Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
SONYThe initial conclusion of the yearly run of the Saw films back in 2010 with Saw 3D: The Final Chapter signalled the apparent end of the so-called “torture porn” subgenre – where victims are forced to sacrifice their bodies in favour of escaping deadly traps – to give way to the then-popular found-footage style of horror filmmaking. However, there was clearly still a desire for those types of movies, and at the tail end of the 2010s, Escape Room was released, grossing a surprising $155 million on a mere $9 million budget without an enthusiastic response from critics and audiences alike.
A sequel was fast-tracked into production, originally scheduled to come out in April 2020, but postponed well over a year due to the pandemic. While that may have been a negative omen of the potential quality of the film, making this a theatrical-only experience was ultimately beneficial. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions takes everything that worked in the original and improves on it tenfold. While the “escape rooms” fad has died down a bit, these two movies by director Adam Robitel bring a more accessible and cerebral twist to the Saw formula: a group of people is stuck in a series of increasingly more complex escape rooms where they must band together to find the solutions to escape certain death. No gory kills or painful physical torture, only lateral and clever thinking can save them.
The 2019 film went a bit overboard with some of the traps and the consequent overblown spectacle, ending on an underwhelming twist that lacked much weight. In Tournament of Champions, the interest lies in exploring the returning characters of Zoey Davis and Ben Miller, played by Taylor Russell and Logan Miller respectively. Their chemistry and relationship are the heart and soul of the movie, and Russell once again proves herself to be among the most talented young actors of her age, with expressive eyes and earnest emotions that make for a deeply grounded and empathetic central performance to follow. Miller helps add some much-needed comic relief, though thankfully the writing avoids turning him into a farcical character. The other four “challengers” – played by Indya Moore, Holland Roden, Thomas Cocquerel, and Carlito Olivero – do a fine job, and every role plays into the overarching theme of conquering one’s past trauma since all of them are survivors of previous challenges – hence the title Tournament of Champions.
The true attraction of the film are the escape rooms; this time around, they are bigger, deadlier, but pleasantly cleverer as well. Each location is complex and visually unique, once again courtesy of production designer Edward Thomas. The lack of frantic editing and an emphasis on clear camerawork that properly establishes the geometry of every place helps in immersing the audience into the shoes of their characters, balancing a tightrope act where both viewers and players are never one step ahead of one another. It makes for a great time at the movies, creating a palpable sense of tension and excitement in the room that would have been lost completely if watched at home.
While some have criticised these films for their silliness and convoluted mechanics, there is no denying that Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is a blast. Viewers who are unfamiliar with the original get a helpful recap right at the beginning, and the focus on deadly traps that require brain rather than brawn make for an experience that is likely to engage those who usually dislike horror-thrillers. With this entry, Adam Robitel has officially created a franchise that improves upon what James Wan and Leigh Whannell did back in 2004. Hopefully this whole narrative is wrapped up in a tight little trilogy, instead of dragging on for another 7 years.