Drawing influences from Saw (2004), Final Destination (2000), and Cube (1997), Escape Room follows six individuals, all of whom receive a puzzle box prescribing a cryptic note inviting them to the Minos Escape Room Facility. Lured to the facility under the promise of receiving a cash prize of ten thousand dollars, these six strangers must endure several intricately designed puzzle rooms in a thrilling game of life or death. While the premise doesn't exactly scream originality, Escape Room is a perfectly enjoyable little thriller. For those expecting buckets of gore and sickening death scenes, look elsewhere, as Schut and Melnik's screenplay is much more attuned to focusing on the elaborate puzzles themselves, resulting in a film that intrigues rather than disturbs. Pace wise, the film doesn't slow down and is engaging throughout, some of the puzzle rooms are quite visually arresting, and thankfully the characters aren't just one dimensional zeroes either. While the ending does border on nonsensical, Escape Room is a still a fun film that is definitely worth checking out.
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rustonreviews9 February 2019
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CronenbergsMonster12 August 2020Dont believe the 10/10 or the 1/10 reviews. This movie falls almost squarely in the middle. The premise is essentially a PG-13 Saw movie with multiple puzzle rooms for the protagonists to escape (rather than torture devices). There are some really great set pieces, tense moments, and decent acting throughout. However, the film completely falls apart in the last act. Its clearly meant to be setup for a franchise, which completely belittles everything in the first 3/4 of the film and ruins all the goodwill established up to that point. This could have been a really competent thriller if it werent for the money-grabbing shill of an ending. As it stands, this is basically a sub-par "Cube." 5/10 for me; I cant fully recommend it.
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Prismark108 February 2020Six people receive a mysterious box. It contains a chance to win ten thousand dollars. As the strangers arrive in a nondescript building and wait in a reception area.
They certainly find themselves locked in a series of escape rooms with fiendish traps and small clues. However this is no game, the penalty for failure is death.
Escape Room is reminiscent of the cult movie Cube. There are hints that the six people could be trapped in purgatory. We see flashbacks that they were all involved in some life threatening event where they may or could had perished.
Escape Room in its own term is better than a lot of low budget horror/thrillers. It is not as gory or nasty as the Saw movies.
It is competently entertaining with a subtext regarding pleasing the elites. -
misanthr0pist22 February 2021A really fun little thriller! The writing was a tad lackluster in some parts, but overall it didn't kill the mood. Same can be said about predictability, but again, it didn't ruin the film. Set design was excellent, and each room/game was well put together. It also managed to keep the tension at a fun level throughout. I'll definitely be watching the sequel when (or if) it gets released.
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Scorcesio6 January 2019The entire movie, all I could think of was Cube and how this movie was definitely inspired by it. The beginning starts off like an eye rolling Netflix B-horror, but it really does get better! Very tense moments and the room concepts are great. You'll have a lot of fun watching!
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deniz_yazici9 April 2019Enjoyed very much until the last 10 minutes. I wish the internet were to broke off at that point. Such a waste of a very cool flick.
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jhmoondance29 October 2021A decent enough movie with great tension and edge of the seat thrills.
A bit of a predictable ending but still good.
Acting was on par n the music score was good n great special effects.
A really good film with plenty of suspense. -
valtierraitza6 January 2019Went in without watching trailers or reading any background info on it. My friends really wanted to see so I tagged along. With horror movies, I never get my hopes up as it's hard to find a good one these days. I surprisingly really enjoyed the concept of this movie and would consider it more of a thriller. It never bored me and it wasn't gory like the saw films (which I never enjoyed). I liked the characters and their backgrounds.. it was nice to see how they all tied in together. It was a pretty good movie and I'd recommend.
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dsayshi2573 January 2019You could tell by the trailers that this isn't an oscar winning movie. It's a thrilling, fun, easy watch and for what it is, it's pretty good. The acting isn't bad, it's a pretty cliche story but it exceeded my expectations! It's not bad but it's not fantastic. If you're a fan of these types of movies, you won't be let down!
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opmoffatt2 October 2022Seems like a blatant rip-off of Saw, and it's filled with plotholes. Some of the characters are insufferable and terribly written and it is filled with pointless one-liners that force me to cringe throughout the movie. Some of the lines made me laugh out loud. The concept of the escape rooms, however, is a very cool idea and with better execution, it could've been great. The designs for the rooms were also cool but it felt *too* similar to saw. I also found it too predictable and the ending seemed forced and also a bit anticlimactic. 3/10, it gets 3 points for its semi0creativity with the escape rooms.
