Solver (2017) User Reviews

The movie version of an escape room

[andyhilton-970-322774 · 6/10 · 28 December 2019]

While it's basically the movie version of an escape room, it's fun and has interesting if fairly predictable ending.

Meh...

[Fourstrawberries · 5/10 · 28 November 2019]

It's been done before, and done much better. This felt like one of those teen movies passable but not nearly as clever as it thought it was. A well worn plot of bad guys pursuing some good guys following a trail of clues to save the world. A wannabe James Bond movie, but without the screen play, budget, actors and director. Kids might enjoy it, but adults will find the disjointed plot frustrating.

good family movie

[dukedecarlo-60151 · 6/10 · 2 March 2020]

Enjoyed it. Nice scenery of upstate NY. Well written and way better than most indie films.

Imagine if a 12 year old produced a movie...

[andyjwalter · 2/10 · 30 January 2020]

Imagine you're 12 years old. You and your friends are given a budget of $20,000 to make a movie, but you don't have access to anybody who has ever written or made a movie before. You come up with puzzles to solve that either make absolutely no sense at all, or are so simple that your 8 year old brother could solve them. This would be a perfect summary of this movie. The acting is terrible. The plot is worse. There is absolutely no character development. It's unfortunately 88 minutes of my life that I will never get back.

Disappointing

[karen-appel · 2/10 · 5 April 2018]

The film was produced on a low budget. The puzzles and plot were simple. I really wanted to love it. I watched the trailer and saw the enigma machine, but it wasn't even mentioned. Definitely would not recommend.

An obvious lack of experience

[nickolasram · 3/10 · 12 March 2020]

The acting is...not great. To be fair, the actors are having to work with a script that feels like it was written by a film student in their first semester at college. The dialogue is stilted and awkward. The characters say what they need to say to progress the meandering plot without feeling like they're taking part in an actual conversation. The characters are also flat and don't behave like normal people a lot of the time. The movie meanders along as it doesn't feel like there are any stakes involved for most of the movie and the puzzles aren't exciting enough to draw us in. Everything (plot, premise, characters, fx, acting, etc.) really fell apart after the part with electricity (if you watched this movie, you know what I mean.) Everything went so campy, corny, and cheesy after that moment. The directing is functional. You're 50 times more likely to get what you want out of this movie from "National Treasure"

The puzzles are fun but the "actors" are middle school grade

[ccby5 · 10 March 2020]

What do you get a with a few fun puzzles and a bunch of folks that can't act their way out of a paper bag? This movie!

It's slightly different than the norm...

[viciousdeath · 7/10 · 15 July 2023]

The premise is basically like that of The Manchurian Candidate (new and old), and maybe the Banshee Project. MK Ultra movies delve too much into sci fi in my opinion but at least this one does it "playfully". I've seen others describe this movie in the escape room category, one of the puzzles kinda touches this.

Some of the acting is bland, a "fight" scene near the end looks TOO fake, at the very least the "punch". Pretty actresses aren't buttseaters, but credit due where credit earned, and her acting chops aren't that bad.

I think the bad guy is kinda famous, this was my first time seeing him act.

The protagonist is too a-holy, but it kinda works in this movie. The kid "sidekick" is meh, but he's an ok actor just not in this movie. (The Alaska Daily kid).

Very low budget but not too much to it's detriment, some of the props could've used some sprucing up and the final set is your run of the mill warehouse. Very practical "effects" but don't expect any blockbuster cgi or anything like that (at least they didn't ruin it with cgi).

It's worth a watch but still forgettable. The pacing does seem a little slow but the act 1 2 and 3 are there, if a little too formulaic. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy but if it's on netflix or something it's not too bad.

Hallmark presents poorly written DaVinci Code

[squid_hartha · 3/10 · 16 February 2020]

Anyone who rates the movie above a 5 and says this is a fun romp that's like an escape room is probably a shill. The writer / producer / probable co-owner of the Production Company (humbly named Empire Builder) is a Yale grad with and Architecture degree who left a career in Finance. He didn't get a Lit degree and it shows. The movie would be better if only some more time had been spent on the writing to make the puzzle work believable. Instead puzzles are woefully thin set pieces/plot devices like a combo lock on a bomb shelter that has a keyboard with names of people instead of letters on it. The protagonist need only get his love interest out of the bar and to the puzzle to progress the plot by poking at names and pointing out that one of the names is her father. Literally no explanation about what the code is. As plot devices most of the puzzles are 'Look! A puzzle! Let's poke at it for a moment. Oh, it opened! Why? Because I'm the Solver! Let us go find another puzzle!' And so...Hallmark production quality and acting let down by a thin script and poor plot development. Better than a college film project though. Not as good as the crap Uwe Boll regularly releases.

Extremely stupid and slow-moving Davinci Code wannabe

[Snootz · 2/10 · 11 February 2020]

The puzzles are ridiculously simple... or just ridiculous. The premise is as absurd as some of the solutions. Guaranteed cure for insomnia. The plot is plodding, the acting barely tolerable, the script apparently written by high schoolers (no wait, high schoolers often do a better job on YouTube).

This puzzle-solving movie is a real yawner. I was surprised to discover it's not an Asylum film... it's that bad.

Good times at puzzle cabin

[lanechaffin-964-63190 · 8/10 · 14 November 2020]

I enjoyed this movie. The cast was good- especially Kerry Knuppe who was fantastic. The story is interesting and entertaining, and kept my attention for the duration. The script could've been better. I found the puzzles and pace a bit after-school-specialzy, not necessarily a bad thing. Filmed in Honeoye Falls, NY, south of Rochester, the scenery is nice. I thought Ruby and Knuppe had good chemistry together. Although there is some drinking, minor cursing and violence, it's mild compared to the F-bomb laden movies you see all the time on tv nowadays. Not really for young kids though. So to sum up, I found this movie refreshing, and loved Kerry Knuppe it is worth watching just to see her.

