The Room (2019) User Reviews

Major spoilers and something that may have been missed

[abusby-06048 · 7/10 · 23 March 2020]

If you want to know about the movie and the plot holes and all the could have, would have, should have's above. This is strictly something I think a lot of people misconstrued at the end.

At the end, it shows her reading a pregnancy test that was positive. I'm pretty sure the baby would be Shane's, by the way that her reaction to the test was. And to clarify, how could the baby live outside of the room? The creator, Shane, has died, therefore, the baby can live.

Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, and a dash of M. Night Shyamalan

[Randy-Dreammaker · 7/10 · 19 October 2019]

A really creative Sci-fi about a mysterious room in a house with magic abilities.

It does a good job balancing strangeness with reality, but I think they could of taken it a little further at points.

Reminds me of things I imagined as a kid. Overall a great concept and really interesting, but I'd have liked a little more thrill from it.

This movie could of been really on the edge of the seat suspenseful, but everytime you think it's going to take you to that place, it doesn't quite delivery.

I felt like I was waiting for something shocking or grabbing to occur, but the fact that it ne er does, is a little underwhelming.

The resolution for the ending could of had been written better, It ends with lackluster. I'd have really liked a solid punch that resolved around the house rather than how it actually concludes.

In that regard I feel there was some blur that occurs in the stories objective, it felt like the story ended on the secondary story, rather then the main story of the house. Maybe it was left open for a sequel. If no sequel is planned, then the movies ending failed.

Over all, this movie reminds me a bit like an Outer Limits tv episode, with a dash of Twilight Zone, and a sprinkle of some of M. Night Shyamalan's better work mixed in.

I gave it an IMDB rating of 7, but that may be a little generous.

im happy i stayed and watch it

[minasb · 6/10 · 23 December 2019]

At first it lloked really cheap and the acting i thought it was really bad.Then i i said ok the actors seem foreign trying to speak good english.Then it becomes interesting ,then a little silly and later on it becomes really gooood .it has smart writing nconflct of emotions and plot twists .Worth a watch.

Not a great film, but a great little idea for a story, well-shot and adequately performed

[MogwaiMovieReviews · 7/10 · 12 December 2019]

Not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, but still a great little idea for a story, well-shot and at least adequately performed, that keeps one watching and wondering until the end. It put me in mind of some other low-profile, low-budget films like Triangle and Timelapse, even if not quite as well-executed.

There were some hazy gaps in the storytelling that made several key scenes unclear when they didn't have to be: the ending (getting the "son" out of the house) is a little unconvincing, and the scene with Shane forcing himself on Kate is so briefly covered, some reviewers here have not realized she is distraught at the end because she is (most likely) pregnant with his child.

It's possible better acting, writing and editing could have tweaked this into a great cult classic, but it's still an intriguing and watchable movie nonetheless, and definitely worth checking out at least once.

Be careful of our wishes that are endless.

[daphleung · 7/10 · 16 October 2020]

Most people thought it was boring in the beginning and expected what was going to happen, because The endings of most wish-related movies were same and obvious, this one was special. Speaking to endless wishes and a figment child, these may recall another movie (Vivarium), (The room) was different that explained well how the child came and ended. In the middle part, it was exciting because the situation between reality and figment were uncertain until the story explained ultimately.

The twinkle of lights were keys of giving hints that when and what the couple wished for. The ending gave a surprising twist whether (1) Kate greedily and ultimately wished her baby into existence or (2) Matt and Kate just lived in another room.

I like the idea of film poster which was corresponding to the shocking expression in Kate. Sometimes posters could give a revelation before audiences watched the movie.

A great concept but could have gone in a better direction

[livin_the_weekend · 6/10 · 25 October 2019]

*NON-SPOILER*

The film was very original and had some great ideas. It was a reasonably good picture where at times you could reach into the the plot and imagine you were really there, in the film. The direction the film took could have gone many of ways. The story followed a path of a life over other potential aspects of which I felt could have been more intriguing, which might sound vague but I do not want to reveal any spoilers. Overall is was worth a watch and I enjoyed it, following the joiurney, but in all fairness, will probably not watch again.

Room for improvement

[minxxy-36849 · 6/10 · 16 June 2020]

Over all this film was far better than I expected, but the pace lets it down.

