While not a masterpiece, how could anyone rate it only 1 star? That's confusing to me, as it seems a lot of care was put into producing this. Some people seem to have a problem with the animation, but I kind of like it. It's more of a comic-book art style full of gore and murder, and that appeals to me a lot more than Japanese animation does, even if the excessive blood isn't exactly what I look for in a movie. I'm not much for the torture porn, but this film balances it nicely with dark humor and an atmosphere of dread and anxiety. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea but it's definitely not boring, and I give it 7/10 for at least being an original animated horror feature within the manhunt sub-genre, and not just another remake of something old.
39 Reviews
Interesting Animated Saw-Like Horror Movie
Reviews_of_the_Dead10 November 2019
This was another film that I caught at the Nightmares Film Festival. I didn't know anything about it and a filmmaker that I met the morning of it showing recommended checking it out. He did state that it was a wild animated horror film. It was actually the Midwest premiere of it, so that was something that caught my interest as well. The synopsis is in order to save her siblings, a young woman takes on her father and the powerful entity known as the Gamemaster (Morena Baccarin), who ensnares humans into diabolical plots while her species gambles on the outcome.
We actually start this with a bit of voice-over narration from The Overseer (William Shatner). He fills us in on Miriam DeKalb (Dani Lennon) as she flees from a building by breaking the windows of the door with a fire ax. She's taken to the hospital where a detective Lang (Tom Lommel) questions her. She tells him what happened and he doesn't believe her father did what she is claiming. That's when she's visited by the Gamemaster. She's given a choice to go back and do what she did all over again, with some rules and to make a good show. She agrees when she sees that her predicament is worse than she realized.
Just as background information, her father is Cyrus DeKalb (Ray Wise). He's a horrible business man who learns that he has a brain tumor that is inoperable. He's going to die soon so he calls all of his children together. The problem is that he was trying to become Vice President of the United States and under Miriam, her and her siblings ruined that.
They all meet up in the lobby of his high rise building. Miriam works for a non-profit where they want to eliminate war profiteering which her father made his money from. Cyrus just stole a funder away though and they're in trouble. Her sister is Kelsey (Florence Hartigan) who has an addiction to prescription medication and married a rival CEO to her father. There are also her two brothers Ethan (Damien Haas) and Colin (Ben Siemon). One of them is a wannabe rock star while the other works in business like his father. None of them really get along though.
The group goes up to Cyrus' office where they learn why they're there. He tells them that he's dying and that he wants to play a game. He is going to challenge them to overcome their issues with different challenges that will force them to face different things. Helping Cyrus facilitate this is Pavel (Bill Moseley) and another henchman. Miriam seems to have inside information, but is it really coming from Gamemaster or has she just lost her mind and not realizing that her boyfriend gave her the information that she has?
Since this is a festival film, I wanted to go a little bit lighter on the recap here. There are a lot of things that happen a couple of different times, just in slightly different ways each time. Even though it is repetitive, it doesn't feel that way, especially when you really get into this movie and that will take me to my first point.
What I was struck by with this is that it feels a lot like a supernatural Saw film for a couple different reasons. The first is that Cyrus using games like from those films to punish his children. In the first version, they all work and he's able to kill his children aside from Miriam. That's when the Gamemaster intervenes because the game she is running is gambled on by cosmic beings. What I like though is that there's this feeling that she might not be real and that Miriam just has a break with reality. Either way, we get an animated version of Saw where we can see these things playing out and the effect it has on the characters.
I will admit though, taking on a film like this as an animated feature does take some of the tension away for me. My father and I actually chatted about making things animated as opposed to live action. I've just made the point that you can do more things in animation that you might not in practical or CGI effects. Personally for me though, when I see bad things happen to a cartoon character, it doesn't carry the same impact as seeing an actor pretend like they are.
To switch it up a bit, I did want to go over the effects or in this case, the animation. It's not my favorite, but that's because for me I have so much nostalgia for the early Looney Tunes or cartoons that were popular in the early 90's, as that is what I grew up on. What we get here is really good though. This has a slight feel of like an American anime as all of the women are big chested and scantly clad. We get some cool kills and blood. They know how to hide the characters when they're moving to avoid making it look wonky, which I liked as well.
With that said, it's definitely paced well. We get that jarring start, which works for setting the stage for this game. I like that it establishes Miriam as being unstable. We at first think it could be because of what she survived, but the more we learn, the more I wondered if she had a psychotic break and this is her dealing with it. The game being rewound and things being redone I did have a slight issue with, but it really is a crux of the film. I didn't mind how it ended and I legit could see if there's a higher power, them being assholes like we see here for sure.
That will take me to the last aspect which is the voice acting. There are actually some heavy hitters here. Baccarin is good as the Gamemaster. She has a great voice and I like that she can get stern if need be. I'll be honest that I couldn't tell that Pavel was voiced by Moseley, which is great because she's such a sadistic character in this one. Well done to him for sure. Wise is great and so villainous here, he fits Cyrus so well. Lennon was good as our lead and I think all of her siblings fit well for their character. Shatner really only has a few parts here, but it fun to hear his voice. The rest of them fit their characters to round this one out.
Now with that said, this was definitely an intriguing film to check out. I really like that we have a few different layers here to this deadly game being played. It really does feel like a game of Saw that these cosmic characters are betting on. For me, being that this is animated allows them to do certain things, but for me personally I have issues connecting and worrying about the characters. I do think that it is still paced in a way where it kept my interest, even though things get rewound to make the game more interesting. I did like how it ended though for sure. The voice acting is great. The soundtrack didn't stand out, but it did fit for what was needed. Overall I'd say this film is above average for sure and I'd say give this a viewing if you like animated horror films.
