Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021) User Reviews

Pay strong attention to which version you watch!

[SleepyMaya · 6/10 · 13 October 2022]

Note this movie has 2 versions, one is the cinema version called the "theatrical cut" and is 1h 28m and more common to find, and the other is called the "extended cut" and is 1h 36m. Despite the misleading titles, the extended cut is NOT just the same movie with a few extra scenes. It's a very different movie where the beginning and the end tell a complete different story with complete different characters, while only the middle part of the two versions is identical. I think many people are not aware of the two very different versions telling a different story, and my guess is that majority of the really low rates are coming from peope who watched the theatrical version. This is a spoiler free review to tell you the differences between them without revealing the actual story of each.

To identify which one you are watching, note the theatrical one is the one starting with a therapy session, while the extended one is the one starting with a 2003 flashback.

Neither of these versions is too great, none of them is as good as the first Escape Room movie. But still, the extended cut version is BY FAR better story wise.

The extended cut develops the main story behind the rooms and kinda moves the story forward. The twist in the end is just slightly predicatble (seen it in a few other movies so it's not original) and not fully baked but is still kinda nice, the idea behind it is just better than the other version, and the movie is not a total waste of time and is still enjoyable even if it isn't a masterpiece. The overall movie there is 6 out of 10 in my opinion.

The theatrical cut however is a complete different story, and in my opinion is more like 2 out of 10. The story there feels lazy in a way, it is sort of a repeat of the first Escape Room movie (just not nearly as good) because you learn pretty much nothing at all about the universe of the movies. You don't get any background details about anything. There is a so called "twist" in the end but it's pretty much nothing and you can see it coming from miles away. This one in my opinion is a total waste of time.

After watching both versions, I am very confused on why they picked the theatrical one to be the official version. It feels like they filmed the extended one first, didn't fully like what it implies about possible future movies, and tried to replace it with some rushed things without having to refilm the whole game, so they found quick "solutions" to still use the same middle part, and it really shows. The whole "Sonia" part is what gives it away in my opinion as it was solved in a very lazy way in the theatrical cut and didn't make any sense, you could tell it was just an excuse to reuse the same already-filmed parts. It is clear that the extended one is what the movie originally intended to be. That also explains why they delayed the release of that movie by a long time and filmed more scenes after over a year of break.

As for the middle part that is shared between both of the versions - it is nice but just not very sophisticated. They are kinda rushing the game as if they are in a race and it doesn't leave enough time for the puzzles to be clever in any way. You don't get to explore anything with the characters, they just randomly understand all of the solutions quickly and explain them to you. Due to how rushed it is, you also don't get to learn the back story or the personality of any of the characters playing the game, other than the ones you already know from the first movie. The rest of the players are just fillers with no story that are just there as decorations, they could all be one person or not be there at all and it wouldn't make a difference. It is nice to pass time but nothing close to the game rooms in the first movie, and honestly there are so many alternative similar movies and TV programs in this style with game rooms and traps, that in comparison to them, this one just isn't good.

In conclusion - If you can only watch one version, I highly recommend you pick the extended one. If you plan to watch both versions, I suggest starting with the extended one first for the better experience, and only then watching the theatrical one. If you are watching a second version and you want to skip the parts that are identical between the movies, the shared part starts when they get to the train station, and ends with the yellow cab scene (start watching slightly before that scene ends). Everything in between those parts is identical in both versions and is safe to skip if you've already watched one of them.

It rushed too much

[Misss25 · 7/10 · 14 February 2022]

I'm bit disappointed. It is tournament of champions but stil the champions are doing nothing but stupidity. I think, I was expecting some more puzzles. In this movie, the puzzles are so easy and rushed,sadly. I coundn't concentrate on this movie because of this reason.

However,I like the ending much so I'm giving it 7.

Not As Good As The First, But Worth Watching If You Loved It

[isantistao · 7/10 · 10 October 2021]

If you loved the first one you should watch this, but don't let yourself be disappointed, it is not as good as the first. The writing/story is way more far fetched and unbelievable, the writers seem to be going off the deep end. The acting isn't as good and feels more forced and also cliche, but this again would be also due to poor writing. But also the movie doesn't look as good as the first one because they are using bad CGI that is low def. So I just wanted to let you know what kinds of things might be a let down for you if you really loved the first one like I did. But I still think its worth a watch and not a bad film.

