The Belko Experiment review
- Jordan Warner
- Mar 21, 2017
- 2 min read
Written by James Gunn, known mostly for giving us the live action Scooby-Doo films and less notably the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, The Belko Experiment is an odd little picture about an office staff placed in the midst of a horrific social experiment. It is directed by Greg McLean, a horror filmmaker with relatively little widespread success, which could be the reason that the film falls short of its potential.
Without ruining the plot the way that the trailer resorts to doing, I will just leave the summary as previously stated: an unlikely bunch of office workers are trapped in the middle of a sinister observation. While this premise might sound intriguing, the overall quality of The Belko Experiment is lacking.
The characters fail to have any charisma and importance, despite featuring avant-garde performers such as Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy), Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls, Guardians of the Galaxy) and John C. McGinley (Scrubs), as well as John Gallagher, Jr., someone who has proven to be an appropriate leading man in other roles like Hush and 10 Cloverfield Lane. Here, everyone seems afraid to go completely melodramatic in their performances, which is disappointing considering the berserk situation.
Along with the characters, every idea introduced in The Belko Experiment appears to be a watered-down version of something that might have been great. It is a shame that no one went all out on any aspect, a la Cabin in the Woods-style mayhem, as it would have made the viewing experience much more enjoyable. The final product is not bad, but it could be so much better.
The Belko Experiment also has a particularly short runtime, clocking in just short of an hour and a half. While, unlike A Cure for Wellness earlier this year, it spares audiences of an overlong serpentine story with no resolution, but could easily do more with the extra minutes to expand on the intended universe (something that is tiresomely teased during the finale).
A slightly disappointing horror-romp that could use a little bit more of everything, The Belko Experiment loses its ingenuity through restraint and misstep. Its originality is welcome, along with its dedicated cast, but unfortunately lacks any memorability and true inspiration.
The Belko Experiment is rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, language including sexual references, and some drug use and stars John Gallagher, Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Melonie Diaz, Sean Gunn and Michael Rooker.
Image by Orion Pictures.
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