Released on September 16, 2022, Netflix’s ‘Do Revenge’ is one of the most popular new movies. The film is a dark and campy teen comedy featuring Camila Mendes as Drea Torres and Maya Hawke as Eleanor Levetan. Despite most’s expectance of the film to be substandard, ‘Do Revenge’ was extremely well received by audiences, hitting number one on Netflix’s Top Ten streaming chart. ‘Do Revenge’ also may mark the renaissance of the campy teen rom-coms and films that dominated the late 90s and early 2000s. 

Adding together the captivating plot, the dark but comedic characters, and the extravagant setting and wardrobe, ‘Do Revenge’ was an overall enjoyable and entertaining watch. The basic premise of the movie is the formation of a friendship between two high school seniors, Drea and Eleanor, over a common goal: to get revenge on the people who wronged them. Drea wishes to get back at her ex-boyfriend who humiliated her and caused the ruin of her social status, while Eleanor hopes to get revenge on the girl she believes ruined her life as a kid. They decide to help each other “do revenge”. Watching their elaborate plan play out is truly intriguing and the plot is perfectly tied together with a jaw-dropping twist towards the end of the movie. The film explores themes of toxic friendships and relationships, gender and class privilege, unreliable narratorship, and how the past can affect the future. Like most Netflix teen movies, ‘Do Revenge’ has its flaws. Much of the “modern” dialogue is cringe-worthy and some of the excessively posh settings and outfits are a little over the top. However, the movie does do a great job of conveying its important themes, having characters develop throughout the movie, and being sinister yet hilarious at the same time.   

One of the biggest things ‘Do Revenge’ accomplished is shining the light back on the genre of campy, romantic, and comical films made for teenagers. This genre includes movies such as Mean Girls, 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless, Bring It On, John Tucker Must Die, and more. ‘Do Revenge’ followed a very similar pattern as these kinds of movies, as well as making direct references. We get to see classic teen movie homages, such as the new kid at school receiving a makeover and a high school hallway erupting in chaos after a big secret has been revealed. The movie also uses popular teen songs from today in its soundtrack, which was a similar decision made by many musical directors making these films in the 90s and 2000s. ‘Do Revenge’ also followed a similar pattern when casting. Many of these films cast well-established actors from other teen movies and television shows, and that is exactly what ‘Do Revenge’ did. You may recognize Camila Mendes, who plays Drea, from CW’s Riverdale, Maya Hawke, who plays Eleanor, from Netflix’s Stranger Things, Austin Abrams, who plays Max, from HBO’s Euphoria, Jonathan Daviss, who plays Elliot, from Netflix’s Outer Banks, and many more. Despite the film’s many similarities to this classic genre, it also displays some positive differences. For example, providing the audience with a much more diverse cast and having the main protagonists’ storylines be less centered around male love interests. Whether this movie’s success foretells more classic teen rom-coms to come, if you enjoy this genre, ‘Do Revenge’ is a must-watch!

‘Do Revenge’ is a definite hit, receiving praise from audiences, critics, and popular movie rating sites. The film currently has an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The storyline is certainly intriguing to watch unfold and the movie allows for the audience to see a more developed performance from famous actors. Anyone can find a way to enjoy the film whether it be for the mysterious plot, posh and colorful aesthetic, or to reminisce about your favorite movies for the late 90s and early 2000s.‘Do Revenge’ is a great movie for a night where you have some free time to get into a funny and twisted story.