Normal

[lucas-10159 · 7/10 · 22 September 2021]

It wasn't a waste of time but, on the other hand, it wasn't great. There was a little suspense with an expected ending.

Predictable n not at all at par with its predecessor.

[Fella_shibby · 6/10 · 8 September 2021]

I enjoyed the first part n it has some cool traps, cool settings n the cinematography is top notch.

This one is not at par but still a good thriller.

While the first one has suspense n is tension filled, this one gets a bit predictable, specially the fate of the priest. I knew it that he will be shown as a selfless guy and his fate will be via a selfless act.

Logan Miller's character's fate is also predictable.

Holland Roden looked attractive with her eye makeup.

She is there in Follow Me aka No Escape, a bit similar take on the escape room genre but with a solid twist.

Whereas Taylor Russell looked weird with her makeup at the airport scene.

Shorter and dumber than the first one

[bozabozidar · 2/10 · 31 August 2021]

This is a direct sequel to the surprisingly successful 2019 movie (which I personally liked), so you should really watch that one first if you haven't already. However, the 2nd Escape Room is shorter and has a much faster pacing than the first one, but most importantly everything is just so chaotic and messy all around. The first Room in the original movie was one of the movie's best scenes, as it slowly built up the atmosphere and gave both the characters and the audience enough time to think, whereas the first "Room" in this one is just ridiculous, with everything happening way too quickly and all the characters screaming in such an annoying way. Also, all the deaths are absurdly elaborate, involving some fantastical contraptions that look like they came out of an unusually stupid episode of the original Star Trek series; but this was probably done because more realistic and explicit death scenes would restrict the film's access to younger audiences. Anyhow, the whole movie is pretty much just a set up for the final plot twist, and without spoiling anything I'll just say that the twist is just preposterously unexpected and will leave many viewers scratching their heads out of bafflement as it just raises many new questions. I would recommend the "Tournament" only to those fans of the original who don't have high expectations from the sequel.

A movie for an audience with the attention span of an ant

[Gommes27 · 1/10 · 28 August 2021]

You feel like TikTok videos are too long and you wanna see a movie where a bunch of people constantly scream and point at things while no scene lasts longer than 2 seconds? Look no further, cause Escape Room 2 will be your movie of the year!

Horrible dialogues, horrible directing, no tension, no chance of immersion, no creativity and basically everything what can go wrong in a movie will be found here.

Bad sequel, I'm done with it.

[deloudelouvain · 3/10 · 12 December 2021]

I remember I enjoyed watching the first Escape room, and even rated it with seven stars what in my standards means that I would watch it again, but this sequel isn't good at all. I was annoyed during the entire movie, yawned a lot, and found the storyline very boring to follow. They solve all the puzzles in like thirty seconds, a lot of running around like headless chickens, going from one unrealistic escape room to another. The acting wasn't great either, all looked very unreal. If there's going to be another Escape Room, most likely, it will be without me watching it the next time. I'm done with it.

Extended cut

[jessicacummins-35962 · 8/10 · 15 September 2021]

I highly recommend watching the extended cut as it is so much better than the theatrical version. A better twist and better plot story.

Goo one...

[m-ramanan · 7/10 · 3 October 2021]

RATED 7/10 Language: English

Nice sequel and made this as good origin story... The problem of the movie is that the puzzles are more mathematics than entertaining one... If the puzzles are bit more intriguing and simple this could have been more enjoyable.

Adequately thrilling

[Gordon-11 · 26 September 2021]

This film is still intense, but has less rooms than the first film. It's adequately thrilling.

really enjoyed it

[zreen · 7/10 · 18 September 2021]

I really enjoyed this movie!

Especially the plot twist at the end! I feel like maybe they could have made it a little longer and added more depth to it, but when the film ended i couldnt wait for the next film!

ACTION PACKED.

[andrewchristianjr · 7/10 · 11 September 2021]

Action packed. The set pieces were amazing, and definitely more complex and challenging than the first film but the characters weren't as fleshed out enough or showed as much growth as they could have. It was an awesome ride throughout the whole time.

88 minutes of boring people solving absurd puzzles

[benjaminskylerhill · 2/10 · 16 July 2021]

One of the most colossally stupid, inconsistent screenplays I've seen put to the big screen.

The first film wasn't good, but at least it had some attempts at compelling themes and interesting characters. This movie has nothing but absurdity and an underwhelming story to offer.

Kind of decent!

[ahmxii · 7/10 · 18 September 2021]

Yeah, there is survival thrill in this one too, but story was less engaging.

Just a time pass movie, you can watch it if you have free time.

A disappointing follow up.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 5/10 · 4 December 2022]

I have to admit, I enjoyed the first one more than perhaps I should have, maybe not the most original film, but well acted, well made, and not without thrills and spills, I can understand, commercially, why this second film was made.

It was good to see one or two of the cast from the first film assembled here, the trouble is, that the new characters are wafer thin, we know nothing about them, we learn next to nothing of them, and ultimately it's hard to care about the fate of any of them.

I thought the acting was decent, and the special effects were rather good, I liked how crazy some of the situations were, they tried hard to make the challenges bigger and bolder than in the first, personally, I preferred those fron the original.

I hope they don't make a third, this second wasn't needed. Don't get me wrong, it's not actually a bad film, but there's nothing memorable, there's just something a little cynical about the need to have got this one made, 5/10.

It's a good movie

[sina-83197 · 8/10 · 18 September 2021]

I don't understand why people don't like the movie .. the movie is entertaining, the escape rooms they do are very good and make you think at the same time as the actors about how they are going to escape from the escape rooms or who is going to do the next one who dies.

Eventful movie looking to continue the craziness.

[rikwierinckx · 7/10 · 20 August 2021]

One hour and a half of madness. This movie is shorter than recent ones coming out. It's filled with action and excitement.

It doesn't waste much time getting started, don't want to wast time getting to know new characters like we did in the last one.

In my opinion the new rooms weren't as cool as the ones in the last movie but it tries to change stuff up.

The ending was great, it left you in a bit of a shock, combined with the awesome soundtrack, you just kinda wanna sit there and watch the full credits.

As said I thought the soundtrack was pretty good, although they recycle the main theme throughout.

All in all it was a pretty good movie, deserving of a watch! Enjoy.

Theatrical version is better than extended version

[XxXhAcKeRXxX · 7/10 · 9 October 2021]

Although the first film was better than the sequel, the sequel's theatrical version had a better ending than the extended version. Also, I didn't like the added characters in the extended version. I like a simple and not too complicated plot. Really disappointing ending of the extended version.

Give it a try on lazy sunday afternoon

[moviesknight · 7/10 · 24 September 2021]

Going deeper into the rabbit hole. Starting of movie with the crux of first movie for new viewers and ending makes sure the 3rd part will come. The puzzles are more thrilling. One time watch though. Fun to watch though proving the point made in movie. Actors cant act though.

Great concept - worst script

[Arts-student · 2/10 · 17 July 2021]

Interesting premise. Fun escape rooms and sets. What happened with this script.

I have never been so offended as an audience to be treated like I am too stupid to understand what I'm watching happen - so because I'm a stupid audience member I need to have what I'm watched explained at literally ever possible moment.

Who thought literally any of the dialogue was necessary OR that these performances were acceptable. And some of these actors are really great in other work.

I don't understand how a studio thought this script that took 4 people to write was anything close to ready to be a movie.

Meh

[lucaschriskowalski · 5/10 · 10 July 2021]

I enjoyed the first film, was fresh. They didn't really offer anything new here, definitely more budget but that's about all. The first "room" dragged on and overall the rooms were not as inventive as the first film. When the solving of the puzzles involves nonstop changes in direction it loses any interest as it's just from one thing to another. More of a rental than at the movies.

A Fast Tournament Of Thrills, Some Chills, and An Ending That Spills

[rgkarim · 7/10 · 16 July 2021]

LIKES:

Good Pace/Short Time:

• Sequels sometimes lose their steam and pacing, getting lost in trying to introduce the new pieces and quips to the world. Not the case for Escape Room 2, as the movie opens with little delay and dives back into Minos' nefarious plans from the first film. Our group gets jammed right into the traps and keeps the excitement of life or death going with little hesitation. It's a rough ride of traps and deciphering the mystery as our heroes try to beat the evil corporation making their lives into sport. In a way, this short time does add an element of thrills, and keeps the movie exciting from start to near finish.

The Main Character:

• If you are like me, one of the biggest selling points was the woman who led the charge in the last Escape room antics Zoey. And once again, the girl has got some props that I enjoyed watching once more. That same heart, charisma, and brain power is loaded back into the mix and still just as endearing and fun to watch. The actress Taylor Russell brings that performance back in spades and makes her character just as believable as before, if not a little more melodramatic in this installment. Still, it's nice to see her same characteristics being built upon, but still keeping those familiar and strong characteristics in check.

The Balance Of Characters:

• If you've read my reviews, you know how I find the importance of including a character means utilizing the character well. And sure enough, this movie accomplished the champions quite well given the circumstances. Like the first movie, I felt good involvement with each of the players, only this time with the stakes known, it allowed for better chemistry and expertise solving the harder puzzles. I liked seeing the personalities clash, the specialties come together, and the relationships foster, all while giving a little touch to help add some levels to the performances. Again the acting was well done by all members, hitting the stereotypes and then tearing those will down a little as they hit their mark.

The Twist:

The twist was a nice surprise and something I did not expect given the direction of the movie. Much like the first movie, there is a connection between each room and Zoey's attempt to decipher the mystery is part of the alluring component once again. When that revelation comes to fruition though, I give them props for the surprise coming out of nowhere and how they utilized it into the story, helping make some connections to the past that help with the story element of the movie. I can't say more without spoiling so moving on.

The Rooms:

• By far the best point for me on this movie is whoever plans the rooms for them to play in. Once more the planner of the games had a massive clever streak going, bringing strategy, teamwork, and deadliness the games hold in their seemingly pristine, high definition, settings. The Tournament of Champions ups the stakes and really brings convoluted puzzles, using riddles, hidden clues and attention to detail to help coordinate. That fast paced timing works super well to increase the intensity, and I loved seeing the character quirks come out as fears, limitations, and strengths to help elevate the games to the next level. Championship levels really do go far, with so many clues and pieces to figure out the next part of the puzzle, impressing me with again how things lined up very well. Sure a bit abstract, and some suspense of disbelief of how quickly they solved the puzzles. Still, the continued baiting of the traps and the intensity of how many will make it through to the next room, is certainly the strongest piece that had me leaning forward in my seat waiting to see if predictability would be broken.

DISLIKES:

The Pacing:

• While certainly good, the movie's fast pace also sort of shreds some of the others things I loved about the first installment. The first film had much more dive into character psyche, prowess, and tested those elements to help extend the story past the gimmicks of traps and help you attach onto the characters a bit more. While the faster tone does indeed amp up the suspense moments of those rooms... I do wish that they had either extended the total run time or injected more character components into the mix to really give us more of the champions who had survived hell.

The Sound Level:

• With sensitive ears like mine, the special effects are a bit too loud for me for this film. I had to cover my ears during many of the louder traps and when that happens it adds a little annoying factor for me during the review.

A few more traps needed, or more time in the traps:

• I mentioned it earlier, but the movie's traps are again the selling point of the film and in the first film I loved those intense bouts of being in those intense rooms, pushed against the wire and desperately searching for clues despite the fears before them. This time though, the rushed pace in most of the rooms kind of lost that level of depth I loved in the film, the character driven moments that forced the characters to step up or reveal the vulnerabilities to help push the team forward. Oh sure, there were a few moments that succeeded primarily with the character Nate, but most of the deeper moments became a bit cheesy for me and not quite as tight as the first installment. In addition, some more time spent in the rooms could have allowed for more time for our characters to bond and expand their dynamics to the point of again seeing if these new dynamics would last or protect them from the impending doom.

The Ending:

• All weakness mentioned the worst part of the movie is the last 20-25 minutes where the movie's rules and logic suddenly crumbled. For one thing, the twist that came sort of establishes a new set of rules that does take part of the edge off knowing what the writers can potentially do. Second, all the qualities I mentioned I liked about Zoey and her cohorts suddenly seems undone as the movie tries to close this chapter and potentially prepare another one. The wariness, the attention to detail, and the logic all seem to just get zapped away, in some forced attempt to promote some level of closure, the writers and directors tried to do their best to mislead you, but it only resulted in eye rolling, over the top, corny moments that completely feel different to the movie I had been watching prior to it. Perhaps something can help correct course in movie three, but come on.

