Countdown 2019 Review
‘Countdown’ is a 2019 horror based of the legendary UK game show of the same name. That’s a lie; but it might have been so much better! It’s actually based on an app which tells you how long you have left to live. When newly qualified nurse Quinn (Elizabeth Lail) downloads the app it tells her that she will die in less than three days. When she realises that the app is for real she quickly begins to search for a way to cheat death.
If it weren’t for the issue of copyrights this film may well have been called ‘Final Destination: Countdown’, because it’s pretty much a less creative rip-off of the successful (for a while) ‘Final Destination’ franchise. The idea of cheating death only for it to come back for you in a different way is not a unique idea; but I suppose having death come as the result of a mobile phone app must count as being a modern(ish) take on the concept.
Where I can agree with the negative criticism is in the scripting. Writer/director Justin Dec struggles with his feature film debut to give us characters and situations that are believable. There are just too many occasions (none of which I’ll spoil) where it didn’t make sense for a rational human being to react in such a way.
I could perhaps also criticise some of the acting as being forgettable, but for a small disposable comedy horror I thought the cast were perfectly adequate for their roles. The lead actress, Elizabeth Lail, was solid enough, occasionally giving off a poor man’s Jennifer Lawrence kinda vibe.
I do want to mention a couple of comedic characters however, who for me stole the movie. Derek (Tom Segura) was a tech whizz working at the phone shop Quinn takes her phone to see if he could delete/hack the app. Speaking as somebody who has worked in retail for years I could fully appreciate the dry humour in his jaded bitterness. In addition there was Father Brown, who Quinn eventually seeks help from when she realises spiritual intervention may be required. Here was a guy who considered The Bible to be the greatest ever graphic novel. He was enthusiastic at the prospect of demons being real, with an unashamed lack of professionalism. I laughed out loud a few times thanks to these guys.
The other aspect of this film I enjoyed was the jump scares. I know it’s a technique which many film buffs will turn their noses up at, but when executed well I am still very much appreciative. In this case, although I criticised Dec’s script, as a director I thought he did a fantastic job at creating tension in the lead up to the jump scares. I was constantly on the edge of my seat every time the film went silent, waiting nervously to discover how the fright was going to arrive. I must have jumped three or four times, which is more than most recent horror films (of this style) have achieved.
I know hardly any of you will see this film and I can’t blame you. Essentially it’s a ‘Final Destination’ rip-off with a poor script and less entertaining deaths. Chances are I’ll probably not be watching it again. That said, the fact that this did make me jump at some of the scary bits and laugh at some of the funny bits does hold weight with me. It’s not a film I’d recommend paying to watch, but when it’s available to stream for free you could do a lot worse than to try ‘Countdown’.
Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/599975-countdown?language=en-US
Movie Critic: AAA
Movie Rating: 7/10