Escape Room: Tournament of Champions movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: Escape Room Tournament of Champions

This psychological action thriller is available in theaters and some VOD platforms on July 16, 2021.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 28 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

This is the sequel to the first Escape Room, which was a movie I thought was pretty fresh and fun. If you saw and liked the first movie, you’ll probably like this one, although I think it’s inferior in many ways.

In this installment in the franchise, six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, quickly uncovering the fact that they are all survivors of other escape room games. Joining forces with two of the original survivors, they get killed off one at a time until… The movie is directed by Adam Robitel.

THINGS I LIKED:

The introduction of the film shows clips from the first Escape Room movie that was released in 2019 to remind you of what happened and who survived. The film picks up a short time after the first movie.
It starts off pretty slowly. Nothing much happens until about 20 minutes into the movie.
If you love solving puzzles and mysteries, you’ll probably get a kick out of this movie.
The first film was marketed as a horror, but this one is much less gruesome than the original.
The cast includes Taylor Russell and Logan Miller from the first movie, as well as new additions Indya Moore, Holland Roden, Isabelle Fuhrman, Carlito Olivero, and Thomas Cocquerel.
It’s suspenseful and you feel some tension with almost non-stop action.
The movie flies by quickly.
There’s a twist. I love twists.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It helps to have seen the first movie to understand more about the two main characters and the villains.
Sadly, there is no character arc at all, so the movie seems pointless.
Soooo much overacting and screaming.
None of the new characters are very appealing or even interesting. We just don’t learn anything about them so it makes it really hard to care whether they live or die. I don’t want to give away any spoilers…but I was really happy when the first person died because “they” were easily my least favorite.
Sometimes it’s hard to understand what everyone’s saying because they’re either yelling or mumbling.
It would have been way better if each of the characters had a special set of skills that would force them all to listen to one another and help. Instead, they often just yell, “Listen to her!” referring to Zoey Davis (played by Taylor Russell) who is the smartest person in the rooms every time and solves everything.
The clues fly fast and furiously. In fact, people figure out clues so fast and race off to the next one before you’ve even had the satisfaction of mulling it over in your brain to feel smarter than the characters.
The action scenes where all of the characters are screaming and running around are just too frenzied.
There really isn’t any plot. There’s nothing that really propels the story forward. There’s no big payoff that leaves the audience satisfied.
Terrible dialogue.
The musical score is mostly annoying with pounding sounds and screeches.
Some of the clues and details make no sense at all. One example is a scene when there is acid rain melting metal and everything in its path, but for some reason, an umbrella is able to protect one of the characters.
The villain is faceless, which could be fun, but it’s also just annoying.
Yep, the movie ends with a tease for ANOTHER sequel. Is that something you want?
Unfortunately, the movie is extremely forgettable. There were no stand-out moments that made me excited to watch them again.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

People die and are in perilous situations.
1 F-bomb
One of the characters is a scumbag thief

THEMES:

Choices
Friendship
Loyalty
Wit
Yep, it’s another female empowerment movie!

LAME LINES:

“It’s just the last few weeks, I’ve really enjoyed not dying.” – Ben Miller (Logan Miller)
“There has to be a connection!” – Zoey Davis (Taylor Russell)
“I’m not going to make it!” – Ben Miller (Logan Miller)
“No no no no no.” – Brianna (Indya Moore)
“Hurry!” – Rachel (Holland Roden)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Your truth is your truth.” – Therapist (Lucy Newman-Williams)
“Everything you see reinforces your existing beliefs, creating an endless loop.” – Therapist (Lucy Newman-Williams)