By Maximilian C. Burgos
Sports Assistant
Despite poor critic reviews and a not-so-spectacular Rotten Tomatoes score, “The Belko Experiment” was not a bad movie. The movie does not hold back the gore nor does it spare the viewer’s emotions — it is not for the faint of heart.
Set in Bogota, Columbia, the movie follows 80 American workers who find themselves trapped in a corporate high-rise office. They are ordered to kill each other by an unknown voice through an intercom system. The employees were warned about the consequences of not complying with orders, which are explosively gory to say the least.
Though this movie does not have any A-list actors, there are some recognizable faces within the movie. The acting in this movie is better than most thriller movies, relying on the actors’ talents to drive emotional moments and bring home the comical ones.
The movie’s plot is reminiscent of the Japanese film “Battle Royale” with its kill or be killed attitude. Both movies make it very clear from the beginning that next to no one will be spared and that, for the most part, things will be a bloodbath. There are some very stark differences, but in both movies the survivor is obvious in an ironic manner.
“The Belko Experiment” does bring up some compelling questions of human nature during its hour-and-a-half run time. There are questions of morality, sanity and groupthink, but those questions are sidelined each time a character dies onscreen in a cringe-inducing manner.
The movie is gripping at some points, but hilarious in others. The film mixes unexpected twists with a few disappointing turns. That being said, “The Belko Experiment” will really test your ability to watch a gory thriller movie with a cheap excuse for a love story thrown into it.
The thriller and action aspects of the movie are good. The love story is not even worth mentioning since it was dry and the characters spent most of the time angry with each other due to moral disputes. The love story was intended to humanize characters, but it turned into an annoying part of the movie.
The movie was good overall, but not worth spending the money for theater tickets and concessions. It is best to wait until the movie hits Netflix to watch it from the safety of your bed or couch, as some of the gory details are cringeworthy.