The storyline is actually well thought out and fairly well executed, with a twist that you can only see coming around the corner, rather than miles away.

The acting is solid although did start a little shaky.

More psychological thriller than anything else and keeps a nicely structured approach, which plays on greedy over humanity.

The Materials for a Good Film, but a Poor Building Strategy.

[Samisafan · 3/10 · 16 March 2020]

The movie has the potential to a be a lot of fun and contain a lot of interesting developments. The Room, after all, can grant any wish, no matter how impossible or grand scale.

The protagonists, however, just use it for money, alcohol, outfits, and other simple material objects, which I'm sure is a reflection of human greed. As the movie progresses, you realize that the film doesn't focus much on the unlimited power of the Room, but how the characters abuse the room itself to satisfy their reckless desires and greed. So, the full potential of the power of the Room is never known, although it is clearly limitless, or at least close to it, as it is shown that an entire world can be created within it.

However, the acting is unrealistic, and the film reveals a lot of issues that never receive an explanation. For example, when it is revealed that a murder took place in the house by the electrician, Matt's reaction is just a confused, disturbed stare. He doesn't press the electrician for any real details. He does, however, do some research later, but it doesn't seem to give him any real concern about using the room for some time.

Skipping ahead, when they're being hunted down in a world created in the Room, Shane is chasing the protagonists with a knife. Anyone could have wished for a gun, another knife, a shield of some sort, or anything. The best the couple could conjure up was a couple of decoys (showing they also had the power to make wishes at that time) to distract Shane while he was running around with the knife (that he created using a wish).

I understand that movies have limits, there are budgets, etc. They weren't going to recreate Middle Earth or wish dinosaurs back to life, but they really didn't explore the Room's power as much as you would hope, and they never explained why they didn't wish for weapons or *anything at all* to defend themselves against Shane.

Overall, the movie doesn't really leave you with a sense of wonder about the power of the Room, or about the depth of the characters. You would really have to reach for the symbolism to give the movie a fair value.

Could've been great

[chelseazomers · 6/10 · 16 November 2019]

The start of the movie is where it goes wrong in my opinion. They kinda rush through it, and that's why I didn't have any affinity with the story. Further on in the movie it gets better, the story and the whole metaphor gets more body. But for me (!) personally, they should've put more effort in the developing of the story at the beginning, so we could've had more connection with the whole story and the characters. Still entertaining to watch, and definitely worth a watch to make up your own opinion.

Interesting Idea, Terrible Characters

[MeMyselfOnline · 4/10 · 2 February 2020]

In a world of sequels and remakes, it's nice to have a new idea, and the premise reminded me a little bit of the James Herbert novel, "The Magic Cottage".

Unfortunately the film is let down by terrible acting, and characters behaving and conversing in ways that made absolutely no sense.

Time and time again you find yourself groaning and losing patience with them making one stupid decision after the next, or having half a conversation that doesn't make sense.

Case in point: the husband goes to see John Doe who states he did what he did as it was "the only way". The natural response would be "the only way to do what?". Does he ask that? Of course not, that would make far too much sense.

Another example: the wife goes to leave the house with the baby and the husband knows it'll destroy the baby. Does he tell his wife? No, that would make far too much sense. He just asks her not to go and says to "trust him" as to why not.

And this stuff happens scene after scene after scene.

Also, the entire movie is entirely predictable, even down to the pregnancy ending. Speaking of which let's not forget to ask why the wife would mourn the death of the "son" who just raped her a few moments before and tried to kill her husband. Yes, very touching, pass the tissues.

Still, for effects, trying to be original, and an interesting idea, it still gets a generous 4/10.

Far better than what i expected

[rosemaryandthyme · 8/10 · 3 November 2019]

I watched this movie not expecting much but the same old creepy house story, however I was pleasantly surprised. The acting was OK but it was the clever and unique story that warrants my high star vote. The movie held my interest the entire time. I must warn some of you other sensitive folks, mid-way was sad and almost cruel with the way it was heading and the possible implications. But it was wonderful that the movie could inspire my emotions and it's been a while since one has made me feel something. I found myself thinking about it afterwards and inspired to write a review. I recommend you watch it as it's far better than most of stuff churned out these days. As another reviewer wrote, be careful what you wish for, there are consequences and greed will come back and bite you on the rear

Unique fantasy that deserves better

[natcalgary · 7/10 · 18 October 2019]

The concept was pretty cool and unique and the story kept me involved from start to finish. I enjoyed this immensly.

