“Escape Room: Tournament of Champions” is a psychological adventure thriller which is the sequel to the 2019 film. Directed by Adam Robitel, it stars Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Indya Moore, Holland Roden, Thomas Cocquerel, and Carlito Olivero.
The movie picks up right after the events of the first film, as we see Zoey (Russell) and Ben (Miller) in search for the person behind it all. However, they end up finding themselves in yet another series of escape rooms. This time, they share the dread with four new players, who themselves have played the game before as well.
Escape Room: Reloaded
The opening of “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions” is similar to that of the first. It immediately throws the audience into the game, reminding them what they’re in for. As it raises the tension for the viewers, the film takes them back out to present day to explain how the characters got to that point. As we follow the two survivors from the first film, Zoey and Ben, get tricked back into yet another escape room challenge; the film itrdocues new characters who have all also survived the game prior.
However, while the new cast featured the same diversity as the first film, as an audience member we don’t feel as attached to any of them or their story. This is a big deal because you don’t necessarily care if they get hurt or die. While “Escape Room” thrived on character development, this sequel had none for the newbies. And that’s a letdown, considering how great of actors Holland Roden and Indya Moore are.
Fortunately, the filmmakers give room to Zoey and Ben for growth and character development, both as individuals and as a duo. While Zoey exudes confidence in her search for loopholes and in the games, Ben demonstrates more helpfulness than he showed in the first film.
A Sequel That’s Inferior to Its Predecessor
The film’s music made each escape room even more intense than the actual room was without it, which I found made the experience better. Additionally, the graphics, directing, and editing all proved distracting to and interrupted the pace of the film. Unsurprisingly, this misstep made connecting to the new characters and the storylines even more difficult.
In the first film, the directing and editing were both cleaner and very different to the point that I expected it to be a different director and editors for this film. To my surprise, both films hired the same crew. The editing just seemed too quick, making it hard to take in each scene within each room properly. It was almost as if the filmmakers tried hard to distract the viewers’ eyes and not make them notice how low-budget the film actually was. Sadly, no matter what the reason was, the overall quality was very noticeable.
Escape Room on the Loop: A Possible Franchise Ahead?
“Escape Room: Tournament of Champions” packs a few twists that are unexpected, hoping to keep you curious and wanting for more. But of course, with these psychological thrillers, they’re going to give a little then keep stringing viewers along. The film even leaves us with many more questions and a cliffhanger that signals we’ll be seeing these characters again.
Overall, the film is okay at best; however, it did not live up to the expectations its predecessor set. Zoey and Ben are a great duo, though, and I love seeing how their characters grew from strangers to close friends throughout the films. If the film would have given us more of an emotional attachment or insight to the new cast members and slowed down the pacing of the editing, I feel like the film could have packed a stronger punch.
