Truth or Dare is a British horror/thriller from director Robert Heath. Not familiar with either of Heath’s previous two films, I came into this film unsure what to expect. The film has an estimated budget of £2,000,000, a relatively small amount in filmmaking terms, and given the budget that this film was made with; I’d say that Robert Heath has done a pretty good job here.
Whilst this probably isn’t the best film you’ll ever see, or even the best film you’ll see this year, there’s something very watchable about Truth or Dare and I found that the film’s 91 minutes elapsed very quickly. The characters aren’t remotely likeable and you therefore find yourself entirely emotionally detached from what happens to them; live or die you don’t really mind, but this fact is perhaps as much of a blessing as it is a curse. Due to the nature of the film, it’s kind of the idea that you don’t really like these characters because the film wouldn’t really work if they were likeable, however at the same time, because you don’t like them it’s therefore difficult to have a really strong feeling about the film I found. I found myself so detached from the film’s protagonists that come the end of the film, even though I felt that the film hadn’t dragged at all and time had in fact gone incredibly quickly, I didn’t really have a strong feeling about the film either way, and the film failed to leave any real lasting impression.
There are certainly plot holes here, but if you start dissecting every little detail of the film then you begin to take all the fun and enjoyment out of it, if you just enjoy it for what it is however then you’ll no doubt find that Truth or Dare is actually a pretty decent British film. The ending was poorly executed I felt, with the director perhaps seeking one final twist in the tail of the film that didn’t quite work out, however all in all Truth or Dare is a pretty solid effort of a British horror/thriller. There are certain parts of the film where things are at times a little predictable; sometimes it’s nice to be able to work out certain things as you go along however and it just makes the surprises that the film provides all the more pleasing to discover.
Truth or Dare is far from being the perfect British film; it has its plot holes, the ending is poor in my opinion, and if you like to be emotionally engaged with a film’s protagonists then you’re probably going to be left sorely disappointed here. For all of its downsides however this is still a very watchable film, and if you’ve got a spare hour and a half then there are certainly worse things you can do with your time than watch Truth or Dare.
Rating:
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