7.1

Ambitious but suffers from significant plotholes

[victoria-71007 · 2/10 · 15 March 2020]

The Room is well acted (particularly by Kurylenko) and has an ambitious and captivating plot- but halfway through, it is evident that this film is a case of good intention but bad execution. In fact- it is infuriatingly contradictory and lacking in any logic.

"The room" will materialize any and all of the "things" you wish for.... and the conflict of the film arises when protagonist Kate wishes for the child she longed for after many failed pregnancies. It is a wish that her husband Matt vehemently opposes for most of the film as he views his son as a "figment", rather than a real human being because he was created by the room and like all the other objects borne from it, will age and wither into ash the moment he leaves the house. They discover this when the money and Van Gogh painting Matt brings out of the house dematerialize into ash, and when Kate unknowingly takes baby Shane outside, he ages into a young boy by the time he is brought back into the house.

The movie portrays Shane as a creepy antagonist, but the fact is throughout the film, no matter his age (and not withholding a very disturbing scene near the end), he always possesses the mental capacity of an extremely innocent 7-8 year old who struggles to understand his own existence and the world around him, and is purely operating on the anger and hatred that was instilled in him by Matt, as well as by his fear and alienating loneliness, having spent his entire existence trapped in the house. Anything remotely evil he does throughout the movie comes from the mind of a small child who is angry and scared and does not know any better.

The room, similar to Shane is simply a vehicle for malevolence rather than being inherently evil.

Here is where it gets infuriatingly contradictory and just.. lacking in any semblance of logic.

After a period of confinement and restrictions as well as hostility from Matt, Shane explores the house more and he inadvertently discovers the room. His parents find him inside building a snowman, having created an entire forest world replicating what he sees outside the window every day. Matt becomes paranoid of the possible ramifications that might arise from Shane's knowledge of the room's powers and angrily locks him out of it

John Doe- also a creation of the room like Shane, ominously and almost tauntingly calls them after to inform Matt that there is indeed a way for Shane to leave the house, and that is if a sacrifice is made. If the creator/s of the wish dies- in this case Kate. Kate overhears the conversation and deliriously leaves, attempting to kill herself, but is ultimately unsuccessful.

Question: If you can create a whole freaking middle earth in the room, why didn't they just let him stay in there and create a world of his own with friends and whatever. That literally sounds better than for him to leave the house, go out into "the real world" grow up and get a 9 to 5 job. And no one would have to die. If they were afraid he would wish for something dangerous that could escape into the house like Matt feared, they literally have a key that can lock the door of the room from the outside.

Shane attempts to leave the house once again, and this time he is actually successful... and by the time his parents arrive, they find he has become an adult. A skirmish ensues and Kate is knocked out. Through a series of paradoxical sequences we discover that Shane is masquerading as Matt and has taken Kate into the room with a replica of the house. Here is the other giant pothole that phases me. The subsequent lengthy and life threatening escape during the climax was 100% unnecessary because at any point when either Kate or Matt were in the room they could've wished everything away (including Shane)- as it was within their power to do so, but this is never presented as a viable option.

Overall, it was an ambitious movie with redeeming qualities, but ultimately it is poorly thought out and this cripples the plot significantly.

Original premise, slow start, bad lead actors, but ending makes you think! SPOILER: don't watch if you have issues with rape

[petiteporcine · 7/10 · 29 June 2020]

First half of the movie is super slow, but picks up at the end - with some twists! Some minor plot holes, but just enjoy the film. The montage of the couple enjoying their wishes coming true is long and drawn out. It could've been shortened and more time spent tightening up the film, eliminating some plot holes or developing the storyline a little more. The lead actors aren't great, their delivery seems stilted, so they probably extended their wishing spree and shortened time actors spent speaking.

While "Kate" is a good actress, her thick accent makes this difficult to watch/believe. The teen Shane is also not a great actor; not as creepy as the younger version. The younger Shane is creepy/innocent as hell.

I think most of the bad reviews are due to the (implied) rape scene at the end. However, I enjoyed the multiple twists towards the end. As another reviewer said, the baby is likely Shane's: the lights flickering, Kate follows Shane and Matt outside before Shane dies so she's probably already be pregnant. John Doe says that the creator has to die for the creation to live in the outside world. Shane (creator) dies; ergo, the baby (creation) can live.