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Before I start, let me just say that I loved this movie! It had me whiteknuckling the arm-rests and I have no complaints. The characters reminded me a lot of Cube and the way it's all set up reminds me of Saw. I love both of the aforementioned movies, so I was pleased with Escape Room - of course, I could very well see why others might be bothered by it's similarities, but since I have no issues with someone basically merging two of my favorite movies, I'm not upset. I would definitely recommend this movie and the actors, in my opinion, did wonderful jobs.
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dynamiteheaddy-433871 February 2019Starts off fairly strong with interesting escape rooms but there comes a point in the third act where the movie just goes badly down hill with one of the worst endings in recent memory. They are clearly trying to set up a franchise with the sequel bait but with an ending this weak and unoriginal I can't see anyone wanting to watch it, The film isn't clever and doesn't have a decent twist to save it. Its just a rip off Saw (minus the gore) probably in the hope they can make more money. It's a shame because there are some enjoyable parts but expect any future films to go straight to DVD.
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thailerrhyne13 January 2019Don't get me wrong, the people who are saying "1 star, it's visual vomit" are being dramatic. But this movie is not good. It's beginning and half way point are somewhat decent, plot wise I mean. Acting and visual effects are lacking in many areas. But the second half until the end is horribly executed. The fact that it sequel baits you hard at the end is also a little insulting. Save your money. Do a real escape room instead.
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drpainters3 November 2021It's a really cool concept. Kind of takes over for the final destination franchise. Not a bloody movie either, they do cuts before anything gross happens. Sets up nicely for a sequel. Hope to see a few of these.
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lukehasenfus4 January 2019This movie is a fun joy ride and is something that won't waste your time. Although it isn't Oscar worthy, it is a film that is enjoying to watch and get excited about. I highly recommend this film to just watch for a good time.
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TRIDENT174524 December 2021The story is simple, the acting is very average, except for Taylor Russell. There is good suspense and adequate thrill. A great movie for munching on popcorn and passing the time.
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danielmanson29 December 2020As the title suggests this film is about a 6.5/10 so I'll be nice and plonk it on 7.
I'll just jump right into what annoyed me and there was 2 glaringly annoying parts of this film which lets it down. The first is the very first scene, I won't give spoilers but it does the classic "shows one of the final scenes of the film first", all this did was eliminate a lot of the surprise and tension as you know full well what the outcome of the characters will be. The second is that throughout the film, more so the 2nd half of it, you're expecting some huge twist to the plot and it just doesn't arrive, so the ending is just underwhelming. It sets for a sequel as well which I find pointless.
The film does have good parts and the plot does contain a couple of interesting points which give this "saw" plot a bit of depth. The character depth is quite good as well I thought considering it's hard to portray that in such a linear plot. Overall though I think it's just a simple thriller/horror that you can sit back and relax whilst watching. It's not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination and contrary to what I said in the first paragraph I did enjoy my time watching this, so I'll give it a 6.5/10. -
I saw this film with my wife and in-laws - just a few days after we all went to a an actual "escape room". Astonishingly, everybody including myself was impressed with this film. You know you have a good movie when all generations of a family like it!
The acting was great - but more importantly this film had a great story. It never got boring. A very clever idea to combine aspects of the Saw films with modern escape rooms.
The only criticism I have about this film is that the twist at the end was a bit of a stretch - very difficult to swallow. But Overall - an excellent film. -
kenleongrmt29 August 2021The production values, the puzzles were interesting enough, and the film was decent enough that I was thinking "What would I do to survive?" for each stage. Decent thriller/action/survival stuff that keeps you guessing and rooting for the people inside.
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Leofwine_draca3 February 2020ESCAPE ROOM is a generic kind of thriller that trades on the newfound popularity of thriller experiences, in which a group of friends willingly allow themselves to be locked in escape rooms before solving puzzles to facilitate their escape. A real-life CRYSTAL MAZE, if you will. I've seen a previous and very similar B-movie that wasn't very good, but this one is more mainstream and bigger budgeted, so there's more emphasis on effects. I found it quite similar to that '90s cult classic CUBE, although of course nowhere near as good, lacking as it does interesting characters and only tending to generate a minimum of suspense despite all the screaming and shouting.
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cruise015 January 2019Escape Room (4 out of 5 stars).
Escape Room is a twisted and fun thriller film that lacks the originality of the concept since there are films like Saw, The Collector, and The Belko Experiment. But the film does not stop you from being entertained with a thrilling direction that does keep you on the edge of your seat and plays around with the concept of characters going through several escape rooms and puzzle solving. If they fail to solve in time or escape, there are some deadly consequences.
