Escape the Field
“Escape the Field” is a low-budget thriller with a fun concept at its core but with puzzle pieces that never add up to a satisfying whole.
“Escape the Field” is a low-budget thriller with a fun concept at its core but with puzzle pieces that never add up to a satisfying whole.
Six strangers wake up in a cornfield with no knowledge of how they got there. Each possesses a single item that is seemingly unconnected, with each person fitting nicely into a well-known movie archetype. We first met Sam (Jordan Claire Robbins) adorned in scrubs with a gun with a single bullet at her side. Next is Tyler (Theo Rossi), who is gifted matches, then Ryan (Shane West) with a lantern, followed by Ethan (Julian Feder) with a compass, Denise (Elena Juatco) with a knife and Cameron (Tahirah Sharif), who is the odd person out and claims not to possess an item at all.
The group finds themselves following Ethan, but the farther they walk, the more hopeless their quest seems. Along the way, they find another person wandering the field and the curious thing about him is he possesses all the items, but before they can ask any questions, the field consumes the man, and he is gone. No answers and only more questions for our group.
Panic begins to set in as their journey takes them in circles and they keep coming back to a central point where another dummy scarecrow is stationed. After a few days without water, they notice a water faucet near the small clearing, but there is no way to turn it on. Sam realizes the back of the compass can be used to turn one and then the group realizes each item they possess is a piece of a larger puzzle they hope will lead them out of the maze and to safety.
As they try to find their way out, people turn on each other, the field consumes others, and the field begins to alter a few. Ryan is injected with a substance that increases his strength and aggression while turning his eyes a menacing shade of red.
We get a little backstory of Ryan being a soldier that illustrates why he’s worked so hard to get his group to safety. At this point, we get a fun Kurtz from “Apocalypse Now” vibe from Ryan as he begins smearing his face with mud and disappearing into the corn to find and kill the thing stalking his group. It’s somewhat goofy, not very convincing, but fun, nonetheless.
Sam and Tyler press forward as they find what they believe is the key to solving the puzzle and gaining freedom with each of the items unlocking more “get out of jail free” puzzles, but in the end, not all will leave the field and the one who does might wish they didn’t.
I was rooting for this film throughout, waiting for it to take off, but it never entirely does. There are some cool twists and clever moments in the story, but it was too uneven throughout. The characters fit nicely into the typical low-budget film archetypes, which only holds the film back even more. I would love to see a smaller movie that gives me some characters with motivations and backstories that I’ve not seen before. That would have been refreshing.
The film excels at the feeling of claustrophobia, with the film tight on them at every turn. Director and co-writer Emerson Moore does an excellent job of creating tension at various points in the movie, but it never feels as sustained as it should.
I would have liked our ending shot to come a little earlier in the film, so we know a little more of the world of the field and would leave us wanting more in the sequel. At this point, I’m curious as to what is next, but not enough to pencil it in on “my movies to watch” calendar.
“Escape the Field” meanders along, never finding its way beyond great promise and missed opportunities.