“Survival is a CHOICE.”

Jason Walker

Once the latest craze becomes mainstream, it is only a matter of time before Hollywood seeks to cash in with a formulaic script and general disregard for the specific nuance of its subject matter. Escape Room‘s by-the-numbers horror is doubly burdened by the fact that the Saw series has already trodden much of this ground with a sharper bite. The film is rarely sympathetic towards its victims, lured into and trapped in a series of deadly puzzle rooms, treating their past trauma merely as plot points. There is mild entertainment to be found in the initial stages as the strangers meet and realise their circumstance. From there it swiftly loses its way, less engaging the more elaborate it becomes.

4/10