This put up incorporates spoilers for Netflix’s “Brick.”
When horror tales are confined to a single location, each emotion is intensified. The visceral concern of being trapped in a confined house generally is a gateway for excellent scares, particularly when the characters notice there is no simple approach out. The psychological implications of single-location horror are multifold, as such tales are capable of discover character motivations in contexts that on a regular basis conditions hardly ever afford. The related tropes that include them — twist reveals, cabin fever-induced confusion, and the human intuition to beat unimaginable odds — solely make the expertise that a lot sweeter. Netflix’s new escape room thriller, “Brick,” tries to reside as much as these expectations, nevertheless it would not arrive at any groundbreaking conclusions through the course of. Nonetheless, it is a movie value testing.
If we take a fast have a look at Netflix’s weekly High 10 films within the U.S., “Brick” is sitting in third place in the intervening time, proper behind the explosively common animated movie “KPop Demon Hunters” (by way of FlixPatrol). This excessive rating appears nicely-deserved, although; “Brick” has an intriguing premise and delivers a lot of twists and turns, all whereas difficult viewers to placed on their pondering caps and determine the answer together with the film’s characters. Author/director Philip Koch situates the story’s horror within the consolation of your house: What would occur for those who woke as much as uncover your entire house constructing’s exits had been sealed by large, magnetized partitions that don’t seem to budge? Calling for out of doors assist is not an possibility right here, because the enclosed house is now off-the-grid, having been severed from the web and all cellphone connections. However whereas it is pure nightmare gasoline, is that setup alone sufficient to maintain this sci-fi thriller?
I am inclined to say no, as “Brick” does little with the claustrophobic urgency inherent to its central idea. And although the plot continues to be intense in bursts, it additionally has an emotional throughline that is too grim for its personal good. Even so, it is value taking a better have a look at what Koch’s flick has to supply.
Brick lays a strong basis, nevertheless it finally ends up crumbling below its personal weight
“Brick” facilities on Tim (Matthias Schweighöfer, whom you would possibly bear in mind from Zack Snyder’s “Military of the Useless” and Schweighöfer’s prequel, “Military of Thieves”), a sport developer who lives along with his girlfriend, Liv (Ruby O. Charge). Liv needs to flee the monotony of working lengthy hours at their jobs, so she suggests a stunning journey to Paris, however Tim instantly shuts down the thought on account of being too busy. However simply as tensions rise to the purpose of a possible break-up, Liv discovers an enormous wall blocking their doorway, leaving her and Tim trapped inside their house. Whereas their dynamic continues to be strained, issues all of the sudden get much more severe, because the duo is pressured to work collectively to outlive this case.
When the pair determine to knock down the partitions separating their place from the neighboring residences seeking different survivors, “Brick” begins to unravel as a hidden world of twist reveals and soiled secrets and techniques is delivered to gentle. Different characters progressively turn into part of this thriller as nicely, together with the eccentric couple Marvin (Frederick Lau) and Ana (Salber Lee Williams), together with Yuri (Murathan Muslu), a tenant who would not need to escape in any respect. Sadly, by the point we be taught what the titular brick actually is and why it all of the sudden determined to envelop this specific house constructing, the movie is operating on fumes, having exhausted all of its gimmicks. Beneath the layers of a grim story that does not all the time lean into levity, although, there are glimmers of a greater and adrenaline-fueled film. On the entire, although, “Brick” typically feels torpid resulting from its muddled pacing.
Past the query of what the heck is occurring to those characters and the world round them, the movie focuses closely on their shifting allegiances and evolving relationships with each other. The query of survival can also be prolonged to fractured interpersonal dynamics, as we need to know whether or not Tim and Liv can climate this storm and emerge as a stronger couple collectively. Alas, even this emotional side begins to develop weaker because the film progresses, robbing “Brick” of its potential to supply some satisfying pay-offs. Nonetheless, total, there are a variety of issues to take pleasure in about this specific sci-fi/horror escape room film. That mentioned, I urge you to go for the German-language model of the movie, because the English dub leaves quite a bit to be desired.
“Brick” is presently streaming on Netflix.
