Mikes Film Talk

The 2025 survival horror film Home Sweet Home: Rebirth is yet another rehash of a video game. Based on the titular games Home Sweet Home and Home Sweet Home: Rebirth. Both games are survival horror focused, a genre I love. To be fair, despite a lot of grumbling from fans of the games, it is not that bad. *I have not played either game so I have no basis for comparison. There are moments though where I wish I had played the game.*

There have been a number of video game adaptations of survival horror, most of these are disliked by fans. So nothing new here.

The Story

A cop and his family visit Bangkok. Once they arrive, the city is overrun by demons from another realm. The cop must save the world as he is the “gate keeper. He has a monk to guide him. Meanwhile his wife and daughter must fight to stay alive.

The Cast

William Moseley is Jake.

Michele Morrone is Mek.

Urassaya Sperbund is Prang.

Alexander Lee is Chan.

Akeira Hadden is Loo.

Let’s Talk Survival Horror

Survival Horror games include such classics as the following franchises: Resident Evil, Silent Hill, et al. Other titles include Siren, 1 & 2, Dead Space, Alan Wake, well you get the idea. There are a lot to choose from. I have played all the above mentioned games and love the heck out of them. Sadly, none of the adaptations into film, that have been made, have really been successful.

The truth of the matter is, it’s difficult to make that transition. It is not limited to survival horror. Other games could not make the leap either. Super Mario Bros and Uncharted both were just as far off the mark. *The exception is Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, a television series, that went off the blooming chain.*

It Works as Survival Horror

Home Sweet Home: Rebirth the film works as survival horror. Although it could have been a tad more inclusive of action. The move to that first portal gave us loads of demons. However, only a few make a move, one imagines the game had quite a few more attacking.

Co-writers/directors Steffen Hacker and Alexander Kiesl are very proud of their production and rightly so. Regardless of their preoccupation with the CGI/VFX and SFX, the film does entertain.

Cast is King/Queen

The actors, chiefly Moseley as Jake, have been panned. The British actor, who cut his acting teeth on Narnia, may have had issues playing an American cop. However, his accent was pretty much on point. One has to remember that he was also playing against, for the most part, CG monsters.

Morrone takes great chunks of scenery and chews them delightfully. *I did wonder what Karl Urban could have done with the role of Mek. This came to me when I realized the actor looks a bit like Urban.* Sperbund is spot on as the confused wife and mother battling for his daughter. Hadden is great as the couple’s offspring and Lee fill the monk’s sandals convincingly.

Problems

The problems are more about viewers, or critics, not having played the game the film is based on. Although, aficionados of the games have said that “Rebirth” was a bit weak.

The wholesale destruction of Bangkok is that little bit dodgy. The explosion at the mall looks CG. As do the “lava” cracks in the floors. The creatures themselves also look mostly computer generated.

There were issues with the plot jumping about and leaving things to dangle. The climax, when it comes, is too fast and open ended. Anticlimactic at best, sloppy at worst.

The Verdict

Home Sweet Home: Rebirth as survival horror just works. I give it a solid 3.5 stars for effort alone. It does entertain, but there is no real tension or suspense, let alone scares. The film is streaming on Prime right now. Head on over and see what you think.

The Trailer