Do Revenge review: Delightful teen comedy that teaches important emotional lessons

Do Revenge is a teen comedy focusing on Drea and Eleanor, two high school girls who join forces to get revenge on the people responsible for ruining their lives. The movie is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

Drea Torres comes from a humble background but she’s made a name for herself in a high society prep school through pure grit. She’s part of the most popular clique in school and is dating Max, the cream of the crop and Rosehill high school’s golden boy.

When her sex tape is leaked, Drea is filled with rage directed towards Max and she believes that he intentionally leaked it but he feigns innocence and gets away unscathed while her reputation is ruined.

It is during this tumultuous time that she meets Eleanor, a fellow outcast who is transferring to Rosehill and has an old score to settle with another one of the students, Carissa.

Drea and Eleanor come up with a plan to carry out revenge for each other so that they can get what they want and avoid suspicion. Things seem to go according to plan until they realize that holding on the all the anger isn’t really doing them any good.

Performances

Maya Hawke and Camila Mendes are extremely entertaining at the centre of this black comedy. They have brilliant chemistry together as they enact their plans for revenge while bending over their shared trauma.

The way Hawke’s personality swerves once her truth is revealed is also a great showcase of her abilities.

Several of the cast work well together and are very clearly felt on the screen. The pair of Talia Ryder and Maya Hawke and Rish Shah and Camila Mendes fit perfectly together as they bounce off each other.

Austin Abrams is the ideal teen movie villain as a self-absorbed, entitled narcissist who knows that he’ll never face the consequences of his actions. This makes his fate in the end all the more satisfying.

There are also brilliant appearances by Sophie Turner and Sarah Michelle Gellar in roles that stand out for different reasons in the movie.

Positives

Do Revenge is based on the plot of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Strangers on a Train’ and this is a magnificent modern adaptation of an iconic classic film that captures the tone impeccably.

The script is quite engaging with some wholly entertaining lines delivered by a truly motivated cast. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson does a great job with her directorial duties as the film thoroughly delivers.

The sets and the cinematography also deserve credit for how mesmerising the film looks. Several scenes are framed in such a way that makes them extremely memorable.

Despite the comedic genre, several societal truths are being explored in the film like the gender disparity between men and women when it comes to certain situations as well as the class disparity between the wealthy elite and the rest of the public.

Negatives

While the reveal that Eleanor’s true target is Drea, the turn around from being mortal enemies to friends again because they realize that their hatred is not good, feels considerably rushed.

The entire final sequence is a little compressed when compared to all the work invested into the characters before that. It’s almost like the director suddenly realized that they were at the final stretch and sped to the finish.

Verdict

Do Revenge is a lot like most teen movies but it’s still a wild ride from start to finish with an exquisitely placed swerve that might pleasantly surprise the audience. Add to the fact that this movie is filled with exciting performances but a promising batch of performers and Do Revenge is a film that must be checked out at least once.

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Also Read: Do Revenge ending explained: Do Drea and Eleanor get their revenge?