PLOT: Corporate executives on a team-building retreat face a deadly struggle when their leader turns violently against them.
REVIEW: It’s crazy to me that it’s been over twenty years since the peak of the “torture porn” subgenre. Whether it was High Tension, Hostel, or even Saw, it was always a way to talk down about the film. I always felt the labeling was dismissive and often would relegate films to it simply for being gory. But when a film feels like it’s relishing in the torture of its characters and drawing it out, with little substance, the label actually feels appropriate. Corporate Retreat is absolutely deserving of the label, as it’s really nothing more than torture for the sake of it.
Corporate Retreat follows a group of top-level execs as they head to the retreat to help with team building. Once there, they’re forced to go through different challenges, which range from torture to murder, all orchestrated by their former boss. As much as I wanted there to be some grand point about corporate structure or capitalism, it’s all broken down into simple enlightenment. Feels like a massive missed opportunity to have some interesting social commentary, as some of the best horror films do. Instead, the film never moves past the basic concept and mostly goes in circles. It’s more focused on self-mutilation than making a salient point.
There are some pretty decent gore gags, but the nature of the film makes them feel so monotonous. Often, we’re getting the same gag over and over since the victims have to go through these trials. It can make the violence lose impact, but also feel needlessly gratuitous. Every time I was hoping it would stop being so predictable, it just doubles down. And, as gory as the deaths are, so many lack impact. There were a couple where I didn’t even realize the person had been taken out permanently.
The dialogue is very awkward and makes all of the interactions feel very surface-level. It doesn’t help that none of the humor lands. I went in expecting more of a horror comedy, but there aren’t any funny moments. There are plot threads left hanging, and the resolution just sort of happens. I lost track of the number of times that one of the victims said they weren’t going to do something, only to go through with it a moment later. There’s not nearly enough resistance to these violent acts.
The acting ranges from average to bad, with none of the main victims ever really standing out. Their characters are one-dimensional and fall into simple stereotypes. Alan Ruck is the true highlight of the film, bringing a chaotic fun energy as the Former CEO of the company. He’s able to elevate the material, and the entire film perks up the moment he arrives on screen. Meanwhile, I’m not even sure why Rosanna Arquette is in this, as she’s got maybe two lines and is gone in a flash.
The concept of Corporate Retreat is really fun, but it’s not executed in an exciting way. It feels more like filmmakers liked the initial idea and didn’t bother fleshing it out. Which is too bad, as the film is well done on a technical level. The gore gags are handled well and the hillside mansion is shot beautifully. But the script just goes in circles, and it all ends up being incredibly boring. Despite being a scant 89 minutes, I was checking my watch a lot. Maybe someone else will come along and do the concept some justice, because this just felt like a missed opportunity.
Corporate Retreat is now playing in theaters.
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