The Big Picture
- The Belko Experiment innovatively combines the battle royale trope with the mundane setting of an office block.
- The movie explores workplace hierarchy and human nature through intense action and ethical dilemmas.
- The film doesn't hold back on gore, delivering brutal kills that are unexpected yet meaningful in the battle for survival.
Within the battle royale subgenre (named after the 2000 seminal movie), which sees individuals pitted against each other in a fight to the death, The Belko Experiment is one of the standouts. A collaboration from now DC Studios co-CEOs, The Belko Experiment was written by James Gunn, known for his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, and produced by Peter Safran, known to horror fans for his work on the Conjuring franchise. In the director's chair for the 2016 horror film was Wolf Creek helmer Greg McLean. Taking place in a single office block, the movie sees 80 employees at Belko Industries locked inside their workplace and told they must kill their fellow employees or risk being killed themselves. John Gallagher Jr. leads the cast as Mike Milch, an unremarkable worker at Belko Industries who steps up in the face of threat. The Belko Experiment has a huge number of characters and, consequently, has a huge death count. Yet, the movie ensures important individuals are introduced, meaning their deaths carry weight. It finds the perfect balance between action and emotion and combines the single-location trope, with the death game trope, making it an intensely compelling horror flick.
The Belko Experiment
R Release Date March 17, 2017 Director Greg Mclean Cast Adria Arjona , John C. McGinley , Tony Goldwyn , John Gallagher Jr. Runtime 89 minutes Main Genre Horror'The Belko Experiment' Takes Death Games To A New Environment
Death games are a popular trope within movies and TV, particularly with the success of Squid Game and the recent resurgence of The Hunger Games following the adaptation of the prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Even within horror, the trope seems to be constantly appearing, from well-known franchises like Saw to stand-alone features such as Ready or Not, Would You Rather, and Truth or Dare. The Belko Experiment takes the trope to an environment that is familiar and rather mundane to viewers; your run-of-the-mill office block. The beginning of the movie frames itself as a normal workday as the employees at the Belko office in Bogotá, Columbia are preparing themselves for their day of work. However, there are slight unnerving undertones as armed guards turn away any locals who work for the company and leave only the American employees.
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Slowly, we are introduced to the number of employees that work in the office. Considering the huge number of characters, The Belko Experiment successfully highlights the key players who are individualized and represent the vast range of people who work in the building. From the employees smiling at each other before rolling their eyes when they pass, to new girl Dani (Melonie Diaz) getting her introduction to the company, to Marty, a cafeteria worker played by writer James Gunn's younger brother Sean Gunn having a smoke in the toilet and trying to encourage the fumes to go through the air vent. The subtle nuances of everyday life are detailed and realistic. It allows the characters to feel human but still gives them distinctive personalities. Without this pre-established characterization, the eventual battle royale scenario wouldn't feel so tense.
'The Belko Experiment' Explores Workplace Hierarchy
CloseAt first, when it is revealed that the employees at Belko must kill two of their fellow employees, they don't believe it is real. The group doesn't panic and logically attempts to resolve the situation. Then two people are killed when their heads explode. The tone of the movie immediately shifts from a casual, ordinary workday to utter chaos. The stakes of the situation are clear, and the characters react in different ways that reflect the internal structure of the company. The weapons are claimed by those in high-powered positions, such as CEO Barry Norris (Tony Goldwyn), and those lower in the company are left to fend for themselves.
This execution of power culminates in one of the most effective scenes of the entire movie. Played to the soundtrack of "California Dreamin'" in Spanish, Norris picks out the elderly employees as well as those without children and forces them to kneel in a line. They are mercilessly shot one by one, asserting the power of Norris' group. Scenes like this allow The Belko Experiment to explore the themes of human nature and the value of one life over the other. The characters question the morality of killing, and whether certain people deserve saving over others. One employee, Terry (Owain Yeoman), even pulls Norris aside and suggests a lottery would be fairer. It heightens the existential nature that comes from the battle royale subgenre and forces the viewer to question their own ethics. Even when the characters are in action-heavy, dangerous situations, The Belko Experiment always places ethics and morality at the center. It is not just a movie with a high death count, the kills have meaning and motivation.
'The Belko Experiment' Doesn't Hold Back On Gore
The social aspect of The Belko Experiment is only half of its appeal. It is still a battle royale movie and the expectation is lots of kills, and it more than delivers on that aspect. The first kill of the movie might be accidental, but it sets the tone for the brutality to follow. Lonny (David Dastmalchian) hits his fellow maintenance worker Bud (Michael Rooker) with a wrench, causing a gaping hole in his skull. The first handful of deaths are slow, but after a certain character's slaughter, The Belko Experiment turns bloody and relentless. The reveal that the sole survivor will be the individual with the highest kill count just causes more carnage. There are a large number of gun-inflicted deaths, but The Belko Experiment utilizes the office environment to offer some innovative kills including an elevator, a cleaver, and a fire axe.
The deaths are unexpected but never feel gimmicky. Through this, the balance of action and characterization makes The Belko Experiment a fresh interpretation of the battle royale subgenre. Pitting co-workers against each other adds an innovative dynamic. They are characters who develop such intense relationships through seeing each other every day but are quick to turn on each other to protect external relationships that mean more, such as their families. It is a new take on the classmates seen in the original Battle Royale, and the dynamic is very similar. The Belko Experiment encapsulates the culture of an office block and the brutality of the death game trope. It is energetic and gory but also tender and grounded, making it a must-watch for fans of the subgenre.
The Belko Experiment is available to rent on Amazon.
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