically didn't win the battle, but won the war!
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