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By Vianney Morales
In Netflix’s latest teen comedy, Drea (Cami Mendes) enlists the help of Eleanor (Maya Hawke) to pursue revenge against her former boyfriend who ruined her influencer-like reputation at their elite high school.
Their pursuit of revenge inevitably spirals but is extremely fun to watch unfold as they both start to lose sight of their true lives.
Although there are many classic influences that shine through the screen, like “Clueless” and “Heathers,” it feels entirely original and the surrounding plot details are modern. Most notably, it was very reminiscent of Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart” (2019) and “Mean Girls.”
One of the reasons why it feels so unlike anything I’ve seen is how much it utterly disregards the typical masculine audience. It lacks the male gaze that inexplicably makes its way into so many movies.
From the fashion to the writing, it’s very clear that so many decisions within the movie were made with its feminine audience in mind.
It has a very strong female gaze. It portrays common feminine experiences honestly, not sugarcoating the truths to make them more digestible for audiences. It also doesn’t portray its female characters to necessarily be liked by men, a rather refreshing depiction. It’s not a surprise that the movie is directed by a woman.
In the beginning, the movie masks itself as a social commentary to distract from the impending reveals, making the big plot twists more impactful.
From the stunning color grading to the near-perfect soundtrack and intriguing plot, “Do Revenge” is a solid movie.
There are also many familiar faces in the cast. Though this initially made me hesitant to watch, they are all quite talented and have amazing chemistry with each other.
However, knowing that the majority of the cast had visibly outgrown playing high schoolers made me struggle with the characters’ believability at times. Nonetheless, Mendes has stellar comedic timing and is perfect as the movie’s leading lady.
Though it’s not perfect by any means, it’s downright enjoyable and simply fun to watch.
It’s intriguing but relevant and I found that it had accomplished a lot with its plot and characters that I didn’t necessarily expect.
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sophie Turner have small but memorable roles as they both make returns to the big screen.
Though not unusual for a Netflix teen movie, the second plot twist starts to push the clichéness.
It’s reminiscent of some of my favorite chick flicks while having an interesting premise all in the name of female rage. It ultimately wraps up quite satisfyingly and it all comes full circle, redeeming some characters and allowing one in particular to remain a villain.
