Review of The Belko Experiment (2017) by Joshua B — 19 May 2017

A fun film that serves its purpose, but for nothing more.

In a twisted social experiment, a group of 80 Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogota, Colombia and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company's intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed.

Going into this movie, I had low, if any real expectations. I think that if you go into this film knowing exactly what you're going to get. "The Belko Experiment" is a fun and thrilling film with no real substance and no real story. There's nothing surprising about this film, nor was there anything unique, but it was fun while it lasted.

The acting in this movie, unlike most Grade-B films, was actually pretty good. John Gallagher Jr. did a great job as the lead and put on a solid performance. I think he carried his weight as a protagonist and his character was simple. Everyone all the way down to Michael Rooker put up solid performances, and there were actually some emotional parts between characters. When you have a film that lacks strong character development, it's important that the actors are good enough to keep you engaged with the characters.

The story was lackluster, almost non existent. The plot moves along with simple narration and explanations, leaving no real mystery or fun behind the scenes. The story is simple and although they tried to reach for a much bigger message and spectrum, they never really got there. This is one of those films that puts humanity under a microscope and how they'll act when put in certain situations, but it was nothing new.

It seemed as if James Gunn and Greg McLean never really knew what they wanted this film to be. At times, this film was a comedy, and I actually chuckled at a few parts. At other times, this film was a dark thriller. It was accompanied by some emotional moments and some thrilling moments. Other times, it tried to throw gore at you, which also felt forced and ineffective. I think if this movie had a more central tone, it would've been a lot better.

For a small movie production, this ain't too shabby. It's a fun film, nothing more, nothing less. Don't expect too much out of this and I think you'll enjoy watching "The Belko Experiment".