I'll be back with an estimate

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 3 November 2019]

Matt (Kevin Janssens) is an artist and his wife Kate (Olga Kurylenko) is a translator. They buy an old home in upstate New York. They discover a sealed room, amazing one where children were not abused or demons summoned. It is a wish room. Whatever material thing you wish for, you will get. We later discover there is a catch. Once outside the house it ages rapidly and turns to dust. Not an issue unless you do something stupid and wish for a child.

Right away I would have kicked the kid outside and wished for gold coins.

Put no one follows my advice and they run into issues discovering they are not the first people who did this. It is a interesting tale you can watch once and forget a week later.

Guide: No swearing or nudity. Near and implied sex. Cute ending.

Clever film but it has its problems

[teslaman · 6/10 · 12 April 2020]

This movies synopsis intrigued me because I like these kind of films, the mysterious McGuffin driven types. In this we have the room that can make your wishes come true without, it seems, any penalty. There is only the basic rules in which the things you wish for can exist. Unfortunately the writers messed up and why the movie is incoherent in my eyes. They didn't follow the rules they created.

The only price you have to pay is because of the stupidity and/or decisions in how you handle the things you create. Of course, the couple in this movie screw up because of said actions. Herein lies the problem of the film. A lot of the misery, if not all, could have been avoided if the couple were a tad smarter but for the existence of the movie they're not. Reason? Well, they could just have wished most of the problems away. Mostly because of this I won't give it higher than 6 stars.

The performances overall are good but I kept finding myself annoyed by Olgas character. Good performance but annoying. Not her fault, I blame it on the script. There we're of course also some stupid decisions, as mentioned, but that also comes down to the script.

Everything else from a technical and artistic standpoint is done very well and this mythos could easily be expanded with at least one, maybe two more movies. I especially liked the artistic depiction of the machine that powers the room and house.

For myself I would love to see a prequel film about how the house/machine came to be. If done with capable hands it could be a brilliant movie. I'm sure the creator(s) of the house/machine also screwed up, maybe in some other Frankensteinish way like the couple in this movie did, or something else entirely.

Overall a good movie with some interesting twists and turns and of course a twist ending that I also have to question considering the rules for the rooms creations.

Scenarion for a whole mini series

[katiha · 7/10 · 21 February 2021]

I found the screenplay so rich that for me you can make a whole tv series. I like it very much it was dark,mysterious,with a plot twist and suspence. I don't understand the low rating and if you are hesitating to watch it or not I definately recommend it!

The interesting premise deserved a better movie.

[johannes2000-1 · 4/10 · 15 May 2020]

There's nothing wrong with the premise: a spooky old house with a secret room, that supernaturally makes all your wishes come true, with all the beneficial but also horrifying consequences this can cause. It's a pity this premise is so poorly executed, the screenplay is extremely feeble, with lots of inconsistencies and the main characters all the time reacting in totally unrealistic ways.

When Kate and Matt by chance find out the powers of the room, they are not totally dumbstruck with disbelief and fear, as any normal person would, but lightheartedly start an exuberant spree of wishing for the most idiotic things (like original Van Gogh paintings, barrows of cash dollars, ballroom dresses, etc etc.), which takes a tedious 15 minutes movie-time, and all the time they don't really bother about the how and why, let alone about the price that they possibly have to pay for all this.

The wished-for baby Shane could have shifted the story into a more interesting direction, but here the happy couple unfortunately turns into two hysterics, she within the flick of a wrist obsessively attached to this child-from-nowhere, while he runs around like a madman, leaving his wife totally in the dark about the terrible truth that he in the meantime has discovered. As a result they become more and more unsympathetic, so you couldn't care less what happens to them. The mystery-child itself and it's changes cannot save the movie, and while the child-Shane is played adequately creepy, the acting of teenager-Shane is really below par.

And then there were all these inconsistencies. Dollar-bills and painting-canvasses wither within seconds to total nothingness when taken outside the house, while with the child it takes many minutes to change, surprisingly not to dust but instead just growing a couple of years older. How come the teenage and athletic built Shane can wear a perfectly fitting pair of jeans after his sudden change from little child? I also wondered why Matt was so angry about the kid creating with the wish-room his own safe outside world, to me it seemed a super smart move for all three of them!