We actually start this with a bit of voice-over narration from The Overseer (William Shatner). He fills us in on Miriam DeKalb (Dani Lennon) as she flees from a building by breaking the windows of the door with a fire ax. She's taken to the hospital where a detective Lang (Tom Lommel) questions her. She tells him what happened and he doesn't believe her father did what she is claiming. That's when she's visited by the Gamemaster. She's given a choice to go back and do what she did all over again, with some rules and to make a good show. She agrees when she sees that her predicament is worse than she realized.
Just as background information, her father is Cyrus DeKalb (Ray Wise). He's a horrible business man who learns that he has a brain tumor that is inoperable. He's going to die soon so he calls all of his children together. The problem is that he was trying to become Vice President of the United States and under Miriam, her and her siblings ruined that.
They all meet up in the lobby of his high rise building. Miriam works for a non-profit where they want to eliminate war profiteering which her father made his money from. Cyrus just stole a funder away though and they're in trouble. Her sister is Kelsey (Florence Hartigan) who has an addiction to prescription medication and married a rival CEO to her father. There are also her two brothers Ethan (Damien Haas) and Colin (Ben Siemon). One of them is a wannabe rock star while the other works in business like his father. None of them really get along though.
The group goes up to Cyrus' office where they learn why they're there. He tells them that he's dying and that he wants to play a game. He is going to challenge them to overcome their issues with different challenges that will force them to face different things. Helping Cyrus facilitate this is Pavel (Bill Moseley) and another henchman. Miriam seems to have inside information, but is it really coming from Gamemaster or has she just lost her mind and not realizing that her boyfriend gave her the information that she has?
Since this is a festival film, I wanted to go a little bit lighter on the recap here. There are a lot of things that happen a couple of different times, just in slightly different ways each time. Even though it is repetitive, it doesn't feel that way, especially when you really get into this movie and that will take me to my first point.
What I was struck by with this is that it feels a lot like a supernatural Saw film for a couple different reasons. The first is that Cyrus using games like from those films to punish his children. In the first version, they all work and he's able to kill his children aside from Miriam. That's when the Gamemaster intervenes because the game she is running is gambled on by cosmic beings. What I like though is that there's this feeling that she might not be real and that Miriam just has a break with reality. Either way, we get an animated version of Saw where we can see these things playing out and the effect it has on the characters.
I will admit though, taking on a film like this as an animated feature does take some of the tension away for me. My father and I actually chatted about making things animated as opposed to live action. I've just made the point that you can do more things in animation that you might not in practical or CGI effects. Personally for me though, when I see bad things happen to a cartoon character, it doesn't carry the same impact as seeing an actor pretend like they are.
To switch it up a bit, I did want to go over the effects or in this case, the animation. It's not my favorite, but that's because for me I have so much nostalgia for the early Looney Tunes or cartoons that were popular in the early 90's, as that is what I grew up on. What we get here is really good though. This has a slight feel of like an American anime as all of the women are big chested and scantly clad. We get some cool kills and blood. They know how to hide the characters when they're moving to avoid making it look wonky, which I liked as well.
With that said, it's definitely paced well. We get that jarring start, which works for setting the stage for this game. I like that it establishes Miriam as being unstable. We at first think it could be because of what she survived, but the more we learn, the more I wondered if she had a psychotic break and this is her dealing with it. The game being rewound and things being redone I did have a slight issue with, but it really is a crux of the film. I didn't mind how it ended and I legit could see if there's a higher power, them being assholes like we see here for sure.
That will take me to the last aspect which is the voice acting. There are actually some heavy hitters here. Baccarin is good as the Gamemaster. She has a great voice and I like that she can get stern if need be. I'll be honest that I couldn't tell that Pavel was voiced by Moseley, which is great because she's such a sadistic character in this one. Well done to him for sure. Wise is great and so villainous here, he fits Cyrus so well. Lennon was good as our lead and I think all of her siblings fit well for their character. Shatner really only has a few parts here, but it fun to hear his voice. The rest of them fit their characters to round this one out.
Now with that said, this was definitely an intriguing film to check out. I really like that we have a few different layers here to this deadly game being played. It really does feel like a game of Saw that these cosmic characters are betting on. For me, being that this is animated allows them to do certain things, but for me personally I have issues connecting and worrying about the characters. I do think that it is still paced in a way where it kept my interest, even though things get rewound to make the game more interesting. I did like how it ended though for sure. The voice acting is great. The soundtrack didn't stand out, but it did fit for what was needed. Overall I'd say this film is above average for sure and I'd say give this a viewing if you like animated horror films.
Daddy Dearest
nogodnomasters12 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Miriam gets stuck in a time loop where she has to kill her father who is going to kill her and her siblings, although things change from one loop to the next just to keep things interesting for the gamers.
It was more interesting for them than it was for me. Blood and killing but the plot and characters were light.
Guide: F-word. Nudity.
It was more interesting for them than it was for me. Blood and killing but the plot and characters were light.
Guide: F-word. Nudity.
Cool for 14 year-old boys
moviefansme1 March 2020
I would've thought this was really cool back when I was 14 years old, but alas now I expect more of a plot and a point. Think the violent contraptions of Saw (2004-2017) animated like Heavy Metal (1981) in an intergalactic contest like Rick and Morty ("Get Schwifty" 2015). The voice cast is great but the animation is mediocre, like the first episodes of Archer (2009). The convoluted Groundhog Day (1993) storyline is a good excuse for tons of over-the-top violence, some sex, and adult themes. This movie will do well on late night cable TV and niche streaming.
Not sure why this was made
ksgillihan19 March 2020
It's not terrible, it's not good either. It could have been a lot better than it turned out though. The story was sloppy and the voice acting was good for some characters but poor for others. It seemed like the film was attempting to tell some sort of life lesson with the story and how it had different possible outcomes but it just doesn't work. The animation style isn't exactly enjoyable to watch either.
