'The Belko Experiment' Review

In The Belko Experiment, Belko Industries has established an international foothold and encourages many of their American employees to transfer to their foreign offices. One day, the office in Bogotá, Colombia becomes heavily fortified as the employees are locked inside and informed over the intercom that two workers must die in the next thirty minutes or grave consequences will follow.

The Belko Experiment is comparable to a sick mash-up of Battle Royale and Office Space or The Hunger Games within The Office's Dunder Mifflin establishment but unfortunately lacks the satirical wit and intrigue the aforementioned inspiration brought to the table. The Belko Experiment is directed by Greg McLean and written by Guardians of the Galaxy writer-director James Gunn but neither truly deliver in execution. McLean's direction is dull and uninspired while Gunn's screenplay doesn't offer enough character expansion or take them in remotely interesting directions. Ultimately, what drew me to check out The Belko Experiment was Gunn's involvement and the idea behind it all. 

The underlying concept has lots of potential but never measured up to be as twisted as I was expecting. Gunn's screenplay reasons through the situation as any normal person would by ensuring the employees consider all their alternatives before taking any course of action but the bloodbath doesn't ensue quite as I hoped. It should go without saying that The Belko Experiment is bloody bonkers but the "twists" are predictable and even the most grotesque of character demises felt conventional so the clichés undercut the film's cruel nature. 

For one, the script doesn't offer enough detail on the corresponding characters for the viewer to form any attachment before the staff are butchered. When someone dies, you won't care in the slightest. Secondly, the characters don't really change over the course of the story. Everyone stands firmly in place whether they be conflicted, set for slaughter, intent on hiding out, or prone on peace. The characters don't question the immorality of their actions if they decide to kill and persuasions for peace hardly scrape the surface of some interesting idealogical conflict. 

Gunn had an opportunity to lend some insightful social commentary had he gone the more satirically morbid route but instead everything's fairly straightforward. The ensemble amassed largely portray their characters as the thinly-sketched workspace stereotypes they're written out to be. John Gallagher Jr. portrays the everyman Mike, Adria Arjona's the other side of Mike's workplace romance as Leandra, Tony Goldwyn's the controlling boss, John C. McGinley's a creep, Melonie Diaz is the new girl, Sean Gunn is the conspiracy theorist, and Michael Rooker and David Dastmalchian are the mechanically inclined workmen. I could keep going but none of these characters serve a greater purpose than being pawns in a perverse turn of events and the actors portraying them don't lend anything beyond that. 

When it comes down to it, I can't quite recommend The Belko Experiment unless a sickening social experiment where violence occurs for the sake of violence sounds fun to you. The Belko Experiment is unabashedly brutal, so much so that it mutilated a fascinatingly disturbing premise.

Film Assessment: C-

'10 Cloverfield Lane' Review

In 10 Cloverfield Lane an aspiring fashion designer has a few quibbles with her fiancé and runs away. In her frantic getaway, she is involved in a car accident and awakens in a mysterious underground bunker and supposedly everyone above ground has been killed in an extinction level event. That's the setup for this claustrophobic sci-fi thriller.

10 Cloverfield Lane is very intriguing in the sense that the film remained a secret until about two months before it's release when a surprise trailer splashed online and began trending almost immediately. This was in large part because one of the biggest names associated with the project was the producer, J. J. Abrams, who also produced Cloverfield. J. J. Abrams was quite busy working on Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens and maintaining a secretive marketing campaign for that film as well so people were so concentrated on Star Wars that no-one had any idea this film was happening since it's fake production name gave no indication it would be related to Cloverfield and since a majority of the film takes place in a bunker it was quite easy to film in secret on a closed set. 

First of all, I think it should be clarified that 10 Cloverfield Lane isn't exactly either a sequel or spinoff to and it's very unclear as to how these films are connected, if they are connected at all although it has been labeled as a "blood relative". Therefore if you go into the film expecting a similar film to Cloverfield you will probably be disappointed, because this is first and foremost a suspenseful thriller and none of the film is shot in the found-footage perspective. 

First time director, Dan Trachtenberg, does a phenomenal job building suspense in the drawn-out scenes where character motives become increasingly more questionable and the viewer is drawn closer and closer to the edge of their seat. The suspenseful atmosphere is only amplified thanks to 10 Cloverfield Lane's chilling score written by Bear McCreary. This suspenseful atmosphere makes a perfect stage for the small cast that will knock your socks off. 

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is the more relatable character to the audience as Michelle. She embodies the every day person and her actions are similar to what any one else would do if they woke up handcuffed in an underground bunker. Winstead really stands out in her true moments of fear and terror which she conveys exceptionally well allowing for great juxtaposition with the other two cast members. John Gallagher Jr. is serviceable as Emmet, who came running to Howard and broke his arm trying to get inside the bunker. Emmet is primarily in the film to serve as a bit of comic relief to alleviate some of the tension brewing throughout the film. 

The real star however, is John Goodman. Goodman is exceptional as a twisted, complex character. Howard's very unpredictable and every move will raise some red flags with the other characters and the audience as they begin to question how much of what he says is actually the truth and Goodman owns the creepy vibe his character gives off and pays intricate attention to put every subtle detail in his performance that will leave the audience guessing. 

For those of you who are still skeptical about seeing 10 Cloverfield Lane, be aware that it's completely different from Cloverfield. Don't go in expecting Cloverfield 2 or you will be severely disappointed. If you liked the trailer or like suspenseful thrillers, 10 Cloverfield Lane is perfect for you. In summary, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a perfect matrimony between a exceptionally talented cast and fantastic first time director that manages to deliver a frightening, suspense thriller that will bring you to the edge of your seat.

Film Assessment: A-