‘Death of Me’ is a disappointing mash up of movies that are far better
Death of Me is a little bit horror, a little bit supernatural, mixed with mystery, suspense, and drama, but it can never quite decide which of those it wants to primarily be.
ON IMDB, there are three screenwriters credited. I would be curious to know who the original screenwriter was and what that first script looked like, because it feels like there might have been a good movie somewhere in here.
In short, married couple Christine (Maggie Q) and Neil (Luke Hemsworth) are on vacation on a remote Thai island. After an apparent Hangover-esque night of partying, they awaken unable to remember the events of the previous night. With most of their personal belongings missing, they are unable to leave the island. However, they still have a video camera which reveals some unsorted happenings, including a murder. But did any of it really happen? Is it going to happen? Is it all happening now? Huh? Exactly.
Death of Me starts off like a horror rendition of The Hangover, which sounds awesome. I want to see that movie. Then, it suddenly becomes a confusing mix of The Ring and VHS, where it fades into a mashup of Midsommar and The Wicker Man (any version) and unravels into a muddy chasm that makes little sense.
Imagine taking all of those movies and putting the worst parts of each into a giant cauldron – add the convoluted storyline of The Hangover III, mix it with just the video watching of The Ring and VHS, stir in the drug induced festival of an isolated village via Midsommar, and, well, anything from the Nic Cage remake of The Wicker Man, and you have something resembling Death of Me. And just for laughs, dip in Rosemary’s Baby, but not the movie, just the baby.
I would think one of two things happened with this movie. Either it was storytelling by committee without a clear vision, or it was a solid script to begin with and someone thought they could make it better.
What’s left is buried somewhere in the dirt on a distant Thai island with Death of Me.
Gordon’s Grade: D+