The plot follows several characters Zoey (Taylor Russell), Ben (Logan Miller), Amanda (Deborah Ann Woll), Mike (Tyler Labine), Jason (Jay Ellis), and Danny (Nik Dodani) all getting an invitation puzzle box that invites them to an escape room experience. If they get out, they will win 10,000 dollars. Right when they go to the destination and waiting in the first room. That is were the games begin. They will have to use their knowledge and problem solving to get through each room before they fall for the trap. With each room and puzzle solving involving a secret of their past. They figure out there is something bigger going on than just an escape room game.
The plot was good. It may not be fresh of an original idea. But it was entertaining to see several strangers trying to figure out the clues and survive. Each character has their own backstory of a tragic past that lead them to this game. Each character all has their own distinct personality on how they try to survive. Zoey is a sweet, intelligent college student. Ben is an alcoholic and a dead beat teenager. Amanda was in the military. Mike is a truck driver. Jason is a financing businessman with a selfish attitude. Danny is the geeky teenager who is obsessed with problem solving. But how are all these characters connected? Or what they have in common? The build up with the plot was good. As they go from one deadly room to another. From a room that is firing up in high temperatures to a frozen lake that is breaking apart to an upside down bar and a white static sound room that may not be for the sensitive audience that can not handle flashy dizzying lights.
Taylor Russell was good playing her character that is pushed to her limits as she progressed through the games. Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Tyler Labine, Jay Ellis, and Nik Dodani were all good with their characters.
Director Adam Robitel did well in building the suspense and thrills. As characters are facing danger in every room. The direction did well in making you feel claustrophobic or fear of falling from an upside down room. The opening scene with a character being crushed from a room with walls closing in does set the momentum of the suspenseful direction. The music score Brian Tyler and John Carey also helped creating the tone with each room.
I did feel like the twist was a bit far fetched with the last ten minutes of the movie. Without giving away spoilers about the idea of the escape rooms and the ending. Yes, it does leave room for a sequel. I was disappointed and the twist did not leave that surprising shock feeling at all.
Overall, Escape Room is a good psychological horror film. The cast was great. The script and plot was good with having several strange characters playing a deadly game. The direction did have suspense and thrills that was entertaining. Twist may have been the weakest link in the movie. But it was still a fun good time watching the movie. -
sassygayfriend85910 February 2019I'm not a fan of PG-13 horror. I like my sex and violence. But I was pleasantly surprised by this. Yes it rips off "Saw" and "Hostel" but it shows that you don't need gore to be scared. It's the cast that makes the movie. I liked everyone. When a character was in danger, I was scared. If they didn't make it, I was horrified. Horror is at its best when you're emotionally invested in the participants.
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SnoopyStyle3 September 2019Six strangers are given mystery boxes that invite them to win $10k. Each one arrive at an office building. As they wait in a room, they find the door locked with the heat rising. They struggle to escape and find themselves trapped in a series of elaborate rooms.
This reminds me of Cube. At least in that one, the movie doesn't waste time introducing the characters. The opening foreshadowing sequence reveals almost everything. I kept waiting for a surprise reveal that the other competitors were not actually killed. Maybe they deliberately did not show a irrevocable death on screen to highlight a red herring. I don't care about these people. They are annoying. Everybody has a rude comment or a sly joke. The group dynamics could work with one jerk but almost everybody seems to have a jerk mode. They need to chill. As for the room designs, they are the most appealing aspect of the movie. They are fascinating although the clues are basically random. In Cube, there is actually something to solve. In this one, there isn't much to solve. I also hate that the players don't try to bring useful items from one room to another. It's rather unrealistic that everybody walks out of the cabin into the woods without grabbing a blanket or rug. At the very least, someone would brace the door open. The room designs are inventive and pretty fun. That keeps my interest until the end. -
Gordon-1123 March 2019This film tells the story of a group of six people entering a deadly escape game.
The story is really intense. The billiard room scene makes my palms sweat like there's no tomorrow, which is a very rare occurrence. It is reminiscent of "The Cube", only better. However, the ending from the big room onwards makes little sense, and is full of plot holes. If the film just stopped at the point when the person enters the big room, it would have been even better. -
Rating 6.9/10 The film in itself was good in terms of acting performance , sadly the storyline was poor . I thought this film would be good but ultimately it falls apart !! I'm so disappointed !!