“Countdown” is an American horror-thriller film released in 2019, directed by Justin Dec, starring Elizabeth Lail, Jordan Calloway, and Talitha Bateman, the plot tells the heroine Quinn driven by curiosity to download the APP that can predict the time of death, learned that only three days of life left to live, at first Quinn thought it was just a boring prank, did not expect the people around once downloaded but As the time draws near, unexplained visions begin to appear around her, and she must save her life before the countdown ends.
Immersive viewing experience
I often hear people say, "If only I could know what would happen tomorrow." Many people wish they could have the ability to foresee the future, whether it is to know the future in advance so that they can live a smoother life, or to use a little ingenuity to gain benefits from it, I believe it can bring many benefits. However, have we ever thought, if one day we see the future, reflecting the eyes not to live a happy and happy life, but their death or death appearance, so what will be the impact on their mood and various choices in life afterward? The director, Justin Dec, has put forward his imagination with “Countdown”.
How good is “Countdown”?
Originally thought to be a low-budget B-movie, “Countdown” is an unexpectedly interesting thriller that successfully uses innovative plot design and choreography to create a truly frightening and deep-seated fear in a small-format story through modern people's reliance on cell phones. If the name of the producer is covered up, the overall tone and atmosphere of the film could be mistaken for the production of low-budget horror film specialists “Blumhouse Productions”. The director Justin Dec's mastery of the thriller genre is quite commendable.
The theme of "Countdown" is a cell phone app that can predict the time of people's death. Through a drunken game that was originally downloaded for fun at a party, but was fulfilled by others due to an accident, everyone on the other screen with little time left, whether by coincidence or real, makes this "countdown" because of people's fear of death. "for people to bring anxiety and anxiety, worrying about whether their lives will end here a huge psychological pressure.
“Countdown” is the mobile version of “Final Destination”
I believe that when you see the plot synopsis of “Countdown”, many people should be reminded of the similar theme, and known for a variety of strange ways to die “Final Destination”, although both have the same character in the knowledge that his death is approaching, trying to escape from death within the deadline of the story mode, at first one can not help but wonder whether “Countdown” is to prepare the audience for the upcoming release of “Final Destination” episode 6. But in addition, the “Countdown” joined the "Black Mirror" spooky sense of technology and traditional horror ghost film elements of evil spirits, and ultimately succeeded in their style.
I like the rhythm of the whole story of “Countdown”, although most of it is still quite dependent on sudden scares, through a lot of sudden cells phone ringing to scare the audience, but also can not deny that the director in the atmosphere of the part does also use a small trick like sensor lights to bring the audience a restless experience, 90 minutes of film length can be said to be just right, not only can tell a good complete both scare entertainment and content of a good The 90-minute film length can be said to be just right, not only can tell a good story with both scares and entertainment and content but also hardly make people feel bored.
The central theme of “Countdown”
Some people may think that “Countdown” is to tell the audience that they must straightforwardly face their death after learning their death date, instead of breaking the "terms and rules" to survive, and finally attracting the demons to keep haunting them so that they can't escape from this terrible nightmare until they die. But I not only do not agree with this negative approach of direct abandonment but also think that this is not the idea that the movie wants to tell the audience.
The director deliberately added the protagonist Quinn in “Countdown” was deeply troubled by sexual harassment in the workplace, and it was not without reason that the victim was punished because the evil person sued first. All the people in the film were scared by an unknown countdown for no reason, which made me think that since this "time of death" is set by "others", we are to accept our death and obediently submit to "that evil person" when we see someone being victimized by it. Or should we find a way to bravely confront the "evil one"? Or should we find a way to bravely confront them? Who is going to decide our fate? I think this is the theme that “Countdown” wants to convey to the audience through this horror story.
Conclusion
All in all, the “Countdown” through the fear of death and people do not believe that the time of death is near, but unconsciously produce a sense of anxiety and uncertainty, bringing and although the scare method is not clever enough, the appearance of the heroine Elizabeth Lail, and with several other supporting characters to bring a lot of humorous interaction, the overall is already a standard horror thriller. Not to mention that with the release of the film and the real launch of the countdown to death program "Countdown", if the audience can first download in the store before entering the theater, the characters in the film see their death, to personally experience their feelings, "Countdown to death" this immersive viewing experience is still quite fresh and interesting.