Spoiler. Spoiler. Spoiler.

Please don't let me spoil this movie for you. You may not want to want to watch it if I do.

Oh wait. In that case I wish someone spoiled that movie for me, so here we go.

"Guaranteed 100% success rate!" is what the antagonist says about the "dating service" he purchased. In this elaborate fake they supposedly kill bunch of people, including somebody she knows, but at the end of it she's like, meh, screw it, I'm still pretty damn horny. And when you're set free, not only she makes corny jokes about it being a bad date she decides that this in fact is an amazing start of a beautiful love story?

I'm not a psychologist, but I bet that a dramatic event of watching multiple people die right in front of you can leave you pretty scarred, and probably unable to move, let alone, I don't know, umm, taking a shower and worrying if someone is going to see you naked. But hey, maybe I'm wrong. In which case she's probably even a bigger psycho than he was. Maybe it was a perfect match after all.

Well, here's how I wish it had ended. When the dude opens the elevator shaft, he accidentally falls in. Boom. 95% success rate now!

Not bad acting. Main villain is a face I recognize, but probably had the worst performance in the movie. I don't blame the actor, I blame the script. The script probably said "Giggles like a maniac" and director added "No, really, just giggle a lot, like you're not afraid of getting a Razzie!". Same director who shot the elevator scene and added "let's make this scene last 10 seconds while she's pulling him away from the shaft". So he's almost falling in? "No, not even close, but make it look like she's struggling to pull him away while he's standing just fine on both of his feet for about 10 seconds".

Just let him fall! Would make for an interesting short.

Truly not worth your time. The lead actors absolutely sabotaged the plot if this film. They were boring, weakly acted, and gave away the "twist" before I could even finish my popcorn. With the right actors and screenplay, this story should have worked.

The music they used in this film was agonizing, it was as if they found all royalty free instrumentals and used it in this film, which added to the cheese factor. This felt like a Hallmark decided to make their first horror thriller and it plays out exactly as you'd imagine. I kept watching the time on my phone, hoping the movie would end faster. I repeat do not waste your time.

I watched Soul Mates (2023) in theaters this evening. The storyline follows two strangers who wake up handcuffed to each other and discover they are in a game to find true love. They must go through a series of dates, and the outcome will determine someone's fate they they know. Can the strangers work together, save lives, and maybe even fall in love in the process?

This movie is directed by Mark Gantt (A Deadly Price for Her Pretty Face) and stars Neal McDonough (Minority Report), Charles Weber (How to Get Away with Murder) and Annie Ilonzeh (Peppermint).

The storyline reminded me of a mix between Saw and Escape Room. This is one of those films where, when all the pieces come together, I liked it much more than I initially thought. The ending is the highlight of the movie and is quite rewarding. While the acting is somewhat uneven, Neal McDonough's performance stands out, even though Weber and Ilonzeh didn't quite reach his level. The circumstances and storyline are well-crafted, but the kills didn't meet my expectations.

In conclusion, Soul Mates has enough clever elements to make it worth a watch but falls short of being a true gem in the horror genre. I would rate this 5.5-6/10 and recommend seeing it once.