Here is what I ordered: A bland, basic, predictable chick flick. A boy meets girl, boy ruins girl, fast forward through summer break, girl comes back and gets revenge, girl finds new love, happy ever after. End of story.
It sounds uncannyingly familiar because at a skeletal level, it is the plot of so many chick flicks, only the details differ. It is predictable and safe, which is what I thought I had found going into this movie.
What I got: Plot twist – Girl is actually a raging psycho who was horrible to a lot of people and might truly deserve what was happening to her. Plot twist – The villain is not who you think it is. Just when I was making my peace with the turns the movie had taken, it took even more. It was one plot twist after another, after another. I will refrain from sharing more for the sake of not ruining the movie but I can assure you, it was well scripted. It may not be cinematic excellence but it was quite good and bonus point; it had an impeccable musical score.
What I thought would be a story I had watched time and again, only with fresh details and tweaks in sensibilities turned out to be a story I could not have anticipated yet loved. Do Revenge tells the story of Drea who sat at the apex of her school’s social hierarchy, next to her boyfriend Max until she was unexpectedly dethroned and replaced with her best friend. Drea, not one to forgive and forget, plots an elaborate revenge scheme with a new friend, Eleanor who turns out to be less of a new friend and more a blast from the past with a plan of her own.
Spoiler alert:
Drea who did not seem to learn her lesson well enough the first time takes another class in the fact betrayal always comes from those closest to you. The only difference is the second time is at the cost of her future. I, a viewer, was also not left out of the lesson session. I got to see the power of proper and timely damage control and colour me still very much speechless.
Pre-damage control
Post-damage control
I thought I was in for a predictable ride and for the first forty minutes, it was just that. However, the closer I got to the end, the more convoluted it got and the more anxious I was about the happy ending I had erroneously presumed I would watch. Eventually, I had to set down my dreams of happily ever after and simply hope Drea would manage to avoid jail. It was decidedly not what I signed up for but having seen it through, I have no regrets. It was what I did not know I wanted. I recommend. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.
