X gêmu

"X Game" ("X Gêmu") could have been much more than it turned out to be. Why? Well, the movie had a tendency to drag on in long scenes that could have been shortened down by some more inventive editing. Plus, the storyline was fairly weak.

If you want to make a torture movie like this, and don't plan to play on a solid storyline, then at least make sure you have some cruel and grotesque torture scenes that will make the audience squirm, and not just some half-hearted attempts to do so. Which was sadly, what director Yôhei Fukuda had done here with "X Game". "X Game" seems like a light version and more audience-friendly version of the "Saw" movies.

The movie takes place mostly in a classroom with only four characters there along with two hooded wardens. As such, there was a lot resting on the shoulders of these four, and ultimately they didn't really manage to pull it off. It wasn't because of their particular performance, but because the movie was suffering from a bad script and storyline.

However, compared to the Japanese movie in the same genre, "DeathTube", then "X Game" fared much better. Both movies aren't particularly memorable or noteworthy, though.

And there were some awful errors in the movie. The worst one was the animations on the TV. How could the person behind the whole act possibly know which number of punishment was on the piece of paper drawn by one of the four contestants without showing it to the camera? But still, miraculously, the person knew and could play the appropriate animation on the TV. It was just ridiculous.

For a Japanese horror movie, then "X Game" is a low ranking entry to the genre, and compared to many other heavy-weighter's in the Japanese horror genre, then "X Game" is hardly worth the time or effort.

The ending to the movie, when you find out who is actually behind the things that happen, was actually nice, and does come as somewhat of a surprise. Which was far from predictable.

I wasn't impressed one bit by the movie, but still managed to sit through it all. I can honestly say that this movie will never make a second trip to my DVD player. It was had no value to support a second watching.

The same people who made the hyped "Grotesque" are behind Death Tube. If you read my review on Grotesque then you know that it wasn't my cup of tea. Death Tube has the same problem for me. First of all, it takes a bit too long to watch, it clocks in at almost 2 hours. It is a combination of Saw and Cube. There are puzzles to be solved like in Cube, if you can't do it you die. And the people who designed Death Tube are disguised as did Jigsaw. But the solving of the puzzles take a bit too long. The best part is the last reel but then it's too late. The teddy bears (the jigsaws we can say) are annoying after a while and there is too much of blah blah in it. Due the reason that it takes so long it is even low on blood and doesn't really contain gore. The first minute, the beheading, is really okay but after the opening credits it really is low on everything. Sad, it could have been a bitter rougher and more like a snuff flick. Clearly to see it was low budget. can't say any more, have to leave you know to watch You Tube...

I don't think it's actually the 2010 Japanese movie Death Tube. The title X-Game itself has no any significance to the movie. But I noticed that the release date was September 2010, that is the same as the release of Death Tube 2. But, again, X-Game is inappropriate.I wiki'd it then: "Four young people find themselves in a classroom and forced to participate in the "X Game". Games include "Thumbtack on a chair," "Pencil Guillotine," "Clip," "School Lunch," "Slap," and the "Death Penalty". Who is behind the games? Will these young people make it out alive? ". Don't be confused. The Death Tube movies don't have anything to do with X-Game. They have obvious similarities if you watch these, though.

The other reviews on this page are for Deathtube, a different film by the same company. I watched X-Game on Netflix where it was actually labeled Deathtube.

I enjoyed the heavy anti-bullying message of X-Game. Hideaki is our "hero" through much of the movie, yet his character proves to be more complex in the last third of the film, as do the roles of all the "bad guys."

The characters are well-developed and their stories are told from multiple viewpoints. Some of the special effects are cheesy but it can be forgiven as the film works hardest to establish the roles and responsibilities of its many characters. The gore is gory, standard horror fare. Truly horrific is the bullying using the X-Game box to deliver red paper penalties, for both the children and the adults.

There are no heroes when the bullied strive for revenge ... there are only new bullies. Where will it stop? Not at the end of this film. You learn in flashbacks and late reveals of the forces behind this chain of revenge. It may cause you to change your mind about the characters several times during the film.

Like the other reviewer mentioned, don't get "X Game" confused with "Death Tube" because they are completely different movies. Also, "Death Tube" sucked while "X Game" was good.

Four young people are kidnapped and forced to torture one another. This is definitely a step above the typical torture film because it has properly developed characters, an engaging storyline that incorporates the theme of bullying, and also some good suspense. Even the torture game itself is interesting to watch because it's unpredictable and uses a variety of exaggerated bullying tactics. The script is fairly ambitious with a lot of ground to cover in its three-part structure. The final section is very twisty, but the twists make sense and maintain one's interest despite dragging the film out a bit. There are also a few creepy moments to enjoy.