The Belko Experiment Movie Review (TIFF 2016)

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews

TIFF 2016 - The Belko Experiment

So last night I saw the latest James Gunn movie (I'm aware it wasn't directed by James Gunn but lets be real here, when a movie is written by James Gunn it's a James Gunn movie). And going into this movie I had very high hopes, and this movie exceeded every single one of them. To sum it up, The Belko Experiment is about the staff of an office building being forced by someone or something to kill one another, and it's essentially exactly the kind of intense, violent gorefest you'd expect with that kind of premise.

This movie has an ensemble all-star cast of character actors, featuring the likes of John Gallagher Jr, Tony Goldwyn, Michael Rooker, Melanie Diaz, Sean Gunn, David Dastmalchian, Brent Sexton, Josh Brener, John C. Mcginley, and David Del Rio. Every time I watch a movie James Gunn is involved in, I get the feeling he has a direct hotline for every talented yet underrated character actors, and this movie illustrates that better than ever. While (obviously) not every performance lasts very long, it seems like every actor gets at least one moment to shine and show off their versatility. Overall I'd say my favorite performances were from Sean Gunn and Tony Goldwyn, they were the ones who stood out to me the most throughout. Adria Arjona (pictured above with the axe) is also worth mentioning, as she's a newcomer and kind of an unknown here, and she was also very impressive, I can't wait to see more from her career.

Now this isn't exactly an original premise. We've all seen The Hunger Games, we've all seen Saw, we've all seen some movie where the premise is that a group of people are thrust into a situation where its kill or be killed. So, what does Belko Experiment do to set it apart from Hunger Games and Saw and put it right next to Battle Royale? Well, it's actually kind of simple. The movie has fun with itself. Throughout this film, I was continuously surprised with how funny, clever, and original the humor was in this movie. Comedy aside, this movie never goes the root of being harrowing or needlessly edgy, instead it maintains a darkly comedic tone throughout the film, and while there is some more serious stuff - the film could be seen as a commentary on the corporate world - those elements are more subtle and never overpower the other elements of the film.

Now so-far, I've compared this movie to Saw and Battle Royale, so that should already be an indicator for how violent this movie is. And what I love about this movie so much is that it's clear that this film was made by someone who didn't care for Hollywood numbing down horror movies, this movie is unapologetically it's own thing. So many moments in this movie simply couldn't happen in a modern hollywood horror film, a producer would've shot it down for being too violent, but they happen anyway, and I love it for it. And hey, if you're the type of person who loves gorey movies, then this is absolutely right up your alley.

Final Rating
The Belko Experiment is a lot of things for me. It's not only my favorite film from Tiff 2016, and my favorite horror movie of 2016 so-far, it's hands down one of the best movies I've seen all year. It comes out in March 2017, and you can bet I'm planning on seeing it again. This is a thoroughly enjoyable, even if extremely violent movie. The performances in it are all great, with Sean Gunn and Tony Goldwyn stealing every scene they're in. And it's just refreshing to see a film that perfectly balanced an extremely entertaining movie with one that's also extremely well-made. If you have a list of movies to see in 2017, be sure The Belko Experiment is on there.