A One Mann’s Movies review of “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions” (2021).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
I only gave Adam Robitel’s original “Escape Room” two and a half stars. It was perhaps hoping for too much that his sequel – “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions” – would be better.
TIme to focus their train of thought on a new puzzle. (Source: Columbia Pictures).
Plot Summary:
Survivors of the first game Zoey (Taylor Russell) and Ben (Logan Miller) are struggling to come to terms with their experience. Zoey is getting psychiatric help. Both are frustrated that they have no evidence to help expose the shadowy betting organisation Minos behind the games. In following a clue to New York, they are sucked into a new game of survival. A game where their fellow game-players are themselves previous champions.
Oh they do like to be beside the seaside. Brianna (Indya Moore) reads a clue. Impressive sets for sure. (Source: Columbia Pictures).
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller.
Directed by: Adam Robitel.
Written by: Will Honley, Maria Melnik, Daniel Tuch and Oren Uziel. (From a story by Christine Lavaf and Fritz Böhm).
In a sea of mediocrity, Taylor Russell again impresses. (Source: Columbia Pictures).
“Escape Room: Tournament of Champions” Review:
Positives:
- As in the first film, Taylor Russell again stands out as a personable, attractive and convincing actress. She deserves a role in something a lot better.
- The production design on the “game sets” is certainly very impressive.
Zappp! (Source: Columbia Pictures).
Negatives:
- The fact that SIX people are down with writing credits for this astonishes me. The whole thing comes across as lazily plotted, with virtually no character development of the players. (Yes, even less than the first film.) You might think Nathan (Thomas Cocquerel) as an athletic priest might be an interesting character. I was expecting him at one point to channel the dramatic demise of Gene Hackman’s similar character in “The Poseidon Adventure”. But no. Nothing much is done with this.
- It’s a movie where the more you think about it afterwards, the less sense it makes. Some examples:
- People are dead, but then again – when inconvenient for the plot – dead no longer.
- There’s some bizarre “daughter kidnap” sub-plot at one point, but that’s never referred to again.
- Acid rain has no effect on a lock… until that is, the rainwater is captured and poured on the lock! Bonkers!
- There’s a tragic amount of inane running around and wailing that gets mentally tiresome. You can imagine this written in the script as “Now run down the corridor and adlib some ‘teenagers in peril’ noises“. (This is a best case guess: I’d hate to think that some of the “Quick!”s and “Hurreeeee!”‘s had actually been scripted).
Summary Thoughts on “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions”:
It’s tragically bad. A lame attempt to cash in on the bizarre $155M success of the first B-movie. Avoid.
Trailer:
The trailer for “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions” is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01FpO0UuULY .
