Inside The Box: Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021) - Reviewed

images courtesy Sony Pictures

Director Adam Robitel returns with a sequel to 2019's unexpected box office success, Escape Room. 

After his cult horror hit The Taking of Deborah Logan proved his mettle as a creative head, he was handed the keys to his first major studio motion picture series. His original Escape Room made over $150 million worldwide against a meager budget of only $9 million. Sony Pictures was surely not going to miss out on a small budgeted sequel that would repeat their success. It appears they made the right decision. Escape Room 2 is a worthy follow up that continues the story by adding more building blocks and a team of new characters. 

Picking up just a little bit after the first movie, two of the original stars return for another series of horrific escape rooms that test their patience and the will to survive at all costs. As a PG-13 horror flick, Robitel, the writers and his cast do their damnedest to make sure their audience has a good time in the theater minus overzealous gore and too much visual bloodshed that would push this ride into R rated territory. Treading the fine line between thriller, horror and claustrophobic nightmare fuel, Robitel definitely feels at home as he expands on this modern underworld mythology that sees a criminal organization plan the capture of returning Escape Room champions in another round of their game.

 

While Tournament of Champions definitely retreads many of the same plot points as the first, it adds a ton to the story devices of this self contained horror franchise. The vicious Minos organization and their series of deadly escape rooms are set up for obvious sequels and further expansion in this second outing. We're convinced this will be a trilogy. And it honestly needs a third movie to close out the franchise while they can still do it creatively and without becoming far too repetitive or altogether silly. 

Like the previous movie, Escape Room 2 has defined markers and the influences of Saw, Hostel, and various other horror franchises. However, the writers behind these movies have done something extremely smart. They've decidedly made us care about the central character Zoey, played by Taylor Russell. She's never given too much to chew on, but her leadership and demanding on screen presence carries these movies beyond their (sometimes) lackluster creative material. Taylor brings that final girl charisma to her character without ever feeling forced. She levels the playing field by being a strong female character battling against an unseen evil while she remains an everyday person that just wants to survive the night while she also attempts to save all those around her. 

If you're a fan of the original movie, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions will be right up your alley. This is a suggested viewing for those that enjoy both Robitel's directorial work and franchised horror in general.

-CG