Here we are, the beginning of a new year. The chance to wash away the bad juju of the previous 365 days and usher in a new twelve months of films that will capture our hearts and minds and, once again, remind us why we love going to the movies. But in January, studios often ring in the new year by giving audiences a really sh*tty horror film. And for the first half of “Escape Room,” the new Sony Pictures horror by Adam Robitel (“Insidious: The Last Key”), there’s a brief moment when you believe 2019 might break that trend, with a stylish, well-crafted thriller. But by the end of the film’s runtime, it’s clear, you’re not about to break free from this banal tradition of rote, cynical horror.
As the title suggests, the “Escape Room” premise is quite simple — people are gathered by an unknown figure to participate in an escape room. You know, those things that your friends and family con you into doing, promising fun times and laughs, but always end up devolving into chaos and name-calling. But hey, at least you got that cute, prop-filled picture at the end, right? Well, “Escape Room” is much of the same, except the stakes are deadly and there’s no frames or smiles awaiting the winner.
A title like “Escape Room” conjures the notion of complex puzzles that attract viewers who are interested in doing a bit of deduction on their own, a fun cast of characters that audiences will root for, and a satisfying ending that justifies the hokey premise. Sadly, the new thriller only presents you with one-and-a-half of those elements.
The rooms shown in the film are well constructed, each with a purpose, a unique set of clues and challenges, and a style and color palette that keep you engaged, while not feeling repetitive in any way. In large part, this is thanks to the direction of Robitel. Robitel finds new and interesting ways to present each escape room, forcing audiences to experience the tension right along with the characters. The camera keeps everything feeling claustrophobic and as those playing the game become more frantic for clues and an escape, the film feels urgent and thrilling.
This tense immediacy is best demonstrated in the fourth room in the film, the upside down pool hall. In this room, the floor is the ceiling and the ceiling is the floor. The same disorientation felt by the characters is echoed by the audience as Robitel and cinematographer Marc Spicer (“Furious 7”) use every camera trick in the book, flipping and spinning around, leaving everyone involved not quite sure what’s up or down. It’s the clear highlight of the film, and unfortunately, the moment when the characters escape this room is exactly when “Escape Room” goes off the rails.
Before one can parse the film’s rather frustrating ending, the upside down pool hall room also shines a light on another great aspect of the film— the cast. Filled with mostly unknowns, the characters in “Escape Room” are engaging, surprising, and amusing. Throughout the film, there are quips that mostly land (although the ones that don’t land hit with a resounding thud), but mostly, each member of the cast brings an extra layer to their performance that elevates them past the typical horror-thriller cliches. Special commendation goes to Deborah Ann Woll (“Daredevil”), who steals the show as the de facto leader of the group and gives the best performance in that aforementioned pool hall scene. Other standouts include Tyler Labine as a dad joke delivery machine, Taylor Russell as the smart wallflower who gains agency, and Logan Miller as the self-loathing loser that uses this tragedy to become a better man. All told, outside of a few cringe-worthy lines of dialogue, the cast gives this decidedly silly film a bit of, much-needed, emotional weight.
However, all that goodwill earned by the suspense of the first few rooms and the cast that you ultimately root for is undone by a twist ending that doesn’t feel earned, comes out of nowhere, and only exists to set up a sort of “Saw”-like franchise moving forward. Without getting into spoilers, suffice it to say, that no matter how good you are at figuring out endings of mysteries, you’ll likely never see the climax of “Escape Room” coming. The very nature of the film lends itself to theories flowing through your mind, as the characters throw out their own guesses and clues are clearly presented, but you will no doubt be wrong. Because much like a real escape room, the film has a ton of red herrings that end up going nowhere. The ending of “Escape Room” only serves as a way for the series to move forward, and honestly, if this is the direction the folks at the studio want to proceed in, that’s a shame.
Ultimately, it’s impossible to recommend Sony’s thriller. Normally, an ending, no matter how twisty, can’t do enough to sway opinion on a film, but in the case of this thriller, that’s exactly what happens. Great cast, fun mysteries, well-crafted set pieces, and suspense for days isn’t enough to outweigh the crushing defeat felt at the end of “Escape Room” by the ludicrous ending that overshadows the proceedings. To win this challenge, your best bet is to abort from the film about two-thirds of the way through and dream up your own ending. Almost anything you imagine is likely better than the dud “gift” presented at the end of this silly rabbit hole. [C]