Escape Room (2019) Columbia/Horror-Thriller RT: 100 minutes Rated PG-13 (terror/perilous action, violence, some suggestive material, language) Director: Adam Robitel Screenplay: Bragi F. Schut and Maria Melnik Music: Brian Tyler and John Carey Cinematography: Marc Spicer Release date: January 4, 2019 (US) Cast: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Jay Ellis, Deborah Ann Woll, Tyler Labine, Nik Dodani, Yorick van Wageningen, Kenneth Fok, Jessica Sutton, Cornelius Geaney Jr. Box Office: $57M (US)/$155.7M (World)
Rating: ***
The first thing I did when I got to the theater was look for the quickest way to escape just in case Escape Room turned out to be a stinker. My fear was well-founded. The first new release of the year, especially a PG-13 horror movie, is typically lame. Recent examples include Insidious: The Last Key, The Forest, The Woman in Black 2, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and The Devil Inside. I prepared myself for the worst only to be surprised by how entertaining it actually is. That itself is more surprising than anything that happens in Escape Room, a predictable yet fun horror-thriller that plays like a toned-down version of a Saw movie.
The premise is a familiar one. A group of seemingly random strangers are forced to work together to survive a series of bizarre deathtraps. In this case, six people are given the chance to win $10,000. All they have to do is successfully escape from an escape room. Or rather, several. They are Zoey (Russell, Lost in Space), a shy college student with savant-like puzzle-solving abilities; Jason (Ellis, The Game), a cocky, super-aggressive stockbroker; Ben (Miller, Love, Simon), an alcoholic stock boy at a grocery store frustrated at his inability to get ahead in life; Amanda (Woll, True Blood), a traumatized war vet; Mike (Labine, New Amsterdam), a nice but clueless trucker and Danny (Dodani, Murphy), a nerdy gamer boy who loves escape rooms (he brags about beating 93 of them).
Zoey, Jason and Ben break one of the cardinal rules of horror flicks. If somebody sends you a mysterious puzzle box, DON’T OPEN IT! Have they never seen a Hellraiser movie? Anyway, they all gather in this waiting room and exchange pleasantries while waiting for the game master to come and explain the rules. The thing is they’re already playing. The waiting room is the first challenge. As they search for clues, Zoey sets off the first deadly trap by inadvertently causing the room temperature to rise. Let’s just say it involves a copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Subsequent challenges find them in a freezing outdoor area, an upside down barroom, a derelict hospital ward and a room that looks like it was designed by Beetlejuice.
The problem is that it’s no game these people are playing. The danger is very real. People start dying for real. The players were not chosen at random. Something connects them and somebody wants them dead for some reason. I’ll only say that you’ll likely figure it out before the movie reveals it.
If nothing else, Escape Room boasts some cleverly-designed sets. Granted, the Rube Goldberg-esque traps won’t be a surprise to fans of the Saw franchise, but they’re still kind of cool. And while the movie is predictable, there’s still a fair amount of tension. Even though I knew each room would claim at least one victim, I was still (almost) on the edge of my seat. Also, the last person(s) standing is pretty much a foregone conclusion. Honestly, there’s nothing particular new or original about Escape Room. Not only is it derivative of Saw (and its many sequels), it also borrows elements from The Game, The Belko Experiment and any given Final Destination movie. I’m sure there are others I can’t think of at the moment.
I’m not going to lie and say that the acting in Escape Room is great or even good. It’s not. I will say that Russell makes an appealing lead, Labine is affable and Dodani has some good moments. I will also say that Woll’s character goes underdeveloped. The dialogue is clunky. The plot unfolds in a clockwork manner. The door is left wide open for a sequel should this one make money. I see no reason why it won’t. PG-13 horror movies tend to do well in the dumping ground that is January. The difference is that Escape Room is actually pretty good. It’s a nice diversion for a wintry weekend afternoon if you’re not in the mood for an Oscar bait film.
