Director: Adam Robitel
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Duration: 88 minutes
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (VOD) – Movie Review
Back in 2019, we saw the first Escape Room movie, which actually pleasantly surprised us. The movie revolved around the very popular concept of escape rooms, albeit with a homicidal twist. Those entering the escape room were unaware they were playing a game of life and death, with only one person supposed to make it out alive. We very much enjoyed the concept, and the ending of the first movie also hinted at a possible sequel. Now, here we are, taking a closer look at Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. If you have not watched the original yet, be warned, this new movie is a direct sequel to the events of the first film.
The sequel keeps things simple for its story. We get to follow Zoey (Taylor Russell) and Ben (Logan Miller) in their attempt to expose Minos Corporation for murdering people in their ‘escape room’ games. The duo seemingly has the base of operations of the foul organization tracked down, only for them to notice it’s all a ploy to have them participate in the next escape room. Sadly, Zoey and Ben only notice this when the game is already in session, and thus they have no choice other than to fight for their survival once again. Things become even more bizarre when they realize all their fellow players are also survivors of previous escape rooms hosted by Minos Corporation.
The flow is somewhat what you’d expect from a movie such as this. Given that the film is only 88 minutes long, you’ll get a very short introduction that revolves around the events of the first film, to immediately dive into the action-packed portion of the movie: the new escape room. These escape rooms have you speculate on the solution, but more than often there are many things going on at once, making sure you’re at the edge of your seat at all times. We could even go as far as to warrant a second watch of the movie, simply to see if you can spot different solutions, safe places, and so on. Even though the ending was perhaps a bit too predictable (if you paid attention throughout the film), the movie was otherwise very well-crafted.
Even though a lot of new faces join the cast of this new Escape Room film, it’s still very much about the two survivors of the original movie. Taylor Russell and Logan Miller once again have to work together to survive what awaits them. Both cast members are very comfortable in their roles and it feels as if they just shot this movie right after the first one was done. The new supporting cast members, some more known than others, also do a great job at bringing this movie to life.
Sadly, as we viewed the VOD version of the movie, we weren’t able to view any possible extras that may come with a physical edition. We do hope that a DVD or Blu-ray edition comes with several commentaries concerning the new room designs, as well as how certain effects were pulled off. Other than that, most of the movie is self-explanatory and requires no further input. A gag reel and deleted scenes would also be appreciated.
Conclusion
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions was a very good sequel to what was already an interesting new concept in the horror genre. We do feel that certain parts of the movie may have been a bit too predictable and we fear that the franchise is going to be milked dry. Nonetheless, if you enjoyed the first movie, you’ll have a blast with this one. We do hope a third movie gets released, hopefully ending the series with a solid trilogy formula, making sure the series doesn’t overstay its welcome. That being said, this one is great to watch when in the mood for a daily dose of horror.
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (VOD) - Movie Review,
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