This time you can believe the bad reviews

[trailerfreak · 2/10 · 2 March 2020]

Unfortunately this time the bad reviews are true. The acting is really, really bad as well as the editing . I kept hoping it would get better , don't waste your time.

The exact opposite of "A MUST SEE"

[zachsextra · 1/10 · 28 January 2020]

The premise of this movie is interesting enough. That's the only interesting thing about it, though. A mysterious series of puzzles to be solved by a young man, left for him by his grandfather. The pacing is breakneck, exposition is non-existent, dialogue is mediocre at its best moments and garbage at its worst, acting is decent enough but with the terrible script you're constantly groaning and sighing at everything they say. None of the characters are memorable, they're all total chiches. Also these people apparently live in a world where the existence of MKUltra isn't common knowledge. So many plot-holes as well, a lot of important questions left unanswered for no discernable reason other than lazy writing.

If a friend asked if they should watch this my answer would be no

[shelloflite · 1/10 · 8 February 2020]

Yeah I guess it's that simple, don't waste your time. Unless maybe you are an actor, writer, or director and want examples of what not to do.The acting was bad but I can't even blame them because they didn't have much of a script to work with.

PPP

[bowlmaker · 3/10 · 22 April 2020]

Poor acting. Poor writing. Poor directing. Cool idea poorly executed. Don't bother watching.

Inciting Mystery!

[ueprod · 9/10 · 29 April 2020]

This film's puzzle solving and discovery aspects are in the vein of Indiana Jones and National Treasure. I really enjoy an am excited by this kind of thing. The film is more raw than studio offerings and as some of the negative reviews have pointed out could use some work in the shooting and cutting. I didn't think the acting was awful however. I look forward to seeing more films from Empire Builder!!

High School A/V club quality

[[e-mail] · 4/10 · 5 September 2022]

Fun escape room puzzles on low budget but couldn't help but notice the negative racial stereotypes throughout. Many would find the slurs to be quite offensive. Actors aren't half bad though. I kept wondering where I'd seen this before but realized it borrows from other movies so originality is lacking. With a bit of fast forwarding, you might make it to the ending. Basically a below average movie that kills 89min that you'll never get back. Fun escape room puzzles on low budget but couldn't help but notice the negative racial stereotypes throughout. Many would find the slurs to be quite offensive. Actors aren't half bad though. I kept wondering where I'd seen this before but realized it borrows from other movies so originality is lacking. With a bit of fast forwarding, you might make it to the ending. Basically a below average movie that kills 89min that you'll never get back.

Looks like a T.V. pilot for a future series.

[Bernie4444 · 4/10 · 31 January 2024]

This is a very formula film of which you can figure out the whole movie in the first few minutes. Do not let this detour you from watching as you can still have fun with the details and dub stilted dialog.

Luke Williams' (John Ruby) grandfather (Chandler Hill) dies in some backwater location. Was he the kindly old gentleman the Luke remembers or is he part of a cabal which includes Dr. Sheffield (Gary-7) and who knows whom?

Is there a potential love interest or just friends sharing the secrets of a good life. Is the baddy the last person you would suspect or right out in the open?

Watch for the fun but do not get your hopes up there this is anything more than what you see.

Didn't Watch It

[vickik-26498 · 4/10 · 5 April 2021]

Couldn't get past the first 15mins. Maybe give it a chance, but for me the executive scene was a fair indicator on what to expect...

Underrated and understated movie

[tradewinds68 · 8/10 · 25 September 2021]

I found this movie to be really underrated. It was intelligent and very intriguing. Sure, the actors were a bit on the B-Grade side, but the content was definitely A-grade. I loved the puzzle content and the conspiracy theory side, it added to the overall reason for making the movie in the first place. Definitely worth a viewing.

outstanding film

[mich1elle · 9/10 · 26 August 2020]

I really enjoyed this one. Well written, acted, and filmed. I loved the cinematography. A fun film for the whole family.

A unique and nuanced mystery!

[bradcormier-11604 · 10/10 · 30 January 2018]

The storyline might appear simple, but there is a lot of depth beneath the surface of this fun mystery flick! The plot moves easily as the audience is engaged with the inventive puzzles that are seemlessly woven into the refreshing writing of this indie gem. Great things are clearly on the horizon for writer Jack Kelley and his team!

A MUST SEE

[moviebme · 8/10 · 1 February 2018]

This is not your typical Indie flick!!! It draws you in from beginning to end. Trying to figure out where the puzzles lead keeps you glued to the screen. The lead actors are terrific. Kerry Knuppe is a real player and I am sure she will be a major force in the business in the future. The writing is especially impressive and the cinematography is top notch. Being an upstate NYer and moving west made me appreciate the beauty of that part of NY. The Solver cast and crew really made something fresh and exciting. See it anyway you can.

Something new to film - I love the puzzles!

[peterjohnson-20275 · 10/10 · 25 January 2018]

Most everything in Hollywood is somehow re-telling a tale that has already been told, but just with a different twist to a conventional story. However, Solver is the first of its kind, bringing a unique mix of puzzles and clues to an adventure film. Go out and see it in the theaters... viewing it through iTunes is great, but if you can, see it in a theater to fully experience it!

something special

[rbarnabas · 10/10 · 3 March 2020]

The even pace was great for bringing audience in to try to solve the plot puzzles. Reminiscent of the 1980s era adventures. Great for the entire fam!