This ridiculous ‘Escape Room’ is too corporate to be scary

You can almost imagine the conversation that resulted in “Escape Room”: “What’s the latest trend we can make a movie out of?” one greedy studio exec says. “I know!” another replies. “My daughter is into those newfangled ‘escape rooms,’ where you follow clues to break free. What if we made a horror movie about one that’s … deadly?”

A pause. And then they laugh, maniacally.

There’s not a single moment of this lame new film that doesn’t feel manufactured in such a corporate manner. It’s not asking much that a thriller be scary or shocking. This one waffles between being predictable and absurd.

Six adults from different walks of life (the only actor you’ll recognize is Jay Ellis from “Insecure”) are thrown together when they receive mysterious invitations to an especially challenging escape room. OK, it’s actually more like an escape manse. Get to the end of the game, and win $10,000.

But it isn’t so easy. The challenges — extreme heat, dangerous heights, rooms that crush you — prove fatal. And ridiculous.

Those deaths fail to amp up the stakes in director Adam Robitel’s film because they’re overly deliberate and methodical. When one person perishes per area, you see it coming every time.

I won’t spoil the groaner of an ending. Let’s just say you’ll be pleased to escape.

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