"Friend Request" Movie Review
Interesting things can be done when the ubiquitous nature of social media meets the horror genre, and probably the most interesting take on this mashup is 2015's Unfriended, which also plays on found footage in a unique way.
However, the film at hand, Friend Request, is not nearly as innovative nor even remotely as interesting.
Even with a somewhat cheesy premise, there are numerous thematic opportunities that Friend Request recognizes, then shrugs off. Practical digital age problems like bullying, cyberstalking, and impulsive online judgement are used to push an underdeveloped narrative rather than speak to something greater and highly relevant to society.
And what's worse is that in the end, the message the movie ends up settling for is a sort of "do good to others and it'll bite you in the ass".
Perhaps a lot of my frustration with this movie comes from my own usage of social media, and the fact that it is not used as a tool in the film, but as a cheap gimmick to rehash old and over-worn horror clichés. If this film were a person, a friend request from it is something that should swiftly be rejected.
Acting and Casting - 0 | Visual Effects and Editing - 0 | Story and Message - 0 | Entertainment Value - 0 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 0 | Reviewer's Preference - 0