Have you ever wondered what a mash-up of Battle Royale and Office Space would look like? The Belko Experiment is a perfect representation of this mash-up. Written by James Gunn and directed by Greg Mclean, the film is a sort of reminiscent of the Twilight Zone episode The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street, taking a closed group of individuals and placing them in a social experiment, cutting them off from the outside world and giving them the option to kill or be killed. John Gallagher Jr. stars as Mike Milch, our main protagonist, and a relatable character with the mindset most would have in this given scenario of “This is wrong and we can’t just kill because were told to”. Adria Arjona plays Leandra, mikes love interest, and an also likeable/ relatable character with a common mindset. Tony Goldwyn and John C. McGinley star as Barry Norris, Belko’s CEO, and Wendell Dukes, the movies villains of sorts, enforcing the “If we don’t kill them, we’ll die too” mindset, being more than willing to off a few of their coworkers to stay alive.

Given the films overall pretty dark tone, comic relief characters are present to give the viewer a bit or relief when our characters aren’t getting savagely murdered. Sean Gunn is one of those characters, acting as the stoner of the film, giving  the viewer a lighthearted character in the darkness that is Belko Industries. Early on in the film it is obvious to tell who will be our “heroes” and who will be the “Villains”, giving the film a very standard template to work with, while still giving viewers the occasional surprise and twist. With what Hollywood considers a small budget of $5,000,000 the film can hold its own in the violence department, taking an office building and turning it into a blood bath, and keeping the makeup and effects some of the most real and gruesome I’ve seen in recent years, easily on par with 2016’s Green Room in terms of gore. The musical score by Tyler Bates is very forgettable and often times absent from the film. The film functioned really well without a score and when it did have one, it was a typical heard it a hundred times type score.

Given the films low budget it doesn’t have the time to delve into a long backstory that some fans may complain about, but in my opinion the film works well without that, and everything you need to know you find out in the movies 88 minute runtime. The Belko Experiment is not the most original film, but I’m shocked no one else has thought of this idea. It does in fact deserve credit for making the most out of what it was given, and holding its own, showing just what a film can do with a shoestring budget, and giving fans of the genre a uncompromisingly brutal film, while at times, displaying how human nature can turn savage when life is threatened, and still keeping it light enough that it doesn’t feel like a snuff film.

7.5 out of 10.

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