Insane Gory Awesomeness
benjaminbeck-416561 April 2020
Wow, where do I even begin with this one? Here's what you need to know.
1) The script is freaking GREAT. These writers deliver. This script is SO good. There are so many twists, and all of them I bought because of the depth of character. All the characters in this movie feel dimensional and realistic. They all are complex and have real-world trouble and moral ambiguity. I felt more for these 2D people than I have for a lot of live action horror movies lately. Kudos to the writers big time.
2) The voice talent is through the roof. From the Shat's opening monlogue, to the gorgeous Inara from Firefly as the evil mystery woman, the performances are amazing. Special mention to Ray Wise whom you may remember as Leland Palmer from Twin Peaks as the sadistic family patriarch.
3) The pacing is relentless (in a good way.) I was actually breathless by the end of this movie. My heart was beating fast. It was a ride.
4) The themes. The movie actually has something to say. There's a lot going on here and the movie doesn't shy away from making a few political points at the expense of the monied class. In that way this movie reminded me a lot of Parasite, except I enjoyed this one way more. Another theme has to do with whether or not we are all just pawns of a bunch of degenerate gods. Seriously. Trust me on this, it's awesome.
5) the animation. OK so I'm split on this. On the one hand it reminds me of Metalocalyspe meets Scooby Doo And it works for the story being told. I was never pulled out of the story because the art or animation wasn't cutting it. That said, this is a film that is clearly indie geek supreme to the max and you just know every dollar is up on the screen so no this is not Pixar, so don't expect that. This is a obviously a bunch of geeks who wanted to make the most insane movie they could, and they brought it with the $ they had.
6) Make sure you watch to the very end.
Give this one a chance you will be glad you did. I am still thinking about it two days later!
1) The script is freaking GREAT. These writers deliver. This script is SO good. There are so many twists, and all of them I bought because of the depth of character. All the characters in this movie feel dimensional and realistic. They all are complex and have real-world trouble and moral ambiguity. I felt more for these 2D people than I have for a lot of live action horror movies lately. Kudos to the writers big time.
2) The voice talent is through the roof. From the Shat's opening monlogue, to the gorgeous Inara from Firefly as the evil mystery woman, the performances are amazing. Special mention to Ray Wise whom you may remember as Leland Palmer from Twin Peaks as the sadistic family patriarch.
3) The pacing is relentless (in a good way.) I was actually breathless by the end of this movie. My heart was beating fast. It was a ride.
4) The themes. The movie actually has something to say. There's a lot going on here and the movie doesn't shy away from making a few political points at the expense of the monied class. In that way this movie reminded me a lot of Parasite, except I enjoyed this one way more. Another theme has to do with whether or not we are all just pawns of a bunch of degenerate gods. Seriously. Trust me on this, it's awesome.
5) the animation. OK so I'm split on this. On the one hand it reminds me of Metalocalyspe meets Scooby Doo And it works for the story being told. I was never pulled out of the story because the art or animation wasn't cutting it. That said, this is a film that is clearly indie geek supreme to the max and you just know every dollar is up on the screen so no this is not Pixar, so don't expect that. This is a obviously a bunch of geeks who wanted to make the most insane movie they could, and they brought it with the $ they had.
6) Make sure you watch to the very end.
Give this one a chance you will be glad you did. I am still thinking about it two days later!
Brings it in all ways
hajim27 February 2020
Animation in the US has been sadly limited by the gatekeepers. When I created Strange Frame, the gatekeepers said that no one would watch an animated sci-fi adventure for adults, even with a half million views then still are a broken record. The gatekeepers say that adult animation has to be comedy or it won't work. Well, To Your Last Death proves for horror that isn't true. This movie has a style similar to Archer if that show had a bigger budget, but that's where the comparison ends. TYLD drips with the blood of a thriller with plenty of gore. The voice work is amazeballs and the soundtrack is a fantastically ominous heartbeat the keeps the pressure on. The characters have just the right amount of depth and the film touches upon current themes of the environment, capitalism, psychology, and social norms without being at all preachy.
The Gamemaster of TYLD has reset the rules for animation.
If you're a horror fan, this is a not to miss film.
The Gamemaster of TYLD has reset the rules for animation.
If you're a horror fan, this is a not to miss film.
Saw meets GroundHog Day
ThomasEugeneOtterman5 May 2020
I hope everyone enjoys To Your Last Death as much as I do! well if your not into horror movies or dark humor this probably isn't the film for you. However if you enjoy those types of things as much as I do then I would love to recommend it for a watch!
I mean you have Morena Baccarin, William Shatner, and Bill Mosley and Ray Wise many names that I grew up being fans of and imo make a killer combination of talented folks. Anyhow won't go any deeper as I don't want to give spoilers, but will say it's like a mashup of Saw + Groundhog Day! One of my personal highlights of the film is Ray Wise as Cyrus DeKalb, love the way he portrayed that character!
If not for the animation, could have been better
zachsextra18 March 2020
The voice acting is pretty good, aside from the bad accents courtesy of the side characters. The premise is interesting enough, however a few of the twists and turns felt hamfisted. Decent potential that was severely underplayed by the animation.
It felt like they were trying to copy the style of animation from Archer, but it doesn't work well at all in a horror setting and it isn't done as well either. The character movements are overly cartoony and robotic, not fluid at all. The characters themselves are cliche with no memorable aspects and no depth whatsoever.
The few attempts at comic relief fall utterly flat. One joke later in the movie made me smirk for a couple seconds, and more so because the characters were laughing together than any genuine humor, like the effects of a TV sitcom laugh track.
All things considered, it had a decent foundation but the unpleasant and unfitting animation style totally pulls you out of any of the redeeming factors of the movie. It felt like it was animated by a couple of high school students with too much free time in their digital art class. With a different style of animation that a team had put real effort into, a little more exposition and lead-up, and a little more character depth this could've been a pretty good movie. Struggled to give it a 3 instead of a 1 or 2 but I could at least see what they were going for in this film.
