Escape the Field

I would probably give it more of a 5 to 6, but I rated higher to compensate for some of the terrible reviews. I actually found it interesting. It reminded me of a dangerous outdoor escape room. The main issue I have with it was the ending. They could have done so much more with it. If you do watch it, be aware that there is one of those hidden final scenes at the end after a few credits. I could tell by some of the reviews that not everyone stayed on and saw it.

Escape the Field (2022) is a Lions Gate Picture that was exclusively released to Peacock. The storyline follows a group of people who mysteriously wake up in a corn field. The cornfield is a maze/puzzle combination the people need to figure out before something in the field kills them. Meanwhile they will try to figure out if any of their last memories can explain how they got here to begin with.

This movie is directed by Emerson Moore in his directorial debut and stars Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy), Shane West (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Tahirah Sharif (The Haunting of Bly Manor) and Elena Juatco (Schitt's Creek).

This movie felt like Escape Room without the cool effects, interesting subplots and unique settings. This picture thought the corn field setting would be creative and creepy but it didn't work. The cast delivers solid performances and tries to carry the movie, but there are no good kills, no quality gore and no real memorable circumstances or scenes. The ending twist isn't as creative as they hoped and there's definitely no need for a sequel.

Overall, this tries to put a unique twist on films like Escape Room, Saw and Cube but fails. I would score this a 3.5-4/10 and recommend skipping it.

I actually enjoyed this more than In The Tall Grass, which isn't saying much, but I had read the story that was based on and was disappointed in the film adaptation.

This was more interesting to me and just isn't as bad as a lot of these reviews claim it is, so I felt the need to give my two cents as a counterpoint to all the undeserved negativity. This is no masterpiece, but it kept me entertained and watching till the end.

I had no idea what this movie was about besides the information from the tv. I decided to give it a try and it wasn't a bad movie by any means. I'm not sure why all the negative reviews, people needed to be more open minded to the fact that everything was shutdown bc if CoVid when this was filmed. Nobody was working let alone making movies I think for the capabilities at the time it's a decent film and it has plenty of potential for a second film. The idea of dropping people off in the middle of nowhere and having them find their way out is definitely not new but the acting was good and there was plenty of mystery left if they wanted to pick things up again.

This is newb producer, writer and director Emerson Moore's second film (with only one prior short), and it wasn't as bad as all these wannabe critics and their one's. Clearly it was a low budget B film, and all things considered, I've seen worse big budget Hollywood A-films lately.

Moore's directing was actually impressive, with some great aerial shots, unexpected jump-scares, and fairly decent cast direction. Cinematography was spot-on, but it was the score - especially for a B film, that was perfection. This is a rarity in B films, where the score is always loud, overbearing, constant and unfitting. Even the pacing was decent for the 89 min runtime.

There was however a huge missed opportunity with the writing; of the three writers, had one of them been somewhat a seasoned writer, the story could've been more cohesive. Although a refreshing and original take on the "escape room" genre films, there were some elements that could've been omitted, such as the red vile-filled dart and what followed, and other elements than needed more attention, such as a better narrative structure and more character development. I don't mind films that leave unanswered questions, but a little more clarity would've gone a long way. The ending wasn't bad either, but also had potential to be much more.

Rookie mistakes aside, I still enjoyed this one, and it's a well deserved 7/10 for the newb filmmaker. I hope Moore takes advantage of the door he left open for a sequel.