By Cynthia Ayala

“In a twisted social experiment, 80 Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogotá, Colombia and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company’s intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed.”

—IMDB

This is one of those movies that is enjoyable, just as long as you remember to shut your brains off. The Belko Experiment isn’t an entirely unique or fresh take on the cliché story of putting people in a room and seeing who will kill to survive and who won’t. Battle Royale did it, The Hunger Games did it, and many more. This film is just another film on that list. Does that make it any less enjoyable? No, just as long as you just shut your brain off, otherwise you won’t enjoy this film at all.

What’s left to say? Sure, it was a great cast, and taking the concept of pitting these office workers against each other, there’s nothing fresh about it, other than seeing just who the characters are, the tension and the strife that arises between the characters. As viewers, we can see who the voice of reason is supposed to be, and who the ones are that are scared shitless. Is it fun, in the beginning, because you get to meet the character. You’ve got the crazy ones, the conspiracy theorists, and the sociopaths. Plus, who doesn’t sometimes think of killing their coworkers?

It’s not a filling movie. It’s stupid fun with overdone shocking moments when friends and pitted against one another. The cast delivers some great performances, John Gallagher Jr. was definitely the choice person for the role he had. He was the voice of reason, working hard to survive and keep the woman he loves alive as well. Nothing ever goes as planned, unfortunately, but that’s how these films often go. The cheap thrills work, the filming structure and the way the movie was written worked as a whole for pure enjoyment.

It’s a decent film, it progresses slowly but surely, it functions well together as a whole and the dynamics of the film were solid. Really the biggest issue was the fact that the film wasn’t an entirely unique concept. It’s been done to many times and far too recent for this film to actually stand out. (★★☆☆ | C+)

—Film Credits—

Directed by Greg McLean

Written by James Gunn

Starring: John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Melonie Diaz, Josh Brener & Michael Rooker

Rating | Length | Genre: R | 1h 29min | Action, Horror, Thriller

Distributed by Orion Pictures & BH Tilt