Meg’s Movie Corner: Do Revenge

SPOILERS AHEAD!

After finishing Netflix’s new teen high school comedy, Do Revenge, I’m left with one question: how many plot twists can a movie possibly have? Because, WOW, this movie had the most plot twists I’ve ever seen in my life. In any movie. Ever!

Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson takes inspiration from classic high school films like Mean Girls and Clueless, combines it with dark thrillers like Strangers On A Train, and throws in a few extra plot twists to concoct this masterpiece that could possibly be the teen movie of the next generation. 

Do Revenge follows Drea Torres (Camila Mendes) as she navigates her picture-perfect preppy high school after her ex-boyfriend leaks her sex tape to everyone in school. Drea, who was at the top of the food chain at school, is now struggling to fit in and thirsty for revenge on her ex. Meanwhile, Eleanor Levetan (Maya Hawke) struggles with her own burning desire for revenge, and together, the pair team up and decide to enact each other’s vengeance. 

The amount of plot twists that ensue…I can’t even begin to explain it. Do Revenge is slightly under the 2-hour mark, and yet, SO MUCH happened. The pacing of the film was done very well to fit this amount of content within two hours. It was disorienting at times (but in a good, I’ve-never-seen-this-before kind of way). 

At certain points, I was unsure of how the movie was going to end. “How are we going to get to an ending from here?” was a thought I had running through my head on about 6 different occasions. I wish I were exaggerating. And yet, we made it to the end, and it was satisfying! 

Overall, this film’s cast pulls stars from previously successful teen franchises, like Camila Mendes (Riverdale), Maya Hawke (Stranger Things), Austin Abrams (Euphoria), Ava Capri (Love, Victor), and Alisha Boe (13 Reasons Why). This wasn’t only a smart casting decision, but also a genius marketing decision as it caught the eyes of their target demographic without even needing to see a trailer. Teens who found comfort in the previously mentioned franchises are granted a certain familiarity watching Do Revenge because all their favorite actors are in it. 

That’s not to say that these actors were only cast due to their notoriety within the film’s target demographic. Each member of the cast absolutely knocked it out of the park, with Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke being the standout stars. Their performances were so entertaining to watch, for the comedy, for the drama, for all of it.