A new game show is on the rise in - where else - Japan. They're having their first ever American special, with all American contestants. What do they have to do? Survive. They will run for their lives through a maze inside the studio, and if they survive they will win A LOT of money. I'm talking millions of dollars. And, a plus: they win millions of dollars for each slasher that they kill.
The slashers? They're the best characters in the movie. The contestants (Megan, Michael, Rick, Devon, Rebecca, Brenda) are believable and we do feel for them. But the slashers are far more entertaining. We have Chainsaw Charlie ("Born in a barn, raised in a slaughterhouse"), a redneck with a chainsaw; Dr. Ripper ("I want you to open your mouth and say 'Aaaaahhhh!'"), a hilarious doctor with wonderful one-liners; and Preacherman ("One bad mother superior"), who wants to rid the world of sinners. Charlie and Dr. Ripper are veterans in the game; they know what they're doing, and they do it well. This is Preacherman's first appearance, and he's not so good. He ends up being the first slasher offed.
The set that was used for their maze was actually an old paintball course, but I believe it worked wonderfully. There were plenty of places for the contestants to hide, and they even added some trickery to it (like a room that rotates every so often). There is a love room, where contestants can have sex to add time to their lives (because everyone loves seeing sex). Michael tries to rape Megan in order to do this, but she is saved by Devon.
Rebecca (a strong girl who has a life-threatening disease) ends up killing Preacherman, right before Charlie kills her. He cuts her in half with his chainsaw, and Megan is forced by Dr. Ripper to watch the whole thing. The others...I'll leave you to find out for yourself. But, in the end it's Megan and Michael left standing. But Michael has a dirty little secret of his own and, even though all the slashers are dead, Megan is still in danger. Michael wants to kill Megan so that he can keep all the money for himself ("I'm gonna rape you, and I'm gonna kill you. But not necessarily in that order"). But Megan, a law student, bluffs him into thinking he will go to jail when the show is over. He is afraid, and ends up taking care of himself.
This one, honestly, is just fun to watch. There's nothing big and splendid about it, and it's not perfect in any aspect: the acting, filming, effects, etc. But it's definitely entertaining. I'm wondering when there's going to be a real game show like this. America seems obsessed with death and murder anyways, so it's only a matter of time. But I think the writers got it right. If a game show like this were to actually surface, I think it would be safe to say it would take place in Japan (you never know what you're going to see over there).
So if you're looking for a wonderfully made horror film, this is not the movie for you. But if you, like me, enjoy just a good entertaining film...give it a try. Even if you don't love it like I do, it will definitely get a reaction out of you.
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