It felt like they were trying to copy the style of animation from Archer, but it doesn't work well at all in a horror setting and it isn't done as well either. The character movements are overly cartoony and robotic, not fluid at all. The characters themselves are cliche with no memorable aspects and no depth whatsoever.
The few attempts at comic relief fall utterly flat. One joke later in the movie made me smirk for a couple seconds, and more so because the characters were laughing together than any genuine humor, like the effects of a TV sitcom laugh track.
All things considered, it had a decent foundation but the unpleasant and unfitting animation style totally pulls you out of any of the redeeming factors of the movie. It felt like it was animated by a couple of high school students with too much free time in their digital art class. With a different style of animation that a team had put real effort into, a little more exposition and lead-up, and a little more character depth this could've been a pretty good movie. Struggled to give it a 3 instead of a 1 or 2 but I could at least see what they were going for in this film.
One more time
kosmasp12 March 2021
I've said it before and others have done so before me too (no pun intended): Animated movies/shows/comics or whatever else you want to call certain things (graphic novels), are not just for kids. This is one of those cases and it's really a good one at that.
Now having said all that, it should be clear that this is not something you should be showing your (young) kids. But it can also be too much for some adults. While nudity is at a bare minimum (again no pun intended), the violence is dialed up to 11 as the saying goes. But it also has an interesting fantasy/science fiction backstory to hold your attention. There is according to the blu ray case more to it, which can be found online (will have to check that out).
The voice talent at hand also gives this a push. Especially if you are a genre fan (of horror), you'll be able to distinguish and recognize voices, which will further add to the "fun" (entertainment) you can have overall
Now having said all that, it should be clear that this is not something you should be showing your (young) kids. But it can also be too much for some adults. While nudity is at a bare minimum (again no pun intended), the violence is dialed up to 11 as the saying goes. But it also has an interesting fantasy/science fiction backstory to hold your attention. There is according to the blu ray case more to it, which can be found online (will have to check that out).
The voice talent at hand also gives this a push. Especially if you are a genre fan (of horror), you'll be able to distinguish and recognize voices, which will further add to the "fun" (entertainment) you can have overall
Painful animation, irrelevant plot.
onehairman17 October 2020
Its like Archer meets Saw meets Happy Death Day
nestorv-382432 April 2020
Found this by happy accident. and it is a pretty bonkers little movie. Not perfect but I really enjoyed it. I think the coolest thing is that the story kept changing. I thought things would go one way but boy was I wrong. I really enjoyed that aspect of the film.
I thought the fasmily members was pretty well done and I really felt for the lead girl being put through this crazyness. Now you got to give it up for Ray Wise who is just diabolical in the role of the father with a serious grudge against his kids. Not to be too spoilery but let's just say that they wrecked his polticial ambitions and now he's dyeing and well, he's got scores to settle. All the voice talent was great and hearing Captain Kirk narrate the story was damn cool, I had a Star Trek flashback for sure. Oh and I should mention the score which sounds like it could have been a Terminator sequel,but I mean that in the best way the score is really good.
What didn't I like. Well one character dies kind of early that I really wanted to see more of. You expect that character will come back given the time-travel nature of this film but no. Felt like a cheat. maybe the writers did that deliberately just because people would expect that. I wanted a bit more understanding of who the gambler's are. I think they were like gods or maybe devils. I thought act 3 was pretty cool with a ton of violence and lunacy which I actually laughed at loud because it got so over the top. but I was a bit disappointed by the very end of the film and I cannot say more because spoilers but let's just say I felt that the lead girl's reward would have been a bit less bleak. There were also a couple sequences I felt seemed maybe a bit repetitive but the movie does center around the idea of time travel and do-overs like Happy Death Day.
I should also mention the animation which was really cool. The best part is that it felt like a graphic novel come to life like a motion comic but way way better. The movie was made to look like a comic book even with seeing panel lines in places. I thought this was clever and also it made the handdrawn art look really cool which I really appreciate because this movie would have sucked if it was CGI.
Overall I have to say I really enjoyed this but I would caution not for kids! This movie is bloody and has some serious adult theme's in it. Adult Swim or Netflix I can def see this as a series in fact it seems to lend itself to that because it''s pretty clear this story can continue.
I thought the fasmily members was pretty well done and I really felt for the lead girl being put through this crazyness. Now you got to give it up for Ray Wise who is just diabolical in the role of the father with a serious grudge against his kids. Not to be too spoilery but let's just say that they wrecked his polticial ambitions and now he's dyeing and well, he's got scores to settle. All the voice talent was great and hearing Captain Kirk narrate the story was damn cool, I had a Star Trek flashback for sure. Oh and I should mention the score which sounds like it could have been a Terminator sequel,but I mean that in the best way the score is really good.
What didn't I like. Well one character dies kind of early that I really wanted to see more of. You expect that character will come back given the time-travel nature of this film but no. Felt like a cheat. maybe the writers did that deliberately just because people would expect that. I wanted a bit more understanding of who the gambler's are. I think they were like gods or maybe devils. I thought act 3 was pretty cool with a ton of violence and lunacy which I actually laughed at loud because it got so over the top. but I was a bit disappointed by the very end of the film and I cannot say more because spoilers but let's just say I felt that the lead girl's reward would have been a bit less bleak. There were also a couple sequences I felt seemed maybe a bit repetitive but the movie does center around the idea of time travel and do-overs like Happy Death Day.
I should also mention the animation which was really cool. The best part is that it felt like a graphic novel come to life like a motion comic but way way better. The movie was made to look like a comic book even with seeing panel lines in places. I thought this was clever and also it made the handdrawn art look really cool which I really appreciate because this movie would have sucked if it was CGI.
