Panic Button Will Make You Question Your Online Privacy and Presence
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Panic Button is a topical, Saw-influenced look into the darker side of social networking. Even with owing a debt to that film series, though, this indie still comes across as surprisingly original.
Written by James “Crypticpsych” Lasome
November 27, 2011
Release: November 7, 2011 (UK DVD)
Directed by: Chris Crow
Written by: Chris Crow, Frazer Lee, John Shackleton, David Shillitoe
Starring:
Scarlett Alice Johnson as Jo
Jack Gordon as Max
Michael Jibson as Dave
Elen Rhys as Gwen
”All2gethr” is the hip, new social networking site that’s sweeping the world. Four of its millions of users have been selected to win an all-expenses paid trip from England to New York City on a private jet. In midflight, the group is told that, as part of their prize, they’ve been selected to pilot test an exciting new game in which they can win fabulous prizes. After skipping the terms and conditions (because who really reads those, right?) the foursome settle down to play. However, this game has a dark twist as the group is asked a series of deeply personal questions about themselves designed to expose their biggest character flaws and derived from their actions on the All2gethr site. Sensing their prize might be more than they’ve bargained for, the group tries to stop playing… only to discover the game master (represented by a cartoon alligator) has some contingencies in place and that their families and friends are in just as much danger as they are. Why were these four chosen to play “The Alligator’s” game, and what other challenges will they have to endure to protect themselves and those they love?
Panic Button works extremely well because it plays off a modern fear that’s continually in the news: the safety and security of our identities and information online and on social networking sites. Based on people’s actual activities on social networking sites, it plays off the news stories that crop up incessantly about the security and interconnectivity of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. Panic Button also feels like it’s drawing from the game-slasher ‘Saw’ playbook (particularly Saw 2), but the high-tech storyline and more psychological than physical tortures help minimize how noticeable those similarities are.
On the technical side, the editing is fast and fits perfectly with
the thrilling story and action. The story also wisely wastes no time
getting moving, getting the foursome together, on the plane, and into
the air in a hurry. The personality quirks the characters have and
their actions 
online are also believable things that everyday
people
do, driving home the tension, thrills, and fear even further. The sound
design and music is fine with the only issue being that a few lines are
a bit unintelligible due to accent, this being a film from the UK and
all. However, as this review is of a screener, I believe that the final
DVD and Blu-ray release of the film should fix that problem. Finally,
“The Alligator” is a very interesting killer particularly once his
motives are made clear. It’s true that his reach can sometimes stretch
believability (seriously, how is “The Alligator” able to capture and/or
find all these people without being caught?) but the extent to which
the game master knows these characters and their lives makes that
problem less noticeable.
The four people stuck in the game are likeable even if, in one case,
they initially come across as annoying. Jo (Scarlett Alice Johnson)
comes across as probably the person with the least severe personality
flaws and thus the most likeable. However, all four of them are unique
and layered performances and characters. Gwen (Elen Rhys) is the
quietest and more “proper” of the two women (making one of her tasks
all the more difficult). Max (Jack
Gordon) is
probably the most
stereotypically “average” of the group, even with his own secret.
Finally, Dave (Michael Jibson) is easily the least likeable of the
characters, coming across as lecherous, impulsive, boisterous, and
mildly hedonistic. However, as the game rolls on, his less “moral”
aspects of his personality diminish, keeping us from hating him fully.
Panic Button is an outstanding combination of the horror and thriller genres. It’s absolutely derivative of the 21st century’s Saw-style killers. However, it also builds its own identity by having likeable characters, a foundation in the modern, socially-connected world, and a combination of mental and physical tortures that actually focuses more on the psychological side. Any Horror Freak with an online presence will probably find something they can relate to in this great film.
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