All in all, a potentially interesting premise but a disappointing movie.

Worth a watch, But...

[midnitepantera · 7/10 · 23 October 2021]

This was something different and fresh, but I agree with another reviewer on here that they shouldn't have rushed the beginning. But while I still enjoyed it and found the story fairly engaging and creepy, they never explain why this exists. :o That bugs me.

Plenty of potential, not so good execution

[painfield · 4/10 · 15 November 2019]

I would have loved to rate this movie higher, there's plenty of potential in the concept and some of the ideas in the movie but I couldn't stand the characters. Their interactions with each other, and their development doesn't follow human rules, they are what is needed in the scene and that creates a disconnect that avoided me to enjoy the film. Most of it is also completely predictable, except for a twist near the end, and I'm not sure if I couldn't see due to the incoherence of it all at that point. I would have rated it at least 5 because it feels like a movie despite its flaws, but there are so many good reviews I feel like I need to warn others, thus this review.

Very well constructed speculative fiction - or is it a moral tale?

[phil-35-898411 · 8/10 · 16 April 2019]

When I went to see that movie (among 50 others) in a fantasy film festival, I had absolutely zero expectation - which is probably the best mindset to watch it. I haven't seen RENAISSANCE (the director's previous theatrical feature film, from 2006), and this kind of mid-budget international production with funds from Luxemburg, Belgian and France rarely surprises.

Among the many definitions of the SF genre, one says it's a fiction based on ideas and strong internal consistency. In that respect, THE ROOM is both Speculative Fiction (with a single powerful underlying hypothesis) and a mean little moral tale (that goes far beyond "be careful what you wish for", but certainly includes it).

The ideas are nicely developed - characters and settings are convincing. Internal consistency feels a little forced at times (the aging process is a little too convenient), but the fictional world remains claustrophobically coherent, with two particularly inspired themes:

* the strange partly organic electric system (or is it a circulatory or nervous system) of the house is visually striking * the film draws a difference (which I won't reveal) between what adults always dream of and what children may dream. It's extremely clever, central to the plot and very depressing (if you're an adult)

All in all, an unassuming but intelligent and entertaining movie, somewhat thought-provoking.

Interesting

[PulpSomething · 6/10 · 11 August 2022]

It's a good movie, not much above average, but it does a fine job in becoming provocative about our own struggle with death. So not horror or psychological, in my opinion, but interesting.

When characters are brainless, horror ensues

[wild_orchid88-530-325600 · 1/10 · 16 December 2019]

What would you do if you found a house with a room that can create anything in the world you desire? If you are a logical meticulous person, things would go as follow... Step 1. Discover the parameters of how it works: What it can create, if it can be brought outside, if it gets destroyed outside the room, how long does it last and what happens if you create things that have an online presence? Can you create a pendrive with next year's best seller? Can you create a new room in the house? These are just a few essential things you would have to know. Step 2. Live your best life, work to survive... because unless you can create diamonds that last outside the house and sell them, it is not an income source and you need to eat. Step 3. Decorate your house, create a ps4, dunno, things that enable you to do things and that you don't need to bring outside your home. Because for as long as you keep them inside, they will last forever. Step 4. Have a family, create millions of millions of dollars and hopefully, when you die, those will become real for your heirs or something (if we apply what they said in the movie and the creator's death makes someone created in the house survive outside, maybe objects will survive too). Now, if you are a stupid person, create something that lives, even worse, create a person and things will go down like the movie. Ruin your life, your marriage and maybe leave you with huge issues for the future. The best way to thwart what could have been an awesome life full of trips to the ocean, to the forest and who knows where at your finger tips is indeed, to make it a living hell all on your own. Regarding the movie, acting was good, no problem there. Writing was lazy and the plot had more holes than a net. :/

Entertaining, good ending

[janellebraid · 7/10 · 31 January 2021]

The script wasn't wonderful or super complex, but it was actually a good movie. It was very different and entertaining. Easy to watch and understand. A little creepy and a few twists near the end. I liked it and will do recommend to watch.

Keeps you thinking

[craigschwier · 7/10 · 2 May 2020]

Pretty decent movie here. Original with a twist or two thrown in. They did leave the biggest question unanswered though.