Surprise, excitement, and horror are my biggest intuitive feelings after watching this film. The ensuing question is, how did this film, with an investment of only 9 million U.S. dollars, not well-known from the production team to the cast, come out? And can we make such a work?
The story is simple and logical
As a movie fan, the first condition to impress my work is a good story that can stand. In recent years, there are too many movies that have turned over because of bad plot shit or logic failure. Regardless of whether you have a big star to support the field or a big money owner to invest money, the basic story is not well told, and the possibility of hitting the street later increases a lot.
The main line of "Escape Room" is very simple. Six strangers gathered in a certain building because of an invitation. They came here to participate in a room game, and those who successfully cleared the game will be rewarded with 10,000 US dollars. Of course, some of them are here for money, others are for excitement, some are secret room enthusiasts, and some are trying to overcome the timid self.
When they sat on the sofa waiting for others to explain the game details, they suddenly found that the door was locked. And the game officially starts now.......
Why is this a "Battle Royale" version of the escape room? Anyone who has played this type of game knows that you need to unlock one after another according to clues within a limited time until the final door is opened. There are also multiple themed rooms in this film, but the difference is that there are some fatal factors in each room, and those who can't escape will really die because of it.
Realistic scenes and shocking atmosphere
Since this movie itself has the shadow of a game, it must also have the elements that determine whether a game is fun- realism and immersion .
The Indian glasses brother among the six is an out-and-out secret room fan. It took a lot of thought to get a spot here. From the "Fire Chamber" to the "Ice Chamber", everyone else started to feel scared because the game was too real. Only he felt extremely excited.
When this snow forest first appeared, the fluttering snow and thick ice made people feel as if they had come to the outside world, but when he walked to the end of the room and touched the LED screen with his hand, he reminded everyone again. People, this is a real killing game.
When you arrive at the "Inverted Secret Chamber", you find that what you are stepping on is the ceiling of a billiard room, and everything is upside down. The slightly creepy female voice came out of the phone over and over again, and the ceiling would fall one by one with the sound of music, and the sense of horror reached its peak.
I want to draw a line to praise the art of the film. Although it is a small production and a small scene, it is very realistic. Of course everyone knows that the movie is fake, but isn't the most fascinating thing about it being that it is also true and illusion? Since it is a place for people to dream, it should be a dream that cannot be distinguished from true and false.
Accurate positioning, the audience buys it
Secret room games have been very popular in the past two years. Whether it is apps on mobile phones or offline entities, there are a large number of fans. The filming of games is also one of the trends in recent years. Except for those games with large IP fixed fans, I can hardly imagine another genre that is more suitable for filming than "Escape Room".
The film was released in North America on January 4 this year, and it also landed in other countries around the world. As of today, the global box office has exceeded 35 million, and cost recovery is no longer a problem. And seeing the end of the film, I also know that the next one is already planned. With the good results of this film, I can't think of a reason not to make a sequel.
So, how does a film whose main creator is unknown and attract the audience to enter? I think the first is precise market positioning. Thriller films have their own fixed audience, similar to horror films, but they have a higher acceptance than horror films; secondly, the stories that can be drawn, and the text derived from the game reduces the risk of this step a lot; again, Just make it conscientiously. Regardless of the publicity bulletins saying that you have invested XX billion in your films, is this money really spent on the blade, and you see the truth when you enter the theater.
In the past two years, the Chinese film market has gradually turned from "abnormal" to "normal", and it can no longer simply rely on traffic and large-scale productions to crudely harvest the box office. The taste or vision of the audience is getting better and better, and the gimmick can no longer deceive more people into the theater, and word-of-mouth can bring long-term benefits.
Finally, as a person who will go to the theater to report every weekend, this film is really worth the price. It is predicted that it will be the highest rated film released this week, and the box office will be left to the audience to choose. PS: Friends who dare not watch horror movies, it’s okay to watch this one boldly. There are no bloody scenes. I am really scared and can hold the hand of the neighbor. (Manual dog head)
View more about Escape Room reviews
