Review of Green Room (2016) by Ben B — 22 Dec 2016

Green Room was written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier and is a slasher film about a failing punk band including Anton Yelchin (Star Trek), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), and Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders). A chance gig finds them in a Neo-Nazi bar in Portland. After witnessing a murder, the band is held captive by the club owner (Sir Patrick Stewart) and must escape before ending up dead.

This movie has been building up a following since its limited theatrical release, with people gushing over a villainous role for Stewart. After watching it, I'm confused by all the hype. While the premise is new and intriguing with the Neo-Nazi subplot, Green Room ends up being nothing more than another cliche slasher movie. Similar to Don't Breathe, the protagonists in this movie are really unlikable characters, and this doesn't change throughout the course of the movie. There just aren't any character arcs that one would expect from going through such a traumatic experience. The violent scenes were well-done and effective, but that's really about it. Patrick Stewart didn't do much besides stand around telling other people to get to work. What could have been a horrifying antagonist was really tame, disappointing me further.

In the end, Green Room is well put together with a premise oozing with potential, but its lackluster characters and overall story fall short. Don't waste your 90 minutes on this one, folks.

Final grade: C-.

-Ben.