Escape the Field (2022)
Directed By: Emerson Moore
Starring: Jordan Claire Robbins, Theo Rossi, Tahirah Sharif, Julian Feder, Elena Juatco and Shane West
Plot Summary: Six strangers awaken in a cornfield, each of them given an item. Paranoia and tension among the group are the least of their worries as a mysterious being is “stalking” them in this never ending “maze.”
In 1997, drawing from the cyber-punk explosion in cinema and other media, director Vincenzo Natali started his brilliant career (which has been going strong ever since) with Cube. Made on a scant $35,000, the movie was a hit making $9 million at the box office, not to mention home video sales. The simple premise took some inspiration from the classic Twilight Zone episode entitled “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” which in turn was loosely based on “Five Characters in Search of an Author” and “No Exit.” I mention this because 2022’s Escape the Field feels like it badly wants to be Natali’s Cube.
And, you know what? That’s perfectly OK. The fact that both Cube and its Twilight Zone inspiration have previous concepts and rework them into amazing and compelling original works proves this. Sadly, though, it was tough for me to find anything wholly original or indeed satisfying about Emerson Moore’s Escape the Field. You’ve seen this before, a group of strangers that must figure out how to navigate through a giant corn field. In an ironic twist, Vincenzo Natali directed a film with a similar setup involving a seemingly unescapable field in the Stephen King and Joe Hill novella adaptation of In the Tall Grass.
I will give credit where it’s due, Emerson’s direction is solid. In fact, despite the derivative plot, the series of puzzles and ever encapsulating action made for an engaging first and second act. I even liked how the film does a decent job at trying to flesh out characters (though more on that later). Maybe the biggest issue with the film is it feels like it’s been edited and/or re-written in a way that makes it feel unfinished and ultimately underwhelming. Not including credits, the movie clocks in at a scant 82 minutes. Without spoiling the ending, I will just say that the movie spends a lot of time on puzzles and clues only to seemingly negate it in the finale. If done right, this could have worked as a powerful and bleak ending, a la Night of the Living Dead.
Sadly, this is not the case and the movie falls flat on its face. The fact that three writers were brought on board for such a simple premise and plot makes me wonder if the original vision was re-worked and certain elements dropped. This, and what I suspect was a lot of cuts, can also be felt in other ways, most notably the characters. For as much as Moore seems to want to flesh them out, certain characters seemingly vanish, and others only get the thinnest of development. Weirder still, the fate of one character is buried in a mid-credit scene with seemingly no forethought.
Someone wanting to take the Cube premise and re-tool it is not a deal breaker. As I mentioned above, Natali himself even took some inspiration from previous IPs and managed to make it his own. However, this field feels empty and stripped of anything that feels truly original or groundbreaking. This is a shame because I think that the movie did show a lot of promise, but the ending feels rushed and completely un-imaginative. I can’t think of a non-corny way to end this review, but to just say things are popping in this ‘maze’ of boredom.
Escape The Field will be available in Select Theaters, On Digital and On Demand on May 6, 2022.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaDKlkc4zTQ]
Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.
