The Belko Experiment (2016) Reviews

• Fun at first, ultimately a waste of time...

  aserpentperplexed2017-03-26

  The set up for the movie had a somewhat interesting concept at its core: what do people do when they are trapped in a situation where the only way out is to kill others? Not a completely original idea, but it has some potential to be thought provoking if there is some kind of message it is trying to send, or some aspect of society it is trying to satirize. The resulting bloodbath is well executed, if you are into seeing office workers murder each other. I can't tell if the movie has a messed up sense of humor, or if a few people in the theater with me just thought some of the deaths were so ridiculous it was funny. Personally I never found any of the deaths over the top ENOUGH to truly find them funny, so the other people's laughter just kind of made me uncomfortable... After the bloodbath ends though, ultimately there was nothing there, no deep thoughts, no important message, no point at all really. The closest thing I can up with for meaning in the movie is that in the end, they basically admit there was no real reason for the experiment to be conducted, and so conducting cruel experiments without a purpose is a bad thing? But that seems obvious, right? When chaos ensues, different people react in different ways. It's sort of like the Walking Dead in that sense, but the Walking Dead has time to develop its themes and characters long enough for you to extract some meaning. In a way, the pointlessness of the experiment and the killing is reflected in the pointlessness of the movie itself. I don't know if that's kind of meta, or just a waste of time, but yeah, if you skip this movie, you won't be missing much except seeing a lot of talented actors who always play supporting roles murder each other in the center stage. If you want to see John Ghallager Jr in something better, watch Hush, or The Newsroom. If you want to see Meryl from the Walking Dead, watch The Walking Dead. If you want to see the ideas this movie brings up actually addressed in a thought provoking way, maybe try the Hunger Games, or Battle Royale. This was a fun little film that ultimately means very little.

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• A movie that's been done 100 times, but passes the time adequately.

  horrorinpureform2016-09-12

  Eighty American workers in Bogota get locked inside their office building and an announcement over the intercom gives them half an hour to kill any two of the employees. When they don't comply, the rules are amped up, and an American Battle Royale (down to the 'collars') ensues. The Belko Experiment managed to accomplish the difficult feat of never being boring, not even for a minute. It takes almost no time getting going, and at any given moment it is either action packed, or taking a break from action and descending into dark humour. Both of these were well-executed, with one particularly memorable action piece (the end of round 2, so pretty), and a spattering of interesting side characters, a lot of them hilarious in either attitude or demeanor. With that, it managed to entertain throughout, making it worth seeing. However, where it fails is originality. The Battle Royale formula has been done time and time again, and here we get the straightest form of it, with zero deviation from the norm and zero unique perspective. Where a movie like Circle tries to infuse some kind of basic examinations of social themes, here there is no higher level to the killings. And for this, the movie never once surprises with a thought or an event. The characters are just shells of people; the bad guys are caricatures of evil, the protagonists of good. There is never ambiguity of character, in a movie where so much moral ambiguity should be present due to the situation. So from minute one you know exactly who will be a villain and who will be a hero, and the end game is obvious from the start. It's a waiting game for the movie to arrive where you know it is going, which makes it very unsatisfying once the action is over.

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• Worth of watching it

  vladimirlisovets2017-09-06

  Not the best, not the worst. Has it's potential and million of possible outcomes and story lines. Some say it lack of originality and creative work, however, it was only one of the possible outcomes , either way, it seemed realistic, without bullshit inventions to make it, like many say, "creative". It is interesting, yet, I dunno why people expect to watch a new version of matrix, fight club, either any other possible classic. Sure the scenario is familiar, nothing new, neither old, just a new story exactly what a movie could give us.

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• Serviceable Film, But Could've Been Better

  themovieparadise2017-03-22

  The strongest part of this film is its premise. It's really fantastic. There is so much possibility for this fun, satirical look at what people will do in certain situations. The film is really filled to the brim with brilliant possibilities. But for the most part, they remain just possibilities. I do think this is a really good script. However, I don't think the execution of this screenplay was as good as if could've been. The characters making decisions and breaking off into groups could have been fascinating and riveting, but it didn't reach the level it should have. The actual streaks of killing could have been so cool to watch, but it comes off as kind of dull. Where the action could have been really inventive and insane, in a Kingsman: The Secret Service kind of way, it ends up being rather rudimentary and bland. There isn't nearly as much electricity or excitement in this film as it deserved to have...

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• An Interesting Idea Executed In An Uninteresting Fashion

  CinemaClown2017-06-12

  Stuffed with characters you just don't give a damn about, and smearing the office floor with blood & corpses that keep on piling as plot progresses, The Belko Experiment teases with an interesting idea but it's executed in such an uninteresting fashion that it finishes as yet another forgettable example of its kind. The Belko Experiment unfolds in a remote office building where all its employees find themselves trapped in the edifice once day and are forced to participate in a sadistic game of "kill or be killed" by an unknown voice on the company's intercom, eventually realising it to be a social experiment they never signed up for. Written by James Gunn & directed by Greg McLean, the film sets its premise quickly, introducing its relevant characters in a hurried manner, and once bodies begin to go down, it never stops until the very end. The concept, although unoriginal, isn't entirely terrible but its translation on the film canvas is, for nothing about it stands out. Characters are mere caricatures, a romantic subplot is unnecessarily added, dialogues are terrible, and although it doesn't hold back on violence & gore, it doesn't leave much of an impression in the end, for neither the plot nor the characters are compelling. Performances aren't any good either as the cast has nothing in script to build their work upon. On an overall scale, The Belko Experiment is an incompetently directed, shoddily written & poorly performed horror, and is never for once intriguing. It is one of those movies that are forgotten the moment they end, and sitting through it isn't a breeze either. Dull, uninspiring & laughable, it is a failed experiment that brings nothing new to the table but may still fascinate those who don't mind the lack of a sturdy plot as long as they get their required dose of on-screen barbarity.

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