‘Til Death Do Us Part’ Movie Review: A Violent Wedding Disaster
Photo from Cineverse
From Jeff Nelson
Til Death Do Us Part sells itself as a self-aware blend of Ready or Not, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Kill Bill, and John Wick. This action thriller never takes itself too seriously, but it lacks the balls-to-the-wall entertainment value found in the aforementioned titles that it draws from.
A bride-to-be (Natalie Burn) decides against marrying her groom (Ser-Darius Blain), quickly fleeing from her wedding ceremony. She’s determined to leave her life behind, but he refuses to let her go. The best man (Cam Gigandet) and the groomsmen join forces to track her down and kill her, leaving the bride in a fight to survive the night.
Screenwriters Chad Law and Shane Dax Taylor concoct an amalgamation of action and thriller blockbusters in this mostly single-location, non-linear cat-and-mouse game. The story alternates between two points in time, building the narrative of a bride caught between her romance with the groom and her desire for a better life that feels just out of her reach. She’s willing to use every ounce of her fighting techniques to live the life that she yearns for.
Til Death Do Us Part finds the bride sneaking around the remote home, as the groomsmen split up to kill her for abandoning the life that she previously agreed to. She’s forced to fight in a life or death match with her ex-fiancé’s friends, each of who possesses their own unique fighting styles that makes them formidable foes. The violent fight choreography shines in the hand-to-hand combat sequences, showcasing a lead character who refuses to back down, as director Timothy Woodward Jr. uses full shots to capture the action in all of its glory. However, some of the kills end with a disappointing whimper.
The best man has the most personality of the bunch, indulging in a sense of playfulness thanks to Gigandet’s tongue-in-cheek performance. Unfortunately, most of these groomsmen fade into obscurity, failing to make an impression as real threats to the bride or intriguing characters in their own right. They only exist as goons chasing the bride around the home for her to fight one by one to mixed results.
Til Death Do Us Part makes a tedious exercise out of a fun premise that made me want to part with it long before it was over. It chases unearned emotional payoffs, packed with short bursts of fight sequences, and an underwritten plot with forgettable characters. Its film inspirations are clear, but it forgets to be engaging on its own terms.
Rating: 1.5/5
Til Death Do Us Part hits theaters on August 4th, 2023.