Overall I have to say I really enjoyed this but I would caution not for kids! This movie is bloody and has some serious adult theme's in it. Adult Swim or Netflix I can def see this as a series in fact it seems to lend itself to that because it''s pretty clear this story can continue.
wow - how did i miss this?
iamjamalwhite30 November 2020
This has been out awhile and I just caught wind of it on a fanboy website for comic geeks. wow. William Shatner narrates this bloody, Quintin Tarintinoish tale of redemption and fate. The gods play with us like chess pieces for their amusement in this brutal story of a powerful family at war. This was a movie that will stay with you for a long time after you watch it. Amazing. Surprised this hasn't been bought and made into a live action film. Meanwhile they are giving us "Jungle Book" and "Milan" live action - ho-hum. See this masterpiece!
To Your Last Death: Gore and Animation!
babyjaguar23 May 2020
If you love ultra violent anime... This is for you! The story is pretty original but the animation styles is popularly 90s 8but that's it's charm). Plot twists at every end, the voice overs done the likes of William Shatner!
Some of the deathtraps are truly gory... it reminds one of Japanese 90s "V" films and anime like "Perfect Blue". It centered around a wealthy family, corporate greed and psychopathy.
A must see for independent horror anime fans! It becomes a revenge film, it comes in timely, with the popularity of independent genres films like "Ready or Not", "You're Next", etc..
Some of the deathtraps are truly gory... it reminds one of Japanese 90s "V" films and anime like "Perfect Blue". It centered around a wealthy family, corporate greed and psychopathy.
A must see for independent horror anime fans! It becomes a revenge film, it comes in timely, with the popularity of independent genres films like "Ready or Not", "You're Next", etc..
Garbage.
IKnowGoodFilms17 March 2020
Highly impressive and enjoyable animated horror effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder7 October 2020
Having survived a deadly encounter, a woman returns to the experience of meeting her siblings at their father's demand to sort out his inheritance, only to realize they're being tricked into payback for turning on him years earlier and must try to get them out of the deadly traps he set alongside a sadistic gamemaster.
This was an incredibly fun effort with a lot to like about it. This is mainly due to the high-energy action, which keeps going at a fantastic pace that moves this along quite well. Introducing several impressive side stories introducing the different family members with their own hangups and issues which gets us going into this one quite nicely, this all sets up the lunacy to come later on by seeing where the twist involving his penchant for traps has taken. These are gruesome, bloody and wholly enjoyable, featuring a dynamic pace that is quite enjoyable due to the varying timelines that are employed and changed around due to the interference in the game that pops up at various intervals. These here end up making for a fun, twisty and highly enjoyable effort that holds it up over the few flaws on display. There are some slight issues here. One of the biggest flaws is the rather strange interjections from the time-traveling figures controlling the event of the story, who are quite confusing in how they operate. The concept of the girl trapping her in their game works fine but the idea of them changing it around on a whim manages to make the events more confusing than expected as trying to keep track of different plotlines and allegiances. The storyline itself is already tough enough to follow with the various storylines involving what's going on and what's not so to have the entire game continuously changing on us at that point is a tough way to go about this. There are a few issues some could have with the animated style as well which doesn't always seem the most immersive but that doesn't have too much really wrong with this one.
Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Brief Nudity.
This was an incredibly fun effort with a lot to like about it. This is mainly due to the high-energy action, which keeps going at a fantastic pace that moves this along quite well. Introducing several impressive side stories introducing the different family members with their own hangups and issues which gets us going into this one quite nicely, this all sets up the lunacy to come later on by seeing where the twist involving his penchant for traps has taken. These are gruesome, bloody and wholly enjoyable, featuring a dynamic pace that is quite enjoyable due to the varying timelines that are employed and changed around due to the interference in the game that pops up at various intervals. These here end up making for a fun, twisty and highly enjoyable effort that holds it up over the few flaws on display. There are some slight issues here. One of the biggest flaws is the rather strange interjections from the time-traveling figures controlling the event of the story, who are quite confusing in how they operate. The concept of the girl trapping her in their game works fine but the idea of them changing it around on a whim manages to make the events more confusing than expected as trying to keep track of different plotlines and allegiances. The storyline itself is already tough enough to follow with the various storylines involving what's going on and what's not so to have the entire game continuously changing on us at that point is a tough way to go about this. There are a few issues some could have with the animated style as well which doesn't always seem the most immersive but that doesn't have too much really wrong with this one.
Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Brief Nudity.
Highly recommend
pavgrover28 March 2021
One of the pitfalls of spiraling Hollywood film budgets and advances in CGI technology is over reliance on the razzle dazzle at the expense of storytelling.
In the early days of Hollywood, the charismatic leading men and women were the special effects - iconic and weaving a seductive charm.
The lack of these filmmaking tools in this low budget 2D animation horror feature, " To your last death", - makes it a truly remarkable achievement.
It's gripping, catching your attention from the very beginning and doesn't let go till the very end. Well paced, constantly surprising with sudden plot turns and an unpredictable and satisfying ending.
Written by Jim Cirile and Tanya C. Klein, "To your last death" is a master class in the art of story and screenwriting.
The story opens with intrigue; our Protagonist, Miriam is the last survivor of a violent killing spree, found covered in blood and shrieking that her father is the killer.
We learn that Miriam heads up a non-profit that seeks funding to promote peace, in contrast to her father's business of developing military weaponry. I was emotionally invested in the lead character immediately, the contrast between her noble activism for peace and the corporate power structure domineering her world, including unseen cosmic forces overseeing her life as sport. Overcoming her initial passivity at being reactive to life's events and corporate control, she becomes an active protagonist on her hero's journey.
Her father, Cyrus Dekalb ( Ray Wise), invites Miriam and her siblings to his head office. They learn he is dying and this sets up hope that they will get an inheritance and closure from their horrible family history. To their shock, he has one last desire: to preserve his legacy as the last Dekalb and exact revenge on his children, who he blames from preventing him to rise to presidency of the United States.
