The Belko Experiment (2016)

The Belko Experiment is a messed up film and it's wildly entertaining.

The Belko Experiment is an indie film that's essentially about a office building that gets shut down and the people inside are forced to kill each other.

Here's the good.

The story in this movie keeps you on the edge of your seat practically the whole run time of the movie. It's a physiological horror film that really asks the audience, "What would you do in this situation?". I was lucky enough to be at a screening of the film with writer/producer James Gunn and the director Greg McLean and most of the cast. They talked a lot about how there was no villain in this movie, which is something I loved. The people in this movie were all acting for themselves, doing what they need to do for their family or for survival. The story in the beginning and the middle is very interesting and will keep the audience entertained well after the movie is over.

The acting in this movie is, for the most part, believable and good. Tony Goldwyn, John Gallagher Jr., and Sean Gunn were the standouts of this movie. Tony was terrifying, and just as he talked about during the Q and A at the screening, his character wasn't a villain. His character was doing what he had to do to make sure he could come home to his family again, even if is terrible. John Gallagher Jr. does a fantastic job as the main character. He displays a wide variety of emotions perfectly and pulls off a really really good performance, surpassing his acting in 12 Cloverfield Lane. The real standout of this movie is Sean Gunn who did a fantastic job with his character. He has some of the best and most memorable lines in the whole film. It's amazing to see how far Sean Gunn has gone in his acting ability when compared to his role in James Gunn's Super. Everyone in the movie, including the extras, pulled off great performances.

The technical parts of this movie are very well done. I have tons of respect for this movie's use of practical effects which added a lot of horror to the movie's tone. The cinematography in this movie was impressive, keeping a lot of shots close to give off a claustrophobic feeling. The lighting in this movie is used perfectly. Towards the latter half of the movie, many action sequences were lit uniquely. A action scene lit by a neon light and fire or a flickering light, whatever the case, it built the suspense.

Here's the bad.

The ending of this film is different. It didn't really set up the ending all that well and left the audience wanting something a bit more. It didn't ruin the fun of the movie but with a better ending it could have been a lot better. For a movie to be great it needs to have an ending that leaves the audience satisfied and this movie has trouble doing that.

Overall, The Belko Experiment is a thrill ride. When the action and horror and suspense hits, it hits hard. The acting from everyone is entertaining and believable, many performances being especially good. The lighting and cinematography add a lot to the overall tone of the film which makes it a lot more effective. While the ending leaves you wanting more, you'll still be thinking about this movie for days to come.

Fmovies: The concept of director Greg McLean and producer/writer James Gunn's THE BELKO EXPERIMENT won't seem overly original to those who've seen BATTLE ROYALE or really any movie in which people are forced to hunt or kill folks they know and like, but in Gunn's hands it's a whole lot more fun: office workers for a Bogota-based non-profit are trapped in their shiny office tower and told by a mysterious intercom voice that they've got to murder a certain number of their own before a pre-determined deadline or double that number will be killed via the company's "alternate method". To prove the seriousness of the situation, several employees' heads are suddenly ripped open by a mysterious force. After several attempts at teamwork to devise methods of contacting the outside world result in even more bodies as punishment, some of the (literally) more mercenary members of the management team decide that the voice sort of has a point, and set about liberating several handguns from a downstairs vault, not long after other sluggos have raided the cafeteria of its sharpest utensils.

Not surprisingly, Gunn's script establishes a firm balance between action, horror and organic comedy -- bother Sean gets some of the biggest laughs as the corporation's resident stoner and conspiracy theorist, who leads his own little squadron of three for much of the film -- and he and McLean have assembled a such a strong, fan-friendly cast of familiar heavies (Michael Rooker! Tony Goldwyn! Gregg Henry! John C. McGinley!), lesser-knowns and newcomers to play this likable, believable group of office drones that they're able to smartly subvert expectations on a number of occasions.

The body count is extremely high -- most of them on screen -- and the blood and gore is plentiful and extremely well-crafted, but it wisely isn't lingered on and there's no off-putting, drawn-out torture scenes to speak of. Mind you, a few of the most audience-pleasing kills are exceptionally squishy, so I could see this eventually hitting DVD and streaming in R and unrated versions. The TIFF audience saw the unrated version for sure last night, so plenty of cheers all around when some of the most devious players met their makers.

