'Do Revenge' is a modern coming-of-age film that does an amazing job of reviving the popular 90s/early 2000s 'Mean Girls' genre of movies. It includes the charm, wit and drama that all good high school movies do whilst modifying the general attitude, plot and aesthetic to suit a modern 2020s audience, and it does it well.

 

Immediately, 'Do Revenge' was destined for success through its star-studded cast, which included actors from hit shows like Stranger Things (Maya Hawke), Riverdale (Camila Mendes) and Euphoria (Austin Abrams), to name a few. Maya Hawke plays Eleanor Cutler, a previously handy, tomboyish high school student who is the victim of a rumour being spread about her and a victim of the eventual makeover of the movie. Eleanor becomes friends with main character Drea Torres (Camila Mendes), a disgraced 'Queen Bee' who fell victim to Max (Austin Abrams) - the "Golden Boy" of the school, leaking an explicit video of her. The two girls team up and decide to do each other's revenge.

 

The interesting route taken in 'Do Revenge' sees that Max, instead of being a stereotypical mean Jock, is a preppy activist that, to the rest of the school, seems very progressive. This adds another layer to the movie as it brings up the topic of fake activism and provides an extra problem to the two protagonists, in addition to being just one of the ways that the movie adapts itself to appeal to a modern audience.

 

Whilst the dialogue can, at times, be a little bit awkward, it is for the most part relatable to how teenagers speak today, which is refreshing and, arguably, rare in movies. Whilst the outfits are extravagant, they are reasonably accurate to modern clothing trends and were definitely aesthetically pleasing, much like the rest of the movie, including the sets.

 

As for the plot, whilst it may seem on the surface to be a bit basic, the execution of it actually made the movie very interesting, and the plot twist was unexpected and entertaining. What I found the best part of the movie to be, though, was the characters and how complex their personalities were; your opinion of all of the main characters is constantly changing, which makes it a really compelling watch.

 

All in all, 'Do Revenge' is a great movie that, in my opinion, has the potential to bring back "chick flick" movies entirely. It is not perfect, but the movie is still enjoyable and quite funny!

 

Do Revenge is available to watch on Netflix.