Escape Room (2019)

At last. After seeing the 2017 Escape Room,  I finally got around to this one. I wanted some puzzles, some devious deathtraps, and a cast of characters who would work together, but also be morally shady enough to try cutting and running when the sense of self-preservation outweighed the team spirit. And I am happy to say that Escape Room delivered exactly what I wanted.

It doesn't take long to put together the six main characters who are about to attempt the escape. Danny is the expert at escaping, having managed to overcome many previous challenges. Mike is looking forward to a fun experience that may lead to a boost in his finances. Amanda is a young war veteran. Jason is a successful businessman used to getting his own way. Ben is a bit aimless. And then there's Zoey, a quiet young woman who is the smartest of the group, which will work in their favour if they just listen to her often enough. They all think that it's going to be a standard escape room experience, with the added incentive of a cash prize. We know different, of course, because this is a horror movie. We also know that it's unlikely that everyone will make it to the end.

Directed by Adam Robitel (who did solid work on Insidious: The Last Key and impressed horror fans with his first feature, The Taking Of Deborah Logan), this is a film that knows exactly how things should be played, for better or for worse. The script, by Bragi F. Schut and Maria Melnik, is constantly checking things off a list that viewers will be familiar with (character backstories, potential connections between the participants, dominant character traits, etc) while moving the plot from room to room with skill and a brisk pace. Things never get boring, thanks largely to the ridiculous planning that has gone in to each room, and there are at least a couple of attempts to surprise viewers on the way to the potential final exit. Whether you think they are successful attempts or not is a completely different matter.

The cast all do well in their roles. I am a fan of both Deborah Ann Woll and Tyler Labine so seeing them being part of the main group, playing Amanda and Mike, was a big bonus for me. Nik Dodani and Logan Miller are the weakest of the bunch, but not awful, playing Danny and Ben, while Jay Ellis does fine in the role of Jason and Taylor Russell does great work with what could have easily been a very annoying character (the writing helps somewhat but Russell definitely lifts it up).

Much like the rooms that they are taking inspiration from, these puzzle horror movies depend on their puzzles. This is another area in which Escape Room works. Some of the puzzles seem very easy, some fiendishly difficult. All seem solvable, as long as the players can stay alive long enough.

Some will find this just as easy to criticise. There's a disappointing lack of bloodshed (ensuring this can reach the widest possible teen audience in various territories, I assume) and a final coda that is groan-inducingly awful. But that didn't bother me, apart from when I actually had to sit through those few minutes and moan to myself about them while they played out. Overall, I had a good time with this. I'd happily rewatch it and if they can make it into a decent franchise . . . I'm also down for that.

7/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.