This is a great "what would you do" kind of show, and I'd imagine a lot of genre fans will get a huge kick out of it.

I'd been looking forward to The Belko Experiment since the moment I saw the trailer, it looked like it was going to tap into a sub-genre I love and the addition of the always excellent John C. McGinley really appealed.

The time came around to watch it and as the credits rolled I was left more than a little disappointed. But why?

It tells the story of an office block that goes on a lockdown, a mysterious booming voice barks orders at them that they must kill each other off in a sick social experiment. As you can imagine people react differently, and a blood bath ensues.

Also starring career villain Tony "Ghost" Goldwyn, Josh Brener, Michael Rooker and Gregg Henry this James "Guardians of the Galaxy" Gunn written movie is a bloody battle royale type but just doesn't seem to accomplish in its goals.

It has little character development, the lack of flow becomes very noticeable around the halfway mark and at no point did I find myself really able to care about these peoples plight.

I went into The Belko Experiment with high expectations, maybe that damaged the film for me? Regardless it's a watchable effort but certainly feels like a missed opportunity at something greater. For some reason I was left feeling that the film would have made for a better black comedy, but I'll guess we'll never know.

The Good:

Great concept

Strong social commentary

Quite a good finale

The Bad:

Doesn't flow all to well

Simply doesn't meet its potential

The Belko Experiment fmovies. Stuffed with characters you just don't give a damn about, and smearing the office floor with blood & corpses that keep on piling as plot progresses, The Belko Experiment teases with an interesting idea but it's executed in such an uninteresting fashion that it finishes as yet another forgettable example of its kind.

The Belko Experiment unfolds in a remote office building where all its employees find themselves trapped in the edifice once day and are forced to participate in a sadistic game of "kill or be killed" by an unknown voice on the company's intercom, eventually realising it to be a social experiment they never signed up for.

Written by James Gunn & directed by Greg McLean, the film sets its premise quickly, introducing its relevant characters in a hurried manner, and once bodies begin to go down, it never stops until the very end. The concept, although unoriginal, isn't entirely terrible but its translation on the film canvas is, for nothing about it stands out.

Characters are mere caricatures, a romantic subplot is unnecessarily added, dialogues are terrible, and although it doesn't hold back on violence & gore, it doesn't leave much of an impression in the end, for neither the plot nor the characters are compelling. Performances aren't any good either as the cast has nothing in script to build their work upon.

On an overall scale, The Belko Experiment is an incompetently directed, shoddily written & poorly performed horror, and is never for once intriguing. It is one of those movies that are forgotten the moment they end, and sitting through it isn't a breeze either. Dull, uninspiring & laughable, it is a failed experiment that brings nothing new to the table but may still fascinate those who don't mind the lack of a sturdy plot as long as they get their required dose of on-screen barbarity.

You know the story. Heads explode, people are stabbed, sliced, and shot. I'd rather see 'Final Destination' type creativity with this sub- genre.

It's decent enough to watch. Nothing to rush out and see right away, though.

Gore without creativity no longer amuses me. It once did. But I'm a grow ass man, now.

Please hit the "this review was not helpful" button. I love that. I try to give an honest opinion about a film and people are going to hate on it. It is what it is. But, this movie was mediocre at best.

The strongest part of this film is its premise. It's really fantastic. There is so much possibility for this fun, satirical look at what people will do in certain situations. The film is really filled to the brim with brilliant possibilities. But for the most part, they remain just possibilities. I do think this is a really good script. However, I don't think the execution of this screenplay was as good as if could've been. The characters making decisions and breaking off into groups could have been fascinating and riveting, but it didn't reach the level it should have. The actual streaks of killing could have been so cool to watch, but it comes off as kind of dull. Where the action could have been really inventive and insane, in a Kingsman: The Secret Service kind of way, it ends up being rather rudimentary and bland. There isn't nearly as much electricity or excitement in this film as it deserved to have...