The Belko Experiment Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Belko Experiment

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Social experiments and their focus on humans and their moral limits have been going on for many many years. Some of you may remember the Yale professor Stanley Milgram who did the infamous “Milgram Study”. A study where he would direct people to follow orders and made the subjects BELIEVE that they were inflicting harm on someone else with increased electrical stimuli amidst fake screams and signs of torture. More often than not the individuals would succumb to following orders, even if it was against their moral code. This subject of “following orders” has been used for war crimes around the world (the Nazis are one of the most famous) and the subject has been dissected in such films like Battle Royale and The Hunger Games along with countless other dystopian and horror films. The Belko Experiment advertises itself as a mixture of Office Space and Battle Royale but is really very little of either. The only way you can compare this one to Office Space is saying “well, they’re IN an office building” (well, that and John C. McGinley is in both films as a complete jerk), and this only bares resemblance to Battle Royale in the sort of “gonzo” kills that happens when everyone is pitted against each other.

This synopsis is going to be short and sweet as the film really doesn’t have much of a plot going for it. We’re introduced to Belko Industries at the start of the film. An international corporation with an office in Bogota Columbia which seems to be your everyday company. American workers living there are getting along like your average office worth of employees (which is to mean that most people are plastering a smile on their faces throughout the day while they secretly loathe everyone they work with) and it seems to be the start of another brand-new day. Well, things are OBVIOUSLY not going to be going well, as the ominous music and steely faced guards at the entrance to the complex pretty much tells you without needing to ask. Everyone involved is sitting around puzzled, wondering what is up with all the added security when suddenly a voice comes over the intercom and informs everyone that they are going to “play a game”, and that the game involves murdering ANY two people before 30 minutes is up or consequences will ensue.

Naturally, most people in the office think it’s a joke, but things get a lot less funny when steel doors crash down around all possible exits, turning everything into a veritable prison. Lo and behold, 30 minutes are up and suddenly random people’s heads start exploding. At this point, everyone begins to understand that this is REAL. A game, but a very REAL game that has this magical voice in the sky dictating orders of death and destruction until all of the 80 original employees are at each other’s throats murdering and killing galore.

Needless to say, there IS a point to the exercise, but it’s a barebones point if anything. There’s no real purpose or direction besides a generic “people are being experimented on” bullet point that only really serves as a jumping off point for more kills and gore. I’m a HUGE gore hound, and while this is nothing shocking, I felt like there less point and purpose to the kills than y our average Friday the 13th movie, just without the fun of Jason running around with a machete. Even the names of the people involved are fairly unpurposeful. There’s a decent array of known actors like John C. Mcginley, Michael Rooker, Tony Goldwyn (who acts as the main “villain” in a sense), but all of these characters are just there to scream and yell at each other before stabbing, slashing, impaling and otherwise murdering everyone in sight. John Gallagher Jr. is the last one to turn as he hopes for the best, but there is so little substance to the deaths that any message that was supposed to be taught fades into the night.

I’m a little surprised that this was actually penned by James Gunn himself, as he has made quite a name for himself with both Guardians of the Galaxy films as well as a few side projects like Dawn of the Dead and Slither (a fantastic horror comedy). This seems so much beneath his usual good writing that it makes you wonder WHY he actually chose the job. The biggest part of a social and claustrophobic film like The Belko Experiment is character rapport, but Gunn has the characters jumping straight into the thick of things without any backstory whatsoever, and it leaves the entire project feeling a bit hollow and emotionless. The emotional tugs and connections that you’re obviously supposed to be developing just never come to fruition and the kills are just that…. Kills. Some fun can be had for gore hounds cheerily watching the employees butchering each other, but beyond that there is very little enjoyment to be had.




Rating:

Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, language including sexual references, and some drug use




Video:

According to the credits The Belko Experiment was shot on the Arri Alexa camera system, and it is exactly what you would expect from a digital shoot in a claustrophobic environment. Skin tones look natural, and there is a light blue/grey tone to the entire film, giving it a very sterile and somber appearance. The film was shot on a shoestring budget, but manages to retain a very impressive look due to the fact that the entire thing was shot entirely within an office building (thus not a whole lot of set changes). Blacks are normally good, but do show signs of intermittent crush and some low level light shots show dithering and some mild noise spikes. It’s a very pretty looking transfer when everyone is in the light strewn offices, but once the lights go out the darkness and grim interior lighting gives everything a bit of a flat look.







Audio:

Despite a very heavy and claustrophobic look to it, The Belko Experiment has a very immersive sounding 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix. The offbeat musical numbers flow throughout the track seamlessly and there is some nice bassy moments when the windows slam shut, or the violence begins with people slamming into doors and gunshots going off. Ambiance is paramount in a horror movie like this, and the there’s quite a few moments where you can hear some very distinct background noises tinking and creaking in the background. Vocals are always clean and clear, locked up front in the center channel and the front soundstage manages to give a fairly spacious listening experience.






Extras:

• Rules of the Game: The Secrets Behind The Belko Experiment
• Lee Hardcastle's Survival Tips
• Deleted Scenes
• Gallery

Final Score: ​

Horror buffs may get something out of The Belko Experiment, but even a huge horror buff like myself was really questioning much of the movie and its direction. The kills have some decent amount of blood and gore to them, but there’s not much else of substance to go along with it. The villains are fairly annoying, and the only really satisfying bit of violence comes from when our hero turns the tables on his experimenters (as these things usually do), only to be undercut by yet another “twist” that we could all see coming from a mile away. The audio and video specs are very solid, but the extras are slim and the movie itself is just a mess. Personally I would just skip it and save your hours for something more worthwhile.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjon
Directed by: Greg McLean
Written by: James Gunn
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: R
Runtime: 88 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 27th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Skip It

 

[JBrax]

Well, this is disappointing to read. I was intrigued by the trailers and actually looking forward to watching this. Not even worthy of a rental?

 

[phillihp23]

Isn't this just another version of a movie by a different name in which people are in these interrogation rooms and are told only one of you is leaving here....and basically it results in killings, then at the end it is just a psychological study which the experimenters state they never thought it would go this far.

 

[phillihp23]

Isn't this just another version of a movie by a different name in which people are in these interrogation rooms and are told only one of you is leaving here....and basically it results in killings, then at the end it is just a psychological study which the experimenters state they never thought it would go this far.

 

[JBrax]

I believe you are thinking of Exam? Maybe? I'm a glutton for punishment so I went ahead and rented it. I just can't contain my curiosity.

 

[Michael Scott]

Isn't this just another version of a movie by a different name in which people are in these interrogation rooms and are told only one of you is leaving here....and basically it results in killings, then at the end it is just a psychological study which the experimenters state they never thought it would go this far.

kind of but not really

 

[JBrax]

Well, I actually enjoyed it. Maybe because my expectations were so low but I'm glad I rented it.

 

[Michael Scott]

different things for different people, glad you liked it.