The basic need of all great stories is a strong character, Miriam drives this story forward and is someone we can root for. She's easy to relate to, she's completely out of her depth, has no special training or natural skills but has to rise to the occasion in order to survive. Given her character is drawn in 2D animation, she feels very human, she makes mistakes, panics and this gives her triumphs so much more impact.
Miriam is a well written character with weaknesses and a clear goal and a strong character arc.
Exposition is relayed in dramatic ways without comprising the pace and thrills. As an example, the following exchange impressed me with it's command of the craft.
Miriam, hides out in the closet with her sister, as a sinister henchman chases after them. In a succinct exchange, we learn a significant amount of backstory and the character's emotional baggage.
Miriam's sister says, "You're a control freak, who always thinks she knows better. You can never give people what they need, you give them what you think they should have.
When I called you the night, before I got married. Scared not wanting to go through with it.
You gave me a lecture, about how I need to see a shrink and work through my issues. Since clearly I'm marrying my father." Miriam responds, " What did you want me to say?" The sister: "I wanted you to say, " I love you, you don't need this guy.
Overall, the dialogue is snappy and entertaining and full of nuance of every character. Highly recommend this movie.
In the early days of Hollywood, the charismatic leading men and women were the special effects - iconic and weaving a seductive charm.
The lack of these filmmaking tools in this low budget 2D animation horror feature, " To your last death", - makes it a truly remarkable achievement.
It's gripping, catching your attention from the very beginning and doesn't let go till the very end. Well paced, constantly surprising with sudden plot turns and an unpredictable and satisfying ending.
Written by Jim Cirile and Tanya C. Klein, "To your last death" is a master class in the art of story and screenwriting.
The story opens with intrigue; our Protagonist, Miriam is the last survivor of a violent killing spree, found covered in blood and shrieking that her father is the killer.
We learn that Miriam heads up a non-profit that seeks funding to promote peace, in contrast to her father's business of developing military weaponry. I was emotionally invested in the lead character immediately, the contrast between her noble activism for peace and the corporate power structure domineering her world, including unseen cosmic forces overseeing her life as sport. Overcoming her initial passivity at being reactive to life's events and corporate control, she becomes an active protagonist on her hero's journey.
Her father, Cyrus Dekalb ( Ray Wise), invites Miriam and her siblings to his head office. They learn he is dying and this sets up hope that they will get an inheritance and closure from their horrible family history. To their shock, he has one last desire: to preserve his legacy as the last Dekalb and exact revenge on his children, who he blames from preventing him to rise to presidency of the United States.
The basic need of all great stories is a strong character, Miriam drives this story forward and is someone we can root for. She's easy to relate to, she's completely out of her depth, has no special training or natural skills but has to rise to the occasion in order to survive. Given her character is drawn in 2D animation, she feels very human, she makes mistakes, panics and this gives her triumphs so much more impact.
Miriam is a well written character with weaknesses and a clear goal and a strong character arc.
Exposition is relayed in dramatic ways without comprising the pace and thrills. As an example, the following exchange impressed me with it's command of the craft.
Miriam, hides out in the closet with her sister, as a sinister henchman chases after them. In a succinct exchange, we learn a significant amount of backstory and the character's emotional baggage.
Miriam's sister says, "You're a control freak, who always thinks she knows better. You can never give people what they need, you give them what you think they should have.
When I called you the night, before I got married. Scared not wanting to go through with it.
You gave me a lecture, about how I need to see a shrink and work through my issues. Since clearly I'm marrying my father." Miriam responds, " What did you want me to say?" The sister: "I wanted you to say, " I love you, you don't need this guy.
Overall, the dialogue is snappy and entertaining and full of nuance of every character. Highly recommend this movie.
To your last life.
morrison-dylan-fan12 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
When viewing the line-up for the upcoming Grimmfest, this title stood out to me straight away,thanks to it being a Sci-Fi/Horror title that unlike all the others was animated, leading to me getting set to face my last death.
View on the film:
Revealing in a discussion after the streaming/screening that the original plan was for the title to be live action, until a producer made the case that on the lower budget it would take for animation, the makers would not have to cut corners in their script,which they would have to if making the movie live action on a tight budget.
Director Jason Axinn reveals this decision to be a winning draw in his feature film debut, as the Gamemaster's obstacles are splashed on the screen in burning bright pulpy colour, with the excellent minimalist animation emphasizing the rough edge Horror/Sci-Fi atmosphere with ultra-stylised screen-wipes on blood splatter & whip-pans rolled out from a new murderous robot being activated by the Gamesmaster.
The lone survivor of a killing spree who finds herself having to fight to keep her family alive in deadly games, the screenplay by Tanya C. Klein and Jim Cirile play superb levels of Twilight Zone-style mind-bending Sci-Fi , as the psychological trauma Miriam has faced, creates a friction to her grip on reality,which is melted onto explosive Horror where the trusts Miriam places in each family member of ripped apart by jagged twists until the last death.
View on the film:
Revealing in a discussion after the streaming/screening that the original plan was for the title to be live action, until a producer made the case that on the lower budget it would take for animation, the makers would not have to cut corners in their script,which they would have to if making the movie live action on a tight budget.
Director Jason Axinn reveals this decision to be a winning draw in his feature film debut, as the Gamemaster's obstacles are splashed on the screen in burning bright pulpy colour, with the excellent minimalist animation emphasizing the rough edge Horror/Sci-Fi atmosphere with ultra-stylised screen-wipes on blood splatter & whip-pans rolled out from a new murderous robot being activated by the Gamesmaster.
