Movie Review: Escape Room: Tournament of Champions

credit: Escape Room

As if the first movie wasn’t enough to keep a person’s pulse pounding, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions proved to be another trip into the twisted world of the strange but intricate world designed to torture a group of individuals into thinking outside the box. As far as sequels go, it didn’t feel as if there were a lot of expectations when it came to this movie, but it’s easy to be thankful that this movie did push the envelope again in terms of making people wonder who it is was going to go next. There were a few surprises in this movie, which could be why it’s easier not to relegate it directly to the dusty old shelves. It was enough to make people think and to make them wonder what was coming next, even if it wasn’t quite the thrill ride that the first movie was. Such a thing wasn’t bound to be expected, in all honesty, since sequels usually don’t live up to the original. Thankfully some sequels can stand on their own if they need to, with only a minor amount of help. 

credit: Escape Room

The opening isn’t all that exciting, but it does lead to a compelling story.

 The movie takes a little bit to get into, but once it gets going and the traps are sprung, it’s easy to enjoy the ride since it becomes a great deal like the first movie since the idea that these contestants have all survived one Escape Room before this movie is interesting. Still, it’s also indicative of how truly established the group that sits behind the scenes is that they can create such elaborate rooms anywhere they need to. Going underground this time was a stroke of genius since not only is it well away from prying eyes like a regular building, but it also serves to disorient people. When the characters find themselves stuck on a subway car that’s been electrified and carefully modified to give them a way out, it’s not too surprising that at least one of them wouldn’t move past the first stage as one of the contestants grips a metal pole and is electrocuted before he can be saved. Things get worse as they go along, but once they start, one can easily guess that the movie is about to pick up. 

Each trap feels a little more deadly than in the first movie. 

The rooms that the contestants are forced to go through in this movie feel a little more elaborate in a technical way than in the first movie, which is kind of expected. But the fact is that the severity of these traps does feel as though the company behind the traps managed to step it up. If anyone remembers, the flight simulator that was shown makes it clear that the company is constantly thinking of ways to trap people and to make it clear that there is always a way out, insofar as it means that the contestants will be put through their paces with one trap after another. The trick is that the traps don’t end unless the contestants find a way to outsmart the people that are designing the traps, and this proves to be nearly impossible since it’s more than one person behind the scenes, and defeating the combined efforts of a company that’s been at this for a while was bound to be daunting, and even impossible. 

credit: Escape Room

The movie’s twist was interesting, but it didn’t feel like it went far enough

A lot of people might argue with me simply because the movie ended in a way that makes it feel like there should be another sequel. Still, it also made things feel kind of final since the scenario in which the two survivors were left appeared to be less than survivable. But then again, these two have been through a couple of death-defying scenarios, so it’s fair to assume that they might find their way out again unless there wasn’t meant to be a way out this time. The initial twist that one of the people thought dead from the first movie reappears at one point was interesting, but it also felt like a hopeless ploy that wasn’t bound to work. 

If there is another sequel, there’s a lot of work to be done

Trying to match or top this movie feels like it’s possible, but there’s a good chance that it might not happen since there don’t appear to be a lot of calls for such a thing to happen. Both the original and the sequel have been fun, but one has to wonder how much further it can go before it becomes another idea that’s worn out. 

A third Escape Room movie would have to be off the charts.