This is No Game: Why READY OR NOT Still Matters

It’s not often I see something as deceptively simplistic and entertaining as Radio Silence‘s Ready or Not (2019). Released half a decade ago (gosh, time flies fast!), I still fondly recall seeing it with a rowdy crowd that laughed, recoiled, and cheered all throughout. Afterwards, I left simply satisfied with a fun cinematic rollercoaster ride. However, over time, the social commentary underlying the blood and gore has increased in relevance related to our current financial predicament, and has certainly stayed with me even more than I could’ve anticipated. Despite its surface of fun with a dark edge, it’s that combination of satirical overtones and undertones that makes it way more than just an exhilarating horror film.

Let’s Recap (Ready or Not, Spoilers Ahead!)

In case you never saw it or need a refresher, Ready or Not follows a young newlywed named Grace (Samara Weaving) as she seeks to complete integration into her husband Alex’s (Mark O’Brien) family, the Le Domas. She extracts a card from a machine that rotates a random series of classic games, one of which she must play if she wants to be part of the tribe. When she selects “Hide and Seek,” what started as a pleasant wedding reception turns into a brutal fight for her own survival.

source: Searchlight Pictures

Throughout the proceedings, Grace quite literally fights tooth and nail to get through the most violent start to a marriage ever. She gets shot at, knocked out, falls into a pit full of former Hide-and-Seek losers, and fights off the family butler, all with plentiful blood, sweat and tears. Meanwhile, the Le Domas, initially calm and collected about their chances of taking Grace down by dawn, get increasingly petrified about the possibility of her achieving victory.

But Why?

How come the Le Domas so afraid of Grace living to see another day? Because by the rules of the game, Grace’s death is required as a ritualistic sacrifice. This is meant to honor Mr. LeBail, a gracious benefactor who gave the Le Domas family the secret to their success in manufacturing board games several generations ago. If Grace is not killed, they will die in her place. But on a deeper level, the Le Domas are scared of losing the game based on one fundamental and primal fear: that a lower-class person will actually be able to pull themself up by their bootstraps and claw their way to the top. In the real world, the idea of the hard-working underdog who eventually goes from rags to riches by applying themselves has been glorified since seemingly the beginning of time. In actuality, many of those at the top would sooner die rather than, from their point of view, give all those luxuries up, a sentiment echoed through dialogue by one of the family members in the film.

source: Searchlight Pictures

Moreover, as corporations raise the price tag on seemingly everything — gas, groceries, etc. — it becomes hard to imagine as a reality. Even if one is able to support themself, it’s usually done just barely. Employers also continuously enjoy profiting off of the labor of their employees, whilst said employees scrap their way through life, and with cheap rewards like pizza parties dangled in the place of substantial raises. It also is quite alarming how figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk benefit from a system designed to benefit them the most, whilst their adoring fans cheer them on to their own detriment. In regard to the upcoming presidential election, one portion of the Project 2025 agenda for the Republican Party involves, surprise, large tax cuts for the rich (which would inevitably increase taxes for the middle and lower classes). On top of it all, it’s apt to point out how popular “eat the rich” movies and shows are right now. From The Menu (2022) to Triangle of Sadness (2022), as well as Parasite (2019), the Knives Out (2019-) series and The White Lotus (2021-), it’s telling that audiences have increased their appetite for watching the elite get raked across the coals.

Conclusion

So how does all of this commentary, which has retained relevancy five years after its initial release, come full circle in the movie? After failing to take down Grace before sunrise, each of the Le Domas family members spontaneously explodes, leaving Grace traumatized, exhausted, and covered in blood and guts. Sure, it ends on a humorous exchange between her and the cops: “Jesus. What happened to you?” “In-laws.”

source: Searchlight Pictures

But it’s a laugh that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, appropriate when watching a dark comedy. Despite all of the intense and hilarious mayhem, as well as a concise ninety-five-minute runtime, Ready or Not remains an entertainment with genuine food for thought. If you’ve not seen this in awhile, give it a rewatch. It’ll give you more to ruminate on than you expected.