Exit 8
review by Bobby Blakey
Video game movie adaptations are always hit and miss. It has always baffled me why most don’t just go with the actual storylines of the games they are adapting, but clearly, they don’t do that. The latest getting the treatment is Exit 8 based on the global hit eponymous video game The Exit 8 by KOTAKE CREATE. The film stars Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase and Nana Komatsu from A Hundred Flowers director Genki Kawamura, but does it capture the creepy nature of the game, or will it get lost in the tunnels?
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Exit 8 follows a man trapped in an endless sterile subway passageway sets out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor?
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I have never played this game so have zero context for what it is supposed to be, but from some research I think this film did a good job at capturing it. I wasn’t even sure what kind of horror film I was walking into and prepared for the usual insanity of Asian horror, but to my surprise this wasn’t really a horror film at all and more of a thriller. Sure, there are some creepy elements, and I was thoroughly engaged in it from beginning to end, but was hoping for it to go a little more in. That was my own expectations and does not hurt the film at all.
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It is a slow burn with it keeping things somewhat confusing to why it is happening and where it might be headed, but that is part of why it works. The story is broken into three stories following different people all connected with Exit 8 and how they intertwine. It is a simple concept but works especially when you realize how they
all work together. Part of the brilliance to me was also the ongoing repetitive nature of the dialogue and visuals that alone could drive anyone insane and can affect the viewer getting frustrated in failing to move forward.
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There is never a big explanation to it all which I loved, but there is a sort of finality to the journey this man unexpectedly finds himself on. The visuals to the film are beautiful with the white tile tone of the subway tunnels that keep it almost like you are in an asylum of some sort without being anything other than the background. It all plays into the story as well, which I am sure grounds it further into the game itself and for pushing the narrative of the film it works great.
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This film isn’t breaking down any new walls in the genre nor is it trying to be overly complicated, but it’s crafted in a way to keep you invested and interested until the very end. You may or may not like the ending of the story, but the entire set up leaves it to some interpretation while still being straight forward. It will be interesting if they decide to bring anyone else into the world of Exit 8 as it could take a lot of unsuspecting travelers on a journey that they will not soon forget.
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Decide for yourself and check out Exit 8 when it hits Blu-ray and DVD on August 7th from NEON.