Panic Button review (DVD) ★

In recent years there has been a rapidly increased presence for social networking on the internet, and in many ways it has revolutionised the way we do everyday things. So inevitably cinema had to deal with and incorporate the use of sites like facebook and twitter, even more so in light of the recent success of The Social Network. However, it was also only a matter of time before a film came along that dealt with the darker side of social networking.

Panic Button follows the story of four strangers who have won a competition for an all-expenses paid trip to New York through a social networking website, Alltoghethernow.com. However, as a part of the in-flight entertainment they are forced into an increasingly personal game, supposedly being provided by the website. As they find out the unsavoury facts about each other’s lives, they then try to stop playing the game, but the games host, known only as Alligator, reveals that he has kidnapped their friends and family, and they are forced to continue to play the game, with extremely violent results.

It’s fair to say Panic Button does not live up to the potential of its premise. It has the feel of a low rent Saw clone, but with far more plot holes. The invisible antagonist, who is only revealed at the end of the film, along with his motivation, has somehow managed to manipulate a global social networking site and get his own plane, including all of the associated permissions and legal documentation, not to mention the financial muscle that would have been required. The sheer logistics of this make the story seem illogical and completely unrealistic from a very early stage.

I appreciate that a certain degree of suspension of disbelief is required, but this is very difficult to ignore. The idea of punishing people for their activities online is novel, but the characters in Panic Button have not really done anything especially terrible, slightly irresponsible perhaps, but nothing too drastic, making it seem difficult to feel that they deserve the treatment they are receiving. On the other hand none of the characters are particularly likeable, so it’s also difficult to feel anything for them, though their loved ones and friends who are innocent in proceedings do elicit some sympathy, but little of the film focuses on them, so it’s a fairly moot point.

The pacing of Panic Button also seems slightly odd too, taking far too long to get into the meat of the story, and then rushing the final 20 minutes and filling it with too many violent events without any time for the characters to reflect on them, greatly reducing their impact as a result. This seems to be a common problem with British horror films in recent years, and echoed many of the issues that were prevalent in the film Donkey Punch, a novel idea, but poorly executed. On the plus side, the film’s conclusion is an interesting twist, though it is in some respects, far more interesting than what came before it.

In the end, Panic Button is a disappointment. A film that has such an interesting and unique premise ends up feeling like a flat retread of other more original films. It’s a shame, as it could have been excellent, but for a few major plotholes and a confused message, especially at the film’s conclusion, where the audience don’t know whether this a morality tale, a cautionary tale, or a warning against interacting with the wrong kind of people and things online, or just a comment on the nature of humanity. This lack of clarity is the biggest flaw in Panic Button, and as such it’s a shame the producers didn’t push their own before releasing the film.