Movie Review - Exit 8

...we came in?

I went into Exit 8 knowing only three things:

7:42●●● 95%

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1) It’s from Japan.

2) It’s based on a video game (which I haven’t played).

3) It’s listed as being in the horror genre.

If you are potentially interested in seeing this movie - and I do think you should see it - those three things are all you should know as well. Stop reading this review, and just go see it (it won’t be in theatres long, so hurry). The less you know about the plot, the better. So stop reading now!

Have you stopped?

Last chance.

Okay, I’ll write only in the broadest terms to avoid spoiling anything.

Exit 8 is about a man’s experience being seemingly stuck in a loop in subway corridors trying to find his way out - a “Groundhog Day”-type of situation, although much worse. As I mentioned, it’s based on a video game, which is quite apparent by the way this is filmed. There’s no action per se - it’s not that kind of video game - but it deals with logic that you as a player would have to work through to progress in the game. There are some horror elements in the film, but I would not consider this a horror movie at all. It’s more about suspense and a sense of dread.

Interesting concept and interesting execution. Strangely, I found the first half where the rules and situation sink in more gripping than the second half as things progress. And don’t be dissuaded by it being a “foreign film” - there isn’t a lot of dialogue, and you don’t even notice the subtitles after a few minutes.

If this description intrigues you at all, like I said earlier, go quickly - this movie won’t be in theatres more than a couple of weeks. The big screen plus the sound design really pulls you into that disorienting, enveloping atmosphere. (And let’s be honest - in my ever-so-humble opinion, almost any movie is better on the big screen anyway.)

Isn’t this where...

Grade: B-

Plot
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?