‘Try to survive’
Island Escape is a 2023 American sci-fi horror film about a wormhole that causes time to reset and unleashes hideous monsters.
Written and directed by Bruce Wemple (First Contact; Dawn of the Beast; The Retreat; Monstrous; Lake Artifact; Altered Hours). Produced by Vincent Conroy and Mason Dwinell. Executive produced by Patrick Ewald and Cole Payne.
The production stars Chris Cimperman, Grant Schumacher, James Liddell, Ariella Mastroianni, Michael L. Parker and Zak Corrigan.
Plot:
After a mysterious accident at a research camp on the Isle of Gran Manan, a CEO hires a team of blue-collar mercenaries to extract his daughter, a scientist working at the camp.
Upon arrival, the team soon learns that not only is the island surrounded by a wormhole that causes time to reset every three days, but it’s also crawling with hideous monsters. As they learn more about the nature of time, space, and the creatures on the island, they quickly realise that death may be the easiest way to escape the island…
Reviews:
“Due to a combination of poor characterization, narrative errors, and unfortunate parallels to better-executed predecessors, Island Escape fails to achieve its lofty goals. Although the idea of time loops and enigmatic monsters has potential, the movie fails to use these ideas to its advantage. Although admirable, the director Bruce Wemple’s attempt to mix genres and explore thought-provoking themes ultimately leads to an unsatisfying and frustrating viewing experience.” Rating: C, Caillou Pettis Movie Reviews
“While the concept of a time-resetting wormhole offers an exciting foundation for the film, its potential is not fully realized in the execution. The film grapples with maintaining the novelty and tension of its central conceit, ultimately missing the opportunity to leverage it for a deeper exploration of character dynamics and a more engaging storyline. Despite this, the film remains a decent watch.” High on Films
“While Island Escape may not be non-stop action what we do get is well-staged if rather basic. The same can be said for the effects, various gruesome-looking corpses and some serviceable makeup for the creatures. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. Unfortunately, as with The Tomorrow Job, almost none of this is explained, however.” 3.5 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
YouTube reviews:
Trailer:
Nighttime clip:
Monster in a chopper clip:
Release:
In the US, Island Escape was released theatrically in select locations by Epic Pictures’ horror label, Dread on August 4, 2023, and then On-Demand (VOD) on August 8, 2023. Rent or buy via Amazon Prime. A Blu-ray release will follow on September 12, 2023.
More Bruce Wemple movies:
DAWN OF THE BEAST (2021) Reviews of monster movie with Bigfoot and the Wendigo!
THE RETREAT (2020) Reviews and overview
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