I’m usually not one to jump on a trending movie right when it drops. The moment a film starts getting too much attention, I tend to lose interest. Maybe it’s the pressure of all the hype or just the fear of disappointment. Most times, I wait until the buzz dies down before I give it a shot.
But with Off the Grid (2025), I did the opposite. The first time I came across it was on TikTok clips everywhere, people getting emotional, calling it “too real” and “gut-wrenching.” Then a close friend brought it up, saying she didn’t really get the hype. That actually made me curious, because now I wasn’t sure what to expect.
A week later, I heard coworkers discussing it too. One even sent me the link to watch. I still didn’t click it—until this weekend. I finally sat down and gave it a go. Now that I’ve seen it, here’s what I think.
The film follows Marcus, a father who’s forced to relocate with his family after losing his job in the city. With nowhere else to turn, they move into an old cabin in the woods left behind by his father. The plan was simple: live off the grid, reset, and figure things out quietly.
But things don’t go as planned. The isolation starts messing with them. Strange noises at night. Unfamiliar faces lurking nearby. The past starts to resurface in ways no one expected. What begins as a fresh start slowly turns into a nightmare filled with fear, survival, and unraveling truths. It’s more psychological than action-packed, and that’s part of what makes it eerie.
I’ll give the film this it really draws you in with its setting. The visuals were beautiful yet unsettling, and I liked the pacing in the first half. The actor who played Marcus did a solid job, especially in showing how desperation can push someone to the edge.
But overall? I think the hype was a bit much. It had emotional depth, yes, but it didn’t move me the way others claimed it would. There were parts that dragged, and the ending felt too rushed and unresolved. For a movie that aimed to explore something so personal and heavy, it didn’t fully deliver that emotional punch.
I’d rate Off the Grid a 6.5 out of 10. It’s a good one-time watch, especially if you enjoy slow-burn thrillers with a bit of mystery. But for me, it didn’t quite live up to all the noise surrounding it.