The lone survivor of a killing spree who finds herself having to fight to keep her family alive in deadly games, the screenplay by Tanya C. Klein and Jim Cirile play superb levels of Twilight Zone-style mind-bending Sci-Fi , as the psychological trauma Miriam has faced, creates a friction to her grip on reality,which is melted onto explosive Horror where the trusts Miriam places in each family member of ripped apart by jagged twists until the last death.
Absolutely amazing!!
mike_archer-0911024 February 2020
I really dug this!
BandSAboutMovies5 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The sole survivor as her military industrialist father declares revenge on the family that halted his political ambitions, Miriam gets an offer: either die in jail or go back in time and try to save her family. However, the rules keep changing as god-like overseers bet on her life and death battle.
To Your Last Death is a visually stunning comic book come to life, with animatic-style animation, intense gore and a voice cast that includes William Shatner, Morena Baccarin (Vanessa from the Deadpool movies), Ray Wise and Bill Moseley.
Originally titled Malevolent, this was directed by Jason Axinn, who has mostly worked on TV shows and on shorts. He tells a story that effortlessly moves through time and space while rewarding horror fans with bloody visuals, including a shark feeding scene that must be seen to be believed.
Seeing an animated Ray Wise is also worth the price of admission. I had a lot of fun with this movie, which kept me watching right until the ending scene of the gambling beings. It's well worth a watch.
To Your Last Death is a visually stunning comic book come to life, with animatic-style animation, intense gore and a voice cast that includes William Shatner, Morena Baccarin (Vanessa from the Deadpool movies), Ray Wise and Bill Moseley.
Originally titled Malevolent, this was directed by Jason Axinn, who has mostly worked on TV shows and on shorts. He tells a story that effortlessly moves through time and space while rewarding horror fans with bloody visuals, including a shark feeding scene that must be seen to be believed.
Seeing an animated Ray Wise is also worth the price of admission. I had a lot of fun with this movie, which kept me watching right until the ending scene of the gambling beings. It's well worth a watch.
Sort of Interesting
plasticanimalz28 March 2021
Definitely not any of the award-hype it promised. If you've seen any of the motion comics that came on the web 15 years ago, this is the same thing, but in a 90-minute movie form instead of broken down into 5-10 minute TV shorts, which was the old format. The story itself is reminiscent of a low-grade '80s B-movie, in that it's a bit out there and convoluted, which is why I would say this is not a modern B-movie. Basically, it's a whacky '80s time-travel B-movie for 12-yr-olds with elements of Saw, so, the two genres don't really work together. The writer should have picked one or the other and stuck with it. Like, if the writer would have cut out the Robocop or Tron, evil corporation, sophomoric cheese, and stuck with the evil-rich-dad thing, kept it standard horror, and been more inventive than ripping Saw, maybe Blumhouse or someone would have ponied up a few mill to produce the script. And with that version of the script tightened, and live-action, maybe I would have enjoyed it well enough.
I was at least willing to give the story a shot, since after the first painful 10 minutes, it started to peak my interest. It's just very hard to get into the After Effects puppet animation, especially when you know it's going to be for 90 minutes, rather than what it's typically used for, which is small doses. Whatever budget they had would have been better spent on a live-action short. I get the sense the writer or director was trying to show what they could do with a budget. The storyboard sequencing, expressed in comic book form was pretty good. I could picture it, and the music was good enough. The voice acting was good or bad, depending on the actor. The writing was mediocre...but, like I said, if some of the other elements are there, I can be perfectly entertained by a B-movie, since my expectations are generally low. So, a silly, mediocre script can work, just not with stiff, puppet animation.
To make this work, the story either needed to be excellent, or the animation had to be a lot better, or good live-action. As a whole, it didn't work for a full movie. I do appreciate the effort. I am a fan of animation, comics, and B-movies, it just didn't work for me. I would say for the director to keep at it, just maybe work harder at the basics before going the full movie route.
I was at least willing to give the story a shot, since after the first painful 10 minutes, it started to peak my interest. It's just very hard to get into the After Effects puppet animation, especially when you know it's going to be for 90 minutes, rather than what it's typically used for, which is small doses. Whatever budget they had would have been better spent on a live-action short. I get the sense the writer or director was trying to show what they could do with a budget. The storyboard sequencing, expressed in comic book form was pretty good. I could picture it, and the music was good enough. The voice acting was good or bad, depending on the actor. The writing was mediocre...but, like I said, if some of the other elements are there, I can be perfectly entertained by a B-movie, since my expectations are generally low. So, a silly, mediocre script can work, just not with stiff, puppet animation.
To make this work, the story either needed to be excellent, or the animation had to be a lot better, or good live-action. As a whole, it didn't work for a full movie. I do appreciate the effort. I am a fan of animation, comics, and B-movies, it just didn't work for me. I would say for the director to keep at it, just maybe work harder at the basics before going the full movie route.
A lot of gore and little else.
stopeeper1 April 2020
A gory spectacle without much else going on. There's a plot stitching together all the blood and intestines, but it's pretty thin. So, if you really crave some animated torture and killing, go see a doctor. If he doesn't help, you can watch this movie to get your fill, I guess.
This is an underrated animated gem in the horror genre universe
kevin_robbins7 December 2022
To Your Last Death (2019) is an animated movie that I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a young lady and her sister who have been captured by an unearthly species thanks to her dad. The older sister will have to follow the gamemaster's rules if she hopes to rescue her sister and gain revenge on her father. Meanwhile unearthly beings like the gamemaster will gamble on if the sister can be successful in her assigned tasks...
This movie is directed by Jason Axinn (Night of the Animated Dead) and contains the voices of William Shatner (Star Trek), Morena Baccarin (Dead Pool 1 & 2), Ray Wise (RoboCop), Bill Moseley (The Devil's Rejects) and Florence Hartigan (Phoenix Forgotten).
