Briques

Warning: Brief bright light flashing, a little gore

The trailer had me curious as it seemed thrilling but the movie didn't deliver it. The actors were overall fine nothing praise worthy. The dub isn't so bad either... but how the plot unraveled was just a let down add to that the blurring zooming in out they keep doing just made me dizzy.

They could've done more with the Escape room concept if they actually created an atmosphere of suffocation but they were all barely stuck there. They didn't mention it but it just felt like only 1 day has passed? Maybe 2 days if I'm being generous. That's just not enough to create that sense of dread of "I want to get out! We're all going to die here! We have no food!" crazy moment. Now instead of a thriller of humanity going on survival mode it's just a mystery. So you're basically just watching them solve the puzzle and that's it...which isn't that good anyway because by the end it's just a sense of coincidence the right characters were there at the same time and not actual smart play on solving. I guess if you just like watching them literally just "solve" how to get out then it's a tolerable watch but overall not really something I'd recommend over other movies.

Brick is a classic example of a film with a fascinating concept but frustrating execution. Visually and thematically, it promises a lot; a surreal urban prison, mysterious walls, and hints of deeper societal metaphors. The creativity is undeniable, and the premise alone earns some respect. Unfortunately, that's where the praise ends. The flow is muddled, the plot is meandering, and any emotional resonance falls completely flat. It is as if the movie wanted to be some sort of sci-fi thriller, but shifted into almost a drama. It is confusing, and not focused on the plot itself.

It leaves you more detached than intrigued. Once the credits roll, there's little desire to revisit; simply because it is unsatisfying. A wasted opportunity wrapped in a high-concept shell.

Schweighöfer, playing his usual Schweighöfer-role, wakes up and discovers - together with his wife - that all windows and doors are sealed shut by a mysterious black wall. Maybe the neighbors, who they reach by breaking through the wall, know something.

I've rarely seen something so utterly devoid of talent. Every single actor performs like they just found out what a film set is - this morning.

The dialogue is so far removed from anything resembling human speech, you'd think aliens tried to simulate human behavior... and failed miserably.

Every scene, every line, every plot point: completely absurd, utterly implausible.

So, if you're in the mood to cringe hard and feel your IQ gently slipping away - just hit play on Brick.

I'm a bit surprised at the number of one-star reviews for this film. "Bad acting," "Dumb script," etc. I actually thought this was the time of storyline that Rod Serling would have written for a Twilight Zone episode and certainly intriguing enough to hold my attention throughout. The story centers on the husband and wife whose relationship is now in ruins. The other characters suffer from lack of development. I'm wondering if some viewers watched this film in the dubbed version -- where the English speaking dubbers are indeed bad and the translations awkward. I watched the subtitled version and I so no problems at all with the acting. Certainly the basic plot arc is not original -- it is similar to films like Saw, Escape Room, Cube and even Poseidon Adventure: characters must work together in order to escape and survive. But I found the film atmospheric and engaging. Granted the whole creation of the impenetrable wall and what has caused it is far fetched, but so what. There is also in interesting visual correlative throw in -- the fly. I wish there had been more visual moments like this, but just sit back and enjoy a "Twilight Zone" style story.

Tim and Olivia discover an occurrence: their apartment has been surrounded by strange bricks and a black substance that surrounds the entire block.

The very first thought that came to my mind was, 'Is this a remake of Await Further Instructions?' The initial premise was very, very similar. In terms of originality, the film didn't quite cut it; I've seen a similar concept done better.

Perhaps not original, but it is a formula that does work: a nice mystery, some good characters, it's well acted, and I wasn't bored. I really liked the final scene, and despite some dodgy special effects, the final act looked pretty good.

The film badly needed more of everything: more tension, more horror, more panic, and more threat. Were it not for Yuri, there wouldn't have been much of any of them. I thought Frederick Lau was good fun; his character seemed to have the right mindset for survival and was quite entertaining.

On the whole, it's not a bad film; just keep your expectations in check.

6/10.