Quartile rating: 5/10 · 1 rating
In pursuit of an unclaimed $125,000 prize, a broke college dropout decides to play an obscure, 1980s survival computer game. But the game curses her, and she’s faced with dangerous choices and reality-warping challenges. After a series of unexpectedly terrifying moments, she realizes she’s no longer playing for the money but for her life.
Choose or Die has a moderately interesting premise blending retro video game nostalgia with horror, but it squanders the concept with a thin, predictable plot that fails to develop its rules or stakes coherently. The acting is serviceable but unremarkable, with performances that feel constrained by a weak script. Cinematography leans into a decent neon-drenched tech-noir aesthetic that is the film's strongest suit, giving it some visual personality. Novelty is limited — the cursed video game horror concept has been done before (Brainscan, Stay Alive) and this entry doesn't bring a sufficiently distinctive spin. The ending is unsatisfying, resolving the mythology in a rushed and confusing manner that undermines whatever tension was built.