"Escape Room" Movie Review
As one who has experienced a real escape room myself, I was excited to see the concept come to the big screen. It turns out the concept actually translates well in Escape Room, but that doesn’t mean the movie pulls off the thrill perfectly.
Escape Room tracks a group of randomly selected game participants who have to work together to figure their way out of a trap-filled maze where the danger turns out to be more real than anticipated. As they get closer to the end, it becomes clearer why they were each specifically chosen to play this particular life-or-death version of the game.
A PG-13 rating means Escape Room doesn’t get carried away with how it executes its thrills, which could’ve came alarmingly close to resembling a Saw knockoff had aimed for an R rating.
As it is, Escape Room, spends the first half of the film thrilling audiences with clever puzzles and elaborately detailed set arrangements that truly capture the spirit of the real-life game. It’s the latter half of the film which seems obligated to over explain and water down the concept that ruins the experience.
Like turning on the lights midway through a haunted house, Escape Room unveils exactly how unremarkable its brainteasing capabilities actually are by the climax. When it stops being mysterious, it stops being entertaining, potentially causing viewers to look for the glowing green “exit” sign sooner than the movie would prefer.
Acting and Casting - 1 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 0 | Entertainment Value - 1 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer's Preference - 1 | What does this mean?