Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is a 2021 psychological horror film directed by Adam Robitel, and written by Will Honley, Maria Melnik, Daniel Tuch, and Oren Uziel. It is the sequel to the box office hit Escape Room that terrified and thrilled audiences around the world back in early 2019. I was among the crowd who saw the original in theaters on day one, and I will say I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. The film had sort of a Saw feel to it but still managed to be unique, and also included a very solid up-and-coming cast which consisted of Tyler Labine, True Blood’s Deborah Ann Woll, Love Simon’s Logan Miller, and Atypical’s Nik Dodani, which was huge for me.

In the sequel, six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive…and discovering they’ve all played the game before. The cast includes Taylor Russell and Logan Miller reprising their roles from the first film, alongside new cast members Indya Moore, Holland Roden, Thomas Cocquerel, and Carlito Olivero.

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions hits theaters on July 16th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

THE GOOD

I remember seeing the original Escape Room in theaters on opening night. It was a painfully cold January night, and my buddy and I had dinner before the movie, figuring we could show up and buy our tickets last minute since the movie seemed fairly under-the-radar. As we were choosing our seats we couldn’t believe that the theater was almost completely full! Luckily we were still able to grab decent seats, and it was well worth it. The low-budget thriller far exceeded expectations, which is why I am here now talking to you about a sequel.

Fast forward a few years and we have the follow-up film, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. As soon as the sequel was announced I was looking forward to it, mainly because it is just something a little bit unique compared to everything else out there as of late. And I am happy to report it did not let me down. The film picks up right where the original leaves off, and even treats viewers to a sort of “previously on” montage from the first movie which I thought was a nice touch. That way we felt like we just watched the original, and couldn’t wait to see what they had in store.

First and foremast, I really enjoyed Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. It is very well-written, and I would say that might be the primary strength of these films, and it keeps you guessing. The thrill factor is front and center from the start, and you start to get a good feel for the true scale of what is going on behind the scenes. Nothing is as it seems, forcing the characters to look beyond what they initially perceive as a sensible escape route. The “escape rooms” are elaborate to say the least, and during the entire movie all I could think about was how screwed I would be in any of these situations. I would be dead in the first 30 seconds, and it would likely be self-induced thanks to an anxiety overload and propensity for bad decision making. So yeah, I envy anyone who can keep their bearings in what they know to be a life or death game for someone else’s enjoyment. I’ll just stick to what I know, which is basically Candyland or a good old fashioned game of Go Fish.

The sequel picks up with the two main characters from the original film, Zoey played by Taylor Russell, and Ben played by Logan Miller. Russell was amazing in the 2020 coming-of-age drama Words on Bathroom Walls, which I highly recommend if you haven’t seen it. It is currently streaming on Prime Video, and you can check out our review and the trailer here. As it turns out, Miller also plays a significant role in another fantastic coming-of-age film, 2018’s Love, Simon, which I also highly recommend. You can watch that on FX Now or as a VOD rental or purchase, and the trailer and review can be found here. Both were very good in the original Escape Room, and continue to have the same genuine on-screen chemistry here. The supporting cast is fine, but these two are surely the benchmark for the film and what help to keep the audience invested.

Similar to the original, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions knows it’s way around a quality cliffhanger. The ending is quite a surprise (don’t worry, no spoilers!), and finds a way to come full circle. If the box office numbers look good enough, we are in for a 3rd movie that is a foregone conclusion. Some may be annoyed by the lack of a true “ending”, but I personally love the old shock and awe approach as long as we get the sequel.

THE BAD

Okay so what are my issues with Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. Well for starters, the acting can be a bit of an Achilles’ heel this time around. Now it’s not horrible by any means, but at times some of the more intense moments feel a little less intense because of what feels likes cheesy or forced acting. Luckily it is only in spurts, supporting cast mostly, and never proves detrimental.

One of my other issues is sort of two-fold, mainly because it is really more of preference. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is rated PG-13, so although some characters will surely meet their demise, you won’t get those gory Saw style deaths, or anything close to it really. And to be perfectly honest I am glad that is the case because it allows the film to feel more unique, I just wish they would have included a few more “oh wow that just happened” deaths, but maybe I just need therapy.

THE VERDICT

Smarter and more ambitious this time around, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions packs plenty of thrills, and yet again reminds me why I prefer to avoid escape rooms at all costs. You will appreciate the creativity surrounding the new escape rooms, which will keep you on the edge of your seat as each player fights for their lives. It may not be the best movie you see this year, but it will surely satisfy fans of the original as well as newcomers. Oh and as long as numbers are good, a 3rd movie is absolutely happening.