And an upside-down billiards room is only noteworthy because of its annoyingly malfunctioning jukebox (it plays only one song, loudly and frequently!) and rapidly collapsing ceiling, I mean floor. The oven-heated waiting room features dull clues, like an (apparently) unread copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and a barely full water-cooler, too. To be fair: the death trap set pieces are united by dumb-fun themes, like Tim Burton Room or Dirty Hospital Ward. You probably already know what’s going to happen to Ben and Zoey, but that also wouldn’t be a problem if the rest of “Escape Room” wasn’t so uninspired. And Taylor Russell’s withdrawn college student Zoey is exclusively defined by her exasperating savant-like behavior. Logan Miller-as the twitchy (but young!) alcoholic Ben-is maybe one of the least convincing Byronic teenage protagonists in a recent horror film. None of this would be so bad if the two least interesting performers and characters didn’t overshadow everyone else. Heck, even the characteristically charming Deborah Ann Woll-as the tough, capable war vet Amanda-is barely able to steal a single scene (you’ll know it when you see it). And Tyler Labine, in the role of the likeably clueless trucker Mike, barely does anything. Unfortunately, Nik Dodani and Jason Ellis-who respectively play clueless puzzle nerd Danny and hothead know-it-all Jason-are often loud and annoying. Still, that might be something you do while watching “Escape Room” given how threadbare the rest of the film is. If you’re like me, you probably don’t watch movies like “Escape Room” and “Saw” for their characters or performances. But then the suite’s door handle breaks, their disembodied host’s voice disappears (surprise: she was a recording!), and a powerful convection oven-style heater turns on. They follow her instructions and exchange introductory pleasantries. A woman’s voice tells them to wait to be seen. Six thrill-seekers pile into the waiting room of a non-descript Chicago office building. “Escape Room” also feels pretty schematic since very few plots twists serve to develop the film’s cipher-like characters. Sadly, “Escape Room” is only longer and more impersonal than what came before it. That wouldn’t be a problem if there were other major differences between “Escape Room” and the “Saw” sequels. But “Escape Room” is also anemic compared to the “Saw” movies, as you might imagine based on the film’s comparatively weak PG-13 rating. “Escape Room” has a handful of enjoyably bonkers moments, most of which involve nonsensical death traps.
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