This is newb producer, writer and director Emerson Moore's second film (with only one prior short), and it wasn't as bad as all these wannabe critics and their one's. Clearly it was a low budget B film, and all things considered, I've seen worse big budget Hollywood A-films lately.
Moore's directing was actually impressive, with some great aerial shots, unexpected jump-scares, and fairly decent cast direction. Cinematography was spot-on, but it was the score - especially for a B film, that was perfection. This is a rarity in B films, where the score is always loud, overbearing, constant and unfitting. Even the pacing was decent for the 89 min runtime.
There was however a huge missed opportunity with the writing; of the three writers, had one of them been somewhat a seasoned writer, the story could've been more cohesive. Although a refreshing and original take on the "escape room" genre films, there were some elements that could've been omitted, such as the red vile-filled dart and what followed, and other elements than needed more attention, such as a better narrative structure and more character development. I don't mind films that leave unanswered questions, but a little more clarity would've gone a long way. The ending wasn't bad either, but also had potential to be much more.
Rookie mistakes aside, I still enjoyed this one, and it's a well deserved 7/10 for the newb filmmaker. I hope Moore takes advantage of the door he left open for a sequel.
