Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube
Attempting to adapt the Backrooms concept to the big screen is a solid concept, but despite a few glimpses of the film living up to its full-potential, uneven pacing and a bizarre third act leaves the audience wondering “what the hell was that?” I’ve watched the YouTube shorts that this film is adapted from, and found that while they’re interesting, they always feel unfinished and never quite stick the landing. This film mostly follows the found footage feel of the shorts but loses much of its claustrophobic elements and the feeling of hopelessness that I expected to see. Once the story finally feels like its finding its groove, it takes a strange pivot and then takes a confusing turn into some fairly surreal territory. While the actors do a good job, the backstory of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s characters doesn’t quite work for the payoff, and Renate Reinsve’s motivations ultimately add nothing of importance to the overall plot. (Not to mention some they both make some head-scratching choices to move the story along.) The design of the backrooms looks great and combines the best of practical sets and the CG sets from the internet clips that started it all. And although the ending is stronger than what the source material usually comes up with, it still ends up leaving too many questions unanswered and vague.
** out of *****