A newly married couple (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) embarks on a hiking honeymoon in Kaua’i, Hawaii, only to become entangled in a situation involving dangerous criminals on the loose. They begin to suspect other hikers—including Timothy Olyphant and Chris Hemsworth—and wonder if they'll survive their vacation. "A Perfect Getaway" (2009) is worth watching for those who enjoy island-adventure movies like "Mysterious Island," "Robinson Crusoe," and "Six Days Seven Nights." The film’s locations, including Kaua'i, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica (for a sequence in a sea cave), are visually stunning. The characters portrayed by Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez prove to be likable, and it becomes easy to support them as the story progresses. Olyphant delivers an "outstanding" performance, and Chris Hemsworth is also impressive in a brief but memorable role as a taciturn hiker. Marley Shelton stands out for her beauty, though her part feels too small, and the filmmakers don’t fully utilize her presence. The film is known to have a twist ending, which significantly alters the narrative in the final act. I won't reveal what it is. If you enjoy island adventures or films with unexpected plot twists, I suggest checking out "A Perfect Getaway" and trying to anticipate the surprise. I managed to guess correctly, although my certainty was limited; I only had a strong suspicion that turned out to be accurate. While the film has its merits, there were aspects that bothered me. One issue stems from the twist itself, which I'll explain later. Another is that it operates as a whodunit thriller, meaning several characters are initially portrayed negatively or in a strange light—a depiction that doesn’t change until the true murderers are exposed. There’s simply too much negativity among the group, though this is somewhat balanced by the positive character development of a few people later on. The film runs for 1 hour and 38 minutes. GRADE: B- [SPOILER ALERT] (Do not continue reading unless you've seen the movie). It’s revealed in the third act that the main characters, played by Zahn and Jovovich, are actually the murderers—impostors who have taken the place of a recently murdered couple. I was able to figure this out because I anticipated a plot twist, and because these kinds of twists often involve seemingly innocent or vulnerable individuals being guilty, as seen in "Howling V: The Rebirth." Twist films have become so commonplace that they’re no longer particularly surprising. It would be refreshing if a film simply told a straightforward story—where the characters we believe to be the protagonists remain so, and those who appear suspicious ultimately face consequences ("Cape Fear" is an example). My problem with this twist is that it undermines the entire narrative. The people we come to care about and root for in the first hour turn out to be despicable criminals, while the initially suspicious characters become the heroes we're supposed to support. To the film’s credit, we do end up sympathizing with Olyphant’s character and his partner by the conclusion of the story. I understand that, from a certain perspective, the film isn't technically lying once you realize Zahn and Jovovich’s characters are impostors; their conversations then become authentic within that context. However, it doesn't change the fact that the viewer has been misled—the protagonists we initially believe in turn out to be villains. Consequently, viewers may feel tricked at the climax.

Source on TMDB