There is a lot to like about this movie. The voices selected to play the characters are awesome. The animation is unique and the torture scenes have a "Saw" feel to it. There's a nice array of torture devices in this and some random nudity scenes. The movie is pretty gruesome for an animated picture. The escape sequence at the end is really good with the glowing metal and chainsaw scenes. This movie does a great job of keeping you interested in what's going to happen next from beginning to end.
Overall, this is an underrated animated gem in the horror genre universe. I would score this a 7.5-8/10 and strongly recommend it.
This movie is directed by Jason Axinn (Night of the Animated Dead) and contains the voices of William Shatner (Star Trek), Morena Baccarin (Dead Pool 1 & 2), Ray Wise (RoboCop), Bill Moseley (The Devil's Rejects) and Florence Hartigan (Phoenix Forgotten).
There is a lot to like about this movie. The voices selected to play the characters are awesome. The animation is unique and the torture scenes have a "Saw" feel to it. There's a nice array of torture devices in this and some random nudity scenes. The movie is pretty gruesome for an animated picture. The escape sequence at the end is really good with the glowing metal and chainsaw scenes. This movie does a great job of keeping you interested in what's going to happen next from beginning to end.
Overall, this is an underrated animated gem in the horror genre universe. I would score this a 7.5-8/10 and strongly recommend it.
A violent B-movie romp, in 2-D form
I_Ailurophile15 October 2021
I admire the ambition and challenge of creating an original full-length feature film, an action horror-thriller at that - and through crowd-funding, no less. To explore this space with full animation allows the most grisly, gory, bloody moments to present without concern of how the special effects may turn out. And, honestly, I'm rather grateful for that for another reason: at its most gnarly, it turns out that 'To your last death' recalls the likes of 'Hostel' or 'Saw' in terms of torment and carnage, and those are the sort of movies I just don't care for any more. The rest depends on the writing. For my part, I don't think it's perfect, but it's a pretty good time.
Like most 2-D animated features, this employs largely static backgrounds, with some specific elements rendered separately so that they can be readily manipulated like the characters, props, or other active aspects. The style here provides for a fair amount of detail all around, though movement is perhaps less fluid than in other animated movies we've seen. That can make it difficult to fully engage with at points, but once the action kicks up, the critique falls by the wayside as our attention is kept otherwise.
Setting aside the animation, it's easy to imagine 'To your last death' as a probably schlocky live-action venture, a B-movie through and through. I mentioned 'Saw,' and that's certainly an appropriate point of reference for some facets, but other story beats remind of various other features, too. Though don't be mistaken - this is a film all its own. It's unquestionably a little ham-handed at times, but for the most part I think it's actually written quite well - dialogue seems believable; characters are complex and varied; scenes are mostly pretty well considered, and engrossing; and the overall narrative is entertaining, and absorbing.
I did say "for the most part." In my opinion the greatest shortcoming here is the framework in which the story takes place. It's a touch of flair I think is unnecessary, self-indulgent, and overbearing. Dropping that extravagance also means the film's biggest voiceover stars, William Shatner and Morena Baccarin, no longer have roles, but I'd sooner have a tale I can be fully invested in than a couple contributors who will draw in more audience members. Without that embellished structure, the plot would also be more straightforward, and more plainly an echo of more renowned genre flicks, but again - that's a sacrifice I'd rather the filmmakers had made. Oh well; to each their own.
One way or another, what it comes down to is that mileage will vary from one person to the next. The animation style, the violence, the overarching story framework, the voice acting - any number of aspects here may entice or repulse individual viewers. I have mixed feelings about it, but moreso than not, I'm pleasantly surprised at how this turned out. I have my problems with it, but I generally like the screenplay, the animation is perhaps a refreshing touch, and it's suitably enjoyable to have kept me watching. I don't think this is a picture to go out of your way to find, but if you like this genre at large and come across 'To your last death,' it's not a bad way to spend 90 minutes.
Like most 2-D animated features, this employs largely static backgrounds, with some specific elements rendered separately so that they can be readily manipulated like the characters, props, or other active aspects. The style here provides for a fair amount of detail all around, though movement is perhaps less fluid than in other animated movies we've seen. That can make it difficult to fully engage with at points, but once the action kicks up, the critique falls by the wayside as our attention is kept otherwise.
Setting aside the animation, it's easy to imagine 'To your last death' as a probably schlocky live-action venture, a B-movie through and through. I mentioned 'Saw,' and that's certainly an appropriate point of reference for some facets, but other story beats remind of various other features, too. Though don't be mistaken - this is a film all its own. It's unquestionably a little ham-handed at times, but for the most part I think it's actually written quite well - dialogue seems believable; characters are complex and varied; scenes are mostly pretty well considered, and engrossing; and the overall narrative is entertaining, and absorbing.
I did say "for the most part." In my opinion the greatest shortcoming here is the framework in which the story takes place. It's a touch of flair I think is unnecessary, self-indulgent, and overbearing. Dropping that extravagance also means the film's biggest voiceover stars, William Shatner and Morena Baccarin, no longer have roles, but I'd sooner have a tale I can be fully invested in than a couple contributors who will draw in more audience members. Without that embellished structure, the plot would also be more straightforward, and more plainly an echo of more renowned genre flicks, but again - that's a sacrifice I'd rather the filmmakers had made. Oh well; to each their own.
One way or another, what it comes down to is that mileage will vary from one person to the next. The animation style, the violence, the overarching story framework, the voice acting - any number of aspects here may entice or repulse individual viewers. I have mixed feelings about it, but moreso than not, I'm pleasantly surprised at how this turned out. I have my problems with it, but I generally like the screenplay, the animation is perhaps a refreshing touch, and it's suitably enjoyable to have kept me watching. I don't think this is a picture to go out of your way to find, but if you like this genre at large and come across 'To your last death,' it's not a bad way to spend 90 minutes.
See also
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