Inescapable entertainment: Though somewhat faulty, “Escape Room” remains incredibly thrilling and entertaining

BY ALEXANDRA SANSONE

The recent film “Escape Room” leaves no room for boredom, despite having its rough patches. The movie centers around a group of six carefully chosen individuals who have all accepted the challenge of making their way through the most difficult escape room in the world, created by the company Minos.

Lured by the reward of $10,000, they begin to solve what they think is a harmless puzzle before discovering that the rooms are designed to kill them. Viewers, beware: after watching, you won’t be enticed to complete an escape room anytime soon.

The actors portrayed their characters well, taking care to immerse themselves in the high-risk situations their characters were living through. The fear was clearly depicted on their faces as their hands and voices shook with the emotion of fighting for their lives.

Actress Taylor Russell wonderfully captured the innocence and anxiety comprising Zoey, the young genius who solves the entire game. Russell, however, seemed to lack emotional depth and was a bit disconnected from the plot.

Though the movie was enjoyable, it had a rough ending, seemingly controlled by an entirely new director.

Despite Russell’s choppy character development, Deborah Ann Woll (Amanda) expressed a large range of emotions that helped her endear to the audience, making her inevitable death all the more upsetting.

Logan Miller in the role of Ben— a down-on-his-luck grocery stocker— took charge of the scenes with an aloof attitude used to hide a heart of gold. Miller brought perfectly crafted quips and snarky comments to the film, diluting tense situations with comedic moments.

While the puzzles themselves did not seem very complicated, the manner in which they were presented on screen never left the audience uninterested. The carefully crafted background music and sound effects only added to the suspense as the contestants continued to narrowly escape death by pulling incredible stunts.

The director, Adam Robitel, though inconsistent in his dedication to quality cinematography, had his moments. He played with perception by creating a room in which everything was placed on the ceiling, aptly titled the “Upside-Down Room.” Robitel’s technique of guiding the camera through unique and fluid movements successfully depicted the difficulty of navigating the room.

The most impressive aspect of the film by far was the attention to detail.

The most impressive aspect of the film by far was the attention to detail. Upon further research, audiences will find that Minos, the name of the escape room company, has another meaning. In Greek mythology, Minos served as the king of Crete and commanded that seven young boys and seven young girls be sent to the labyrinth to face death by the Minotaur. This use of foreshadowing, however, might only be appreciated by those familiar with Greek mythology.

Though the movie was enjoyable, it had a rough ending, seemingly controlled by an entirely new director. The closing was forced and unnatural, leaving the audience with unanswered questions. It was as if the writers forgot about the last 20 minutes of the movie and had to throw it together in the eleventh hour, a stark contrast to the rest of the film. While the plot leaves room for a sequel or franchise, the rushed nature of the first movie’s ending will poorly set up future films.

All in all, “Escape Room” makes for a good watch despite instances of inconsistent cinematography and lack of emotional depth among characters. Though it had its faults, it remains incredibly entertaining.

Photo courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes