‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - THE BELKO EXPERIMENT

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

THE BELKO EXPERIMENT (2016, R, 89 minutes, BH TILT / BLUMHOUSE PRODUCTIONS)

The simplest story concepts can blossom into some of the finest work.  THE BELKO EXPERIMENT is one such example. 

A small project hidden within the giant film productions throughout a year can easily be overlooked.  THE BELKO EXPERIMENT is one of those lost and ‘potentially’ neglected children in a mall filled with spastic teens and speed-walking grannies.  (It only happened once, don’t judge.)  Make time to save this poor child by grabbing the closest copy… the Blu-ray, not a child.

First off, THE BELKO EXPERIMENT was not hampered by fan-boy expectations or a studio insisting on constant supervisor input.  With this comes the freedom to do what the hell you want.  And, having James Gunn as the writer… you know, the guy from those GUARDIANS OF THE WHO’S-A-WHAT-ITS… provides you that free pass with confidence knowing the script won’t fail you.  Director Greg McLean (of WOLF CREEK, ROGUE, THE DARKNESS) was the recipient of this ‘golden ticket’.  McLean’s horror background lent some credence to this almost-horror project, but you could not tell if his possible lack of experience in the other genres had any impact, because this was far more than a battle royale film. 

THE BELKO EXPERIMENT is about a company that recently opened a corporate office in Bogota, Columbia who sudden goes under a lockdown.  You slowly find out what is going on, and eventually get your answers but the journey is what truly drives this bloodbath.  The funny thing is, there are real no major surprises… and you are happy for it.  You get exactly what you are promised.  The delivery is well-paced and you never full lose sense of the desperation that is building throughout. 

How do we identify this as a gem among the other similar storylines?  Because the major aspects of storytelling are covered.  This is a treatment on handling a tale that focus on a corporate office, so the first task is to create that corporate environment that we all ‘love’ so much.  Each major and the peripheral characters get just enough depth for them to feel unique but relatable.  If you have worked in a cubical ridden building, they cover all the main stereotypes.  Next, while speedily giving you a sense of the characters, they waste no time in kicking off the ‘fun’.  A voice comes over an intercom declaring that a certain number of people must die or they will kill double the number.  In an office of about 80 people, your chances feel slim.  As the plot develops and reaches the inevitable showdown at the end, you cringe at each death, and the violence that ensues.  For such an outing, even sterile in setting, the imagery is more to make you have flashbacks of your days in the office rather than wow you.

Is this a necessary addition to your growing Blu-ray collection?  Only slightly, if not only to own such a great piece of cinema.  And, you know you want to fan-boy James Gunn’s handiwork.  The Special Features offers very little in the way of behind the scenes or to argue for the Blu-ray cause.  A few added deleted scenes only show that the editors understood the vision and eliminated extraneous scenes, keeping to a tighter storyline.  The “Rules of the Game: The Secrets Behind The Belko Experiment” has Gunn, McLean, and other contributors share a bit in their process and how the project came to be.  The best nugget of information is knowing that BELKO came from a Gunn dream and hear his excitement about making this project.  The other Special Feature to watch is “Lee Hardcastle's Survival Tips”, a collection of four Claymation teaser-trailers for the movie.  You will get a few giggles but they are so brief.

So, you make the call…

Grade: B+

Special Features: B

Blu-ray Necessary: Recommended for the violence, but not really required.

-- James S. Austin

P.S. – The best scene is a transition clip that shows a stray dog peeing on the Belko fence line.