Wrong Turn [2021] – Movie Review (2/5)

WRONG TURN is the 2021 reboot of the horror franchise that began in 2003. This time, the story starts out in a very interesting way before losing itself in strange ways. Ultimately, I enjoyed the first half but was not a fan of the last part. Read our Wrong Turn 2021 movie review here!

WRONG TURN is a new horror movie that is also the 2021 reboot of a franchise that began in 2003. I liked the original movie from 2003, where Eliza Dushku starred. An actor I still enjoy watching in anything and who is grossly underrated.

I will say that I also really liked the new lead actor in this reboot. She also has all the makings of a horror final girl! Her name is Charlotte Vega and you might recognize her from the Netflix series Warrior Nun (2020-) or the horror movie The Lodgers (2017). Her very first IMDb acting credit was for [Rec]³: Génesis (2012), so she even started out in the horror genre!

Continue reading our Wrong Turn 2021 movie review below.

Some things never change – but they really should!

Since this reboot movie was written by the original screenwriter, I probably had my hopes up a little too high for the 2021 version of the Wrong Turn franchise. Or actually, I still feel that the first half (or maybe just the first act of three) worked really well in many ways.

However, we still have to go through many of the same tropes which could surely have been updated in 2021. Maybe that should have been my first clue; People still get picked off in a very stereotypical fashion. Of course, with a core cast of six friends where two are gay and an additional person is black, you have plenty of minorities to pick from!

Still, wouldn’t it be a treat if it wasn’t one of these minorities that had to die first. Sorry, I know this is a minor spoiler, but – to be fair – I’ve only narrowed the field down to half of the group. That’s not really much of a spoiler and I thought it important to mention that the reboot could have done with some innovation in that department.

As far as the people in the woods, there has been quite an update though. One that I both liked and felt took over the entire storyline and made for a completely different movie.

The ending of Wrong Turn 2021

It goes without saying that the ending of this Wrong Turn 2021 reboot leaves an opening for a sequel. I mean, it would be silly to do a reboot of a rather successful franchise (this movie is the 7th in the franchise) and not get the audience ready for more. And I will say this; The ending does have quite a lot going for it!

However, you have to go through a whole lot of complete bullsh*t to get there.

After a strong first act, we encounter the people you meet after taking a wrong turn. Forget about the inbred mountain people of the 2003 original movie. This time around we’re encountering a different kind of community. One that doesn’t entirely make sense in many ways.

And that’s all I can say about that to avoid giving away too many spoilers. Besides, you really need to experience this crazy rollercoaster for yourself. Maybe you’ll love it. Personally, I went from being really happy with this reboot to muttering “What a shit show!” to myself. That should give you an idea of how I felt about the Wrong Turn 2021 movie.

Don’t miss the final scene!

The actual final scene of Wrong Turn 2021 happens during the end credits, so do pay attention! The movie doesn’t really end until this point, which is when you’ll find out exactly what direction a sequel might take.

I can’t help but feel like there were several endings in play and with this solution, they managed to include several of them. Good for me since I liked the very final scene. It would just have been stronger if it hadn’t simply played out while the credits are rolling.

Watch Wrong Turn in theaters for two (2!) days only

Mike P. Nelson (The Domestics) is the director of this reboot while Alan b. McElroy is the screenwriter, just as he was on the original. For me, the story is what doesn’t really work while the directing and moments of both action and horror work really well.

During the first third of this movie, I felt certain that we’d land on a very respectable 3 out of 5. Hopefully, the movie would evolve in a way that might even be deserving of a higher rating. Instead, the next act took several wrong turns (pun very much intended) and it changed the entire tone of the movie.

For this reason, we end with a rating of just 2 out of 5, but I would still recommend fans of the original movie (and the franchise as a whole) to watch this reboot. Maybe you’ll like this new direction and love the innovation. I just miss the “good ol’ days” where inbred creatures in the style of The Hills Have Eyes were part of the story.

Ultimately, I would recommend watching this movie for Charlotte Vega, who has the absolute lead role. Her character arc is absolutely abysmal and she is forced to speak and act in ways that are so cringey. I hope and expect most women and many men will agree with me on that. Still, she manages to give the movie a solid ending and I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of Charlotte Vega!

WRONG TURN (2021) will be released in theaters for a special two-night event on January 26 & 30, 2021. You can rent or buy the film On Demand & Digital from February 23, 2021.

Details

Director: Mike P. Nelson
Writer: Alan McElroy
Stars: Charlotte Vega, Matthew Modine, Daisy Head, Bill Sage, Emma Dumont, Valerie Jane Parker, Daniel R. Hill, Tim DeZarn, Adain Bradley, Damian Maffei, Dylan McTee