Choose or Die

Movie review by Brian Costello, Common Sense Media
Choose Or Die Movie Poster

Common Sense says

age 16+

Horror tale about '80s video game; gore, violence, language.

NR 2022 84 minutes
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Parents say

age 7+

Based on 2 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 8 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Choose or Die is a horror movie in which a pair of coders (Iola Evans and Asa Butterfield) find an '80s computer game that forces players to make terrifying choices. Expect blood, death, and creepy imagery throughout. For example: A man walks into a kitchen to find that his wife has cut out their son's tongue; characters eat glass, eat their arms, and stab themselves and others; and a man stabs and kills himself with multiple syringes in a kitchen sink. There are also gunshots, drowning, jump scares, and a woman who jumps out of her apartment window. Strong language includes "f--k." Characters drink and smoke. It's implied that the mother of one of the main characters is no longer taking her prescription medication (to treat depression as she grieves the drowning death of her young son), opting instead for what's offered by the drug dealer in their apartment building.

Community Reviews

fuji apllle
fuji apllle Adult
October 28, 2022
age 2+

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Movieholic
Movieholic Adult
August 3, 2022
age 12+
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In CHOOSE OR DIE, Kayla (Iola Evans) works as a custodian in New York. She's taking care of her mother, who has suffered depression since the drowning death of Kayla's younger brother Ricky, and is trying to find work and a better life as a programmer. Her best friend is Isaac (Asa Butterfield), who spends his days coding and basking in 1980s nostalgia. One day, Kayla pays a visit to Isaac, who has just discovered a circa 1984 computer game called "Curs>r," which promises riches to those who can beat it. Believing that the presumed cash prize may still be available to win, Kayla borrows Curs>r and gets it set up on her computer to play. It doesn't take long for Kayla to discover that, for all of the game's dated graphics, it knows where Kayla is and anticipates what those around her are about to say. The game then offers terrifying choices with the ultimatum to "choose or die." As the game goes after those around her, Kayla enlists the help of Isaac to crack the game's code, find out why it's seemingly possessed, and win and/or destroy it before more people are killed.

Is It Any Good?

This is a creepy and unsettling horror movie in the best possible ways. Choose or Die is the story of two young adults who unwittingly unleash an '80s computer game with demonic and murderous tendencies. It forces the player to make lose-lose decisions, and the imagery that results in these decisions is almost always disturbing and frightening. While some moments with this premise work better than others, the movie offers a tight story, perfectly paced, with acting that goes far beyond standard horror fare.

The movie also does a refreshing job of exploring and commenting on '80s nostalgia without beating the viewer over the head with it. Quite the opposite, actually, and without spoiling anything, there's a use of '80s synth-legend Gary Numan lyrics near the end that's both clever and darkly hilarious. This is the rare horror movie that proves that a basic and effective story can do more to scare and entertain than an overreliance on blood, guts, shrieky background music, and all the usual horror movie bag of clichéd tricks.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence, gore, and creepy imagery in Choose or Die. Is it necessary? Gratuitous? Why?

  • One of the clichés in horror is that people of color and/or women are among the first to be killed. Has this changed in recent years, and if so, what are some examples of horror movies in which women and people of color are lead characters who manage to stay alive through most, if not all, of the movie?

  • How does the movie explore themes like '80s nostalgia and technology overload?

Movie Details

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