Movie Review: Stay Alive (2006)

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Keep telling yourself, it's only a game!
This was one of my collection which instantly appealed to me! A modern movie about a 'Survival Horror' computer game not based on a real computer game!.. Brilliant.
I was never in any doubt that this movie would entertain me, being a bit of a geek and all and I was not wrong!

The movie starts with a bang and continues on the same path. A young man, Loomis (Milo Ventimigia) is Beta testing a new computer game. After dying in the game in a very gruesome way, he switches off. Hours later, he dies in a similar manor to that of his character in the game. Even more brilliant!

The game is eventually passed on to his friend, Hutch (Jon Foster) He and a group of friends decide to play the game for themselves. It is not long before they realise a connection with Loomis' death and they take it upon themselves to investigate and try to discover the secret of the game. It’s not long before they are eventually picked off one by one....

The film is very well made and a great cast, which includes Frankie (Malcolm) Muniz, Jimmi Simpson and Adam Goldberg, make this film a very enjoyable little horror film. While some moments are unbelievably predictable, the odd flash of brilliance is thrown in there for a thrill that might otherwise have gone unnoticed!

Some scenes remain in the "what was that?" categaory as on second or even third viewing, images or even just glimses are spotted which beg the question... why didn't i see that the first time? As a true gamer, some of the things that are raised in this film made me think very seriously about possibilities and what might be in the future. Personally its all about Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid but at the end of the day, the opportunity to bata test a video game from hell might be a little bit too good to pass!

Purists may question the storyline... The spirit of Elizabeth Bathory wreaks havoc on an unsuspecting gaming community in New Orleans. I know, New Orleans is thousands of miles away from modern day Slovakia but who cares? Probably more of a European thing!

In the States, the film did rather well. Trebling its initial budget but in the UK, it remains relatively unknown, unfortunately.... Some great on screen chemistry between the cast members and a few "scary" scenes make this film one to watch. A definite recommend to any fan of teen slasher/thriller films. And it has Malcolm in the Middle, so who could say no!?

Released: 2006
Stay Alive (2006) on IMDb
My Rating: 6.5

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