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Sometimes, competitions are too good to be true. British thriller, Panic Button, directed by Chris Crow, proves that.
Panic Button starts off with young woman Jo (Scarlett Alice Johnson- Adulthood), leaving her daughter with her nan as she heads off to the airport for an all-expenses paid trip to New York. Unbeknown to Jo, masked men are waiting inside the grandmothers and serious danger lies ahead. Still excited for the trip, Jo meets three other strangers, Max (Jack Gordon- Captain America- The First Avenger), Gwen (Elen Rhys- World War Z), and Dave (Michael Jibson- Les Misérables), who have all won the same competition on popular social-networking website All2gethr.com.
As they board the private jet, they are asked to relinquish their mobile phones and take part in the in-flight entertainment; a new online gaming experience, all conducted by an evil alligator emoji via the aircraft screens. Eager to play with the mention of expensive prizes, the contestants agree to partake in the game, which is soon to become an unrelenting nightmare in the air.
Embarrassing details about their lives begin to surface as the alligator subjects the passengers to a series of questions sourced from their years using All2gethr.com, where every link they’ve ever clicked, message they’ve ever typed, and video they’ve ever watched, have been stored. Adulterous trysts, sexual history, medical issues and who they’ve been stalking all come to light.
The four find themselves trapped within a terrifying social media experiment with deadly forfeits. Their past comes back to haunt them as the game takes a far more personal and twisted turn than they could ever have imagined.
The cast are likable even if, initially, they come across as annoying, and they all play their roles well.
Worth a DVD or VOD night in, Panic Button, has minimal scares but some blood and gore mixed with an intense and twisted story which may make you think twice about what you post, poke and like online.
WICKED RATING: 5.5/10 [usr 5.5]
Title: Panic Button
Director(s): Chris Crow
Writer(s): Chris Crow, Frazer Lee, David Shillitoe and John Shackleton
Stars: Scarlett Alice Johnson, Jack Gordon, Michael Jibson
Year: 2011
Studio/ Production Co: Movie Mogul Films
Budget: $300,000 (estimated)
Language: English
Length: 96mins
Sub-Genre: Thriller
