Escape Rooms have taken over the U.S. You can pretty much find one in any major or mid-major city in the U.S. Escape Rooms are fun, entertaining puzzles. You and a group of friends go inside a locked room and search for clues to solve a puzzle to escape. There are riddles plastered everywhere, along with items to get you to each step. You get three clues per room to assist you in solving the riddle to ultimately free you from the room. You get the clues from the Gamemaster. Gamemasters, the people who are supposed to “assist” you with solving the riddle. You usually have about an hour to solve the riddle and escape the escape room.
The phenom is now a movie and man…. I’m sad to say, I’m a little underwhelmed. The idea, the plot, and the film are done pretty well. There are just certain things about a film, and this one is missing them. Leading up to watching the film, I was excited to see it. Having almost won an escape room battle with some buddies, it got me going. The film isn’t a bad one, but it lacks in areas a film shouldn’t. The effects were part of the problem, the film truly looks like a cheap thrill. Director Adam Robitel has made some wonderful horror/suspense films (Insidious: The Last Key, The Taking of Deborah Logan, and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension). He has a unique style that shows in the film but still can’t pick it up more than what it is.
The story surrounds six people, Amanda (Deborah Ann Woll – Daredevil), Zoey (Taylor Russell – Lost in Space), Ben (Logan Miller – Love, Simon), Jason (Jay Ellis – Insecure), Danny (Nik Dodani – Atypical), and Michael (Tyler Labine – Tucker and Dale V. Evil). They are each offered $10,000 to try to escape the escape room. Of course, they each accept and join the competition. They each have a story that’s very interesting, and I can’t tell you because it kind of spoils the film. Each one of their situations is used against the group in order to deter them from the escaping the escape room.
The film has some very good acting but also a few holes. The buildup to actually finding out what each characters personal drama could’ve been paced in better. The idea of the film was brilliant. I couldn’t imagine going to an escape room and thinking it’s everything is safe, and then it turns out to basically be a torture chamber. The acting was done well with the main characters but the supporting cast kind of makes the film. The thing that makes this film amazing is the usage of people’s personal trauma against them, and the fact that people are sick. We truly live in a sick world where the rich prey on the poor.
Overall, I personally enjoyed the film. The first act is slow, the second act picks up the pace, and the third act has some pacing issues that kind of takes away from the film. The acting is done well and helps carry the film. If you’re looking for an enjoyable cheap thrill, this is the film for you. It looks complex as the film goes on but the psychology of it all doesn’t go any deeper than anything we didn’t see in 2018.
Have you seen Escape Room? Did you guys like it? Tweet us @superbromovies with your thoughts!
Rating: 5/10
Six adventurous strangers travel to a mysterious building to experience the escape room — a game where players compete to solve a series of puzzles to win $1 million. What starts out as seemingly innocent fun soon turns into a living nightmare as the four men and two women discover each room is an elaborate trap that’s part of a sadistic game of life or death.
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