The VERDICT:

The second round of escaping rooms still has plenty of heart and thrills that made me fall in love with the installment the first time. A fine leading actress/character leads this new top of the line cohorts in some of the most intense brain busting puzzles I've seen, and it all works at a fast pace to keep you in line with the most dangerous game. Escape Room 2 does still accomplish fashioning characters who are deeper than an MTV special, and seeing the talents come together a little more was another plus to this film. However, the very nature of the fast pace may have also robbed the movie of some of the elements I liked in the first one, primary the compelling relationships we got in the first set of games. The interconnectivity, and using history to fashion growth was missing in this film, and I felt a few character moments could have been put to good use if truth be told. Throw in a little hidden political agenda and the worse components of the ending and you've got a little buffering that toned down the quality of the film. Still, overall I had fun with this film and feel it can be enjoyed in the theater or at home to a similar degree.

My scores are:

Action/Adventure/Horror: 7.5 Movie Overall: 6.0.

Utterly Clueless

[bob-the-movie-man · 3/10 · 21 July 2021]

I only gave Adam Robitel's original "Escape Room" 5/10. It was perhaps hoping for too much that his sequel - "Escape Room: Tournament of Champions" - would be better.

Positives:

• As in the first film, Taylor Russell again stands out as a personable, attractive and convincing actress. She deserves a role in something a lot better.

• The production design on the "game sets" is certainly very impressive.

Negatives:

• The fact that SIX people are down with writing credits for this astonishes me. The whole thing comes across as lazily plotted, with virtually no character development of the players. (Yes, even less than the first film.) You might think Nathan (Thomas Cocquerel) as an athletic priest might be an interesting character. I was expecting him at one point to channel the dramatic demise of Gene Hackman's similar character in "The Poseidon Adventure". But no. Nothing much is done with this.

• It's a movie where the more you think about it afterwards, the less sense it makes. Some examples:

-- People are dead, but then again - when inconvenient for the plot - dead no longer.

-- There's some bizarre "daughter kidnap" sub-plot at one point, but that's never referred to again.

-- Acid rain has no effect on a lock... until that is, the rainwater is captured and poured on the lock! Bonkers!

• There's a tragic amount of inane running around and wailing that gets mentally tiresome. You can imagine this written in the script as "Now run down the corridor and adlib some 'teenagers in peril' noises". (This is a best case guess: I'd hate to think that some of the "Quick!"s and "Hurreeeee!"'s had actually been scripted).

Summary Thoughts on "Escape Room: Tournament of Champions": I found this one to be tragically bad. A lame attempt to cash in on the bizarre $155M success of the first B-movie. My personal recommendation: Avoid!

(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks).

Electrically paced; if you enjoyed the first you will enjoy this one too

[jtindahouse · 8/10 · 1 July 2021]

I really enjoyed the first 'Escape Room' film back in 2019 (it feels like longer ago than that for some reason). The movie was pretty well received and did well at the box office so of course a sequel was going to come along eventually. Plus the ending of the first one basically demanded it (an ending that is recapped at the beginning of this film in case you were wondering whether you needed to see the original first before this - although I would still recommend it for other things that crop up during the sequel). So here we are two years later getting that follow-up, and I have to say it was a pretty darn good movie all up.

I'll start by saying if you struggle with suspension of disbelief in films then you are going to struggle with this one a lot. There are some elements to this movie that are so far-fetched they don't even try to explain them. You just have to accept them for what they are and sit back and enjoy the ride (if you can).

Both of the movies in this series have PG-13 ratings, but it really doesn't take anything away from either of the movies as far as I can tell. People still die in some pretty horrific ways, however the movie isn't going out of its way to rub your face in it. It has a strong enough story going on that it really doesn't have to. We know the stakes are high and (almost) no character is safe.

The pacing of this movie is electric. It's short at only 88 minutes, but even then it's over before you know it. Once the action starts it never relents. These movies are almost like a hybrid of the horror and action genres and I think that is one of the reasons they work so well. People who like horror are able to enjoy the action elements just fine, and people who don't like horror know that the movie isn't setting out to scare you or gross you out at all. There's a really good balance found here.

The only criticism I'd suggest was that some of the new characters could have done with a little fleshing out. There's a scene where everyone goes around the circle and says their name, and that's about the extent of the development we get for a lot of them. It makes them a little hard to care for, and makes them feel quite expendable.

If you enjoyed the first 'Escape Room' you're almost certainly going to have a good time with this one too. This one follows a similar formula, but has some unique twists and turns to add something to the series as well. I had a really good time with 'Escape Room: Tournament of Champions' and would recommend people check it out.