Escape Room

This is an effective little thriller, as six random people are invited to participate in an escape room, one that proves to have an ever-increasingly deadly range of elaborate puzzles. The idea is not exactly new (there was at least two Saw movies with a somewhat similar premise, and the ending twist puts this in a genre that dates at least back to the thirties), but the execution is pretty good – most of the actors are of the interesting type who might be recognisable from TV but haven’t busted through to full lead status (Deborah Ann Wool and Tyler Labine are probably the two biggest names), but they all contribute to what is, ultimately, a well dressed puzzle. The increasingly surreal nature of some of the puzzles and a tendency not to linger too long on the deaths means that this isn’t just another gore fest. And if the ending in particular stretched the credibility to breaking point, for most of the length we’re engaged in our team as exposition is doled out about who they are and what may have brought them to where they are now. The production design is noticeably grand and inventive – I keep on going back to Saw as the obvious comparison, but whereas that was dominated by a grimy, rusty aesthetic, this gives each room their own feel (only one room really has that grotty feel, and even there, there’s a couple of thoughts that mean it’s not just a retread). I can’t argue that this is anything more than an effective but familiar visit through a couple of tropes, but there’s entertainment in doing this kinda thing competently.