It's unfortunate that my first screening for a 2019 film is this PG-13, January-released horror film. Escape Room is a mildly entertaining thriller that, while it has some solid dramatic tension and direction, does not provide a story original enough to keep me that much interested. Even though it is a decently-rehashed horror idea and the performances were mediocre, the script suffered from so many cliches that only became more and more predictable.
Elements that I did enjoy about this movie were some of its performances and the directing. The best characters, which isn't saying much, were Amanda, played by Deborah Ann Woll and Zoey, played by Taylor Russell. These two women gave some of the most realistic portrayals of how people would actually react in a life-or-death situation like this escape room gone wrong. They were also some of the most level-headed characters that made sense of things despite the atrocities they were being put through. The directing by relative newcomer Adam Robitel was incredible as well. He handled the pacing of the different rooms very well and was actually able to ramp up the drama as the film went on; I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed his creative directing style.
My biggest issue plaguing this film is its lackluster script. Every stereotype and cliche possible was crammed into this plot solely because the focus of this movie was its original setting. Setting this film in a fun, puzzle-like environment does provide something new for horror moviegoers, but it was not enough to distract from the lack of creativity in all the other technical aspects. This film starts out by introducing us to the main characters in the most painful way: by showing them each doing something in their everyday lives only to coincidentally all reach their "low points." With nothing to apparently lose, these characters all accept a strange invitation to a new escape room with the promise of winning a large sum of money. Once our six main characters met, the entire first act was filled with cheesy dialogue that did nothing to further their development. It was not until certain characters started to get killed off that the interactions between the players began to become slightly engaging.
This movie does absolutely nothing to stray from the conventional beats that every horror film eventually hits. It almost felt as if it was attempting to be a modern, recreational rehash of 2012's The Cabin in the Woods, but without the clever mind of Drew Goddard. The writing behind the antagonists' reveal in Escape Room was not nearly as developed or sensical as it should have been, as it unfortunately seemed like the studio is trying to kick off a franchise helmed by this young cast. While I wish these performers the best of luck with their careers, I desperately hope they don't rely on this *possible* franchise but instead work on films that better showcase their boxed-up talent. Even though these characters and the script that created them were vastly underwhelming, I did appreciate the production value of this film and its cinematography as well; in fact, the upside-down bar sequence was one of the most intense scenes I have seen in a film this year. Marc Spicer helmed the camera and I was impressed at his use of spatial awareness, given that the multiple rooms throughout the film were relatively small for our six characters.
I've done probably eight or nine escape rooms in the past few years and I can guarantee they were more exhilarating than this film. Not incredible, but not a bad choice for, say, a date night, Escape Room is a terribly-cliched horror film with a wasted-potential script. However, lots of intense production value at least makes it a decently entertaining watch if you're with friends and family.
My Rating: ★★½
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