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The Belko Experiment takes the idea of going postal to the next level but, like the phrase, you’ll be left more with memories of the violence than the story behind the violence.
Trigger Warning(s): Caved in heads
Characters & Storyline
It seemed like any ordinary day. However, the security company seemingly got swapped and now they had guns. Also, some people were turned home for some reason. Well, you work for a strange company so strange things happen right? Especially when they put trackers into your head just so they can find you if you get kidnapped. Perhaps there was some incident, right? After all, they are in Bogota, Colombia.
Wrong. It is a social experiment with a very simple idea. Either you kill your co-workers or the tracker which was supposed to keep you safe, it’ll explode. The experiment is only going to last through one whole work day and there are no promises that all those employed will survive. You may clock in now.
Highlights
It’s Is Pleasantly Violent
Excuse what will surely sound twisted, but the one thing this movie does well is its gore. In many ways, it brings a similar type of blood and mangled looking bodies you’d see in SaW, just without the torture being involved. Do you like seeing people’s skulls blow up or them being beaten in with an ax? How about as much blood splatter as you expect from a Quentin Tarintino movie? What about dumbasses who could have lived if they just stayed in their hiding spots? Yet, because they are so stupid, you low key feel they deserved to be killed off? Well, this movie is for you.
Criticism
It Sets Up A Sequel
Being that when I saw this it was a Friday night and a nearly empty theater, and I don’t live in the shticks, I think it is safe to say this won’t be any sort of competition for Beauty and the Beast. With that said, unfortunately, it seems the experiment we witness is just part of a larger one and we only saw phase 1. But believe me when I say that when this movie ends, you will have no interest in phase 2.
On The Fence
It’s All About Personality and Not So Much Development
Reason being, while each character has a strong personality, ranging from crazy to authoritative, sassy Black girl to sassy gay guy, there isn’t much depth to anyone. Hence why, in this whole review, no one’s name is mentioned. For really, all you are given is bland archetypes. Ones which, I should note, Tony Goldwyn and John C. McGinley play up to the point they seem wasted on this movie. Yet, as much as they present the bosses who care more about their lives and safety, and to a point their ego, more than their employees, they don’t save this film.
Overall: Negative (Skip It)
The film isn’t horrible but it’s just overburdened by its own concept. The idea of some sort of social scientists terrorist forcing people to kill each other for an unfiltered view and understanding of the human psyche was executed in such a ridiculous way. Especially since the movie is supposed to take place over the course of one work day and a lot of people are quickly killed indiscriminately. Add on that no one killed is someone you felt like you got to know and thus want to root for and it only leaves the violence. Of which, to be honest, if you are the type of person who likes gore in the form of heads being blown off or something twisted enough that it deserves side eye? Well, this will barely feel like an appetizer to you. This would be the type of film you show your 12 your old sibling to see if they may share the same taste as you but without getting them traumatized.
Hence the negative label. The main, if not sole, selling point here is the violence. Violence which may make you flinch once or twice, but for those who love horror films like SaW or even foreign ones like Martyrs, this won’t set any new standard for you. Then for those who likes some sort of story or depth in their horror, like Get Out or Let The Right One In, this has nothing for you on that side either. Thus leaving you with a film which seems like the passion project James Gunn got to produce solely because of how well Guardians of the Galaxy did.
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