Certainly creative but at times, frustrating.
Exit 8 does some well and truly clever things in the sound design. Yes, enough so to be the first line of my review. The opening section is all done so cleverly in an immersive way, which is also the strongest section of the film in my opinion. Additionally, the choice for Ravel’s Bolero to be the main theme of the film is a witty one - a piece that is lengthy with lots of repetition of the main theme on different instruments, much like Exit 8’s hallway. The piece and the film have the same major issue for me - an excessive use of variations on a theme. While engaging, I feel the film could have done a little more with the fear factor.
Luckily, the film does bring some variation, and in doing so it explores some existential themes, while sticking to the core premise and exploring it a bit further.
The strengths of the film:
- Immersive sound design. (Brilliant use of surround sound!)
- Visually crisp and clean.
- Strong acting performances.
- Underlying human themes.
The weaknesses of the film:
- A sense of monotony begins to creep in throughout.
- Some painfully unrealistic character reactions. (Where I became frustrated at times.)
- Variations could have maintained better momentum.
Definitely a good film, and I’d go as far as to say clever, but I wouldn’t say brilliant. Worth a watch if you’re interested, a fan of the game, or if you’d like something different from the usual. Best experienced in cinemas or with surround sound. Also an easy watch without subtitles even if you only understand some very basic Japanese, as this film has little dialogue, of which most is mercifully simple.
Luckily, the film does bring some variation, and in doing so it explores some existential themes, while sticking to the core premise and exploring it a bit further.
The strengths of the film:
- Immersive sound design. (Brilliant use of surround sound!)
- Visually crisp and clean.
- Strong acting performances.
- Underlying human themes.
The weaknesses of the film:
- A sense of monotony begins to creep in throughout.
- Some painfully unrealistic character reactions. (Where I became frustrated at times.)
- Variations could have maintained better momentum.
Definitely a good film, and I’d go as far as to say clever, but I wouldn’t say brilliant. Worth a watch if you’re interested, a fan of the game, or if you’d like something different from the usual. Best experienced in cinemas or with surround sound. Also an easy watch without subtitles even if you only understand some very basic Japanese, as this film has little dialogue, of which most is mercifully simple.
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