There are some really nice aspects to the story throughout the movie and it is nicely filmed and equally nicely edited, but the movie was ultimately too predictable, and that was what dragged the movie down.The movie is about a group of people who sign up to participate in an experiment that recreates a prison setting, with a handful of wardens and a larger number of prisoners. There are strict rules to follow, and things quickly start to escalate out of control.One of the best parts of "The Experiment" was the great cast. There was a lot of good talents on the cast list, and people were doing good jobs with their given roles. Especially Adrien Brody performed memorably."The Experiment" is, however, the type of movie that you will watch once, and most likely never again, because it just doesn't have enough contents to sustain multiple viewings.A mediocre movie that could ultimately have been more interesting.

I am a huge fan of Forest Whitaker and given the right script he excels at playing the villain, however I do not believe that this script was right for him. The movie for me, was extremely slow moving right up until the last 15 minutes. I also felt the ending was rushed and left no explanation of why exactly this particular experiment had taken place or why it was allowed to continue so long after breaking the rules given by the scientists. This being said if you enjoy films that aren't overly thought provoking with over the top violence, you won't lose anything by watching this. For this film to rate higher for me I would have enjoyed a little more depth into the psychological meaning and exactly why certain characters personalities changed almost immediately within a prison environment. Also to have the characters backgrounds explored a little more as the only actor I really felt for was the comic geek.

This is a difficult film for me to review. I've never seen the original film that this is based on, so I can't comment on that. However, I have studied Reicher and Haslam's prison experiment in depth and know quite a lot about Zimbardo's study.Without any prior knowledge about any of the above. 'd rate it average. You don't particularly gain anything from watching this film. You just learn that everyone is capable of pretty much anything given the circumstances.This film is different to other films... It's interesting how money motivates them. All of them are free to leave at any point so that is never the issue unlike other films. But all of them need to stay because they all need the money.In terms of Reicher and Haslam and Zimbardo... It's interesting to see how the film makers have put the film together. One person taking charge and everyone listening even if they disagree. People being pushed to extremes.I've studied Zimbardo and Reicher and Haslam... So I know all of this. This isn't something I've learnt specifically from the film.The film itself has a clear meaning - people are capable of anything. I want to rate this film more... But it's not really that good. Maybe other people who haven't studied Psychology will find this film much better. For me, I didn't find this film anything new...Spoilers ahead!1. The prisoners were violent before, why did the red alarm not go off? 2. The researchers let someone die!3. Why did we never see the researchers?4. Why didn't we get any real backlog on the prisoners?

The Experiment is based on that very well known experiment that took place in Stanford University's basement where a mock prison was constructed and twenty-four applicants were divided up and given the vague roles of either a "guard" or a "prisoner." The motivation? A decent pay cut, around $15 a day (the film counterpart ups the pay to $1,000 a day). Guards were armed with intimidating, militaristic outfits, while the prisoners were ill-equipped with a smock and no underwear. Originally set to be a fourteen day test, the experiment ended after day six due to drastic measures taken by the inmates and guards that could've been fatal. Abuse was common, the issue of inferiority plagued the prisoners until they tried to force a rebellion, and borderline torturous acts were committed by the guards.The film is the American remake of the German picture Das Experiment, as of now, unseen by me, but not totally written off. I'm not entirely sure if a film based on the prison experiment could effectively be made. This is one of those cases where history and facts overshadow fictionalization and dramatization. I believe a documentary would've been far more suited for this subject.We are met with Adrien Brody, playing Travis, an Atheist softie who agrees to partake in a psychological experiment held by a local organization along with twenty-three other people. Early on, he meets Michael Barris (Whitaker) who seems to be a content and well-managed individual, but when he is given the title of a "guard" and Travis the title of a "prisoner," their true sides come out, and abandonment is quickly brought forth.Much of what I explained above occurs in the film, but in a seemingly muted form. Nothing is ever very explicit or, for that matter, truly interesting. The cinematography is some to commend, perfectly personifying the prison as the one instigating the violence. The atmosphere is so gritty and real that we can see it takes a drastic effect on the people.The whole event feels like Lord of the Flies come to life. Both Golding's timeless novel and Philip Zimbardo's 1971 experiment prove that when stripped of all things just and civil, humans will scram for security and the gray idea of "what is right?" before completely forgoing all the former rules, recognizing this is a new place, and furthermore, begin to act on their id, their desire to feed their consuming savagery. This is definitely taken into consideration in the film, and is the highest point this picture has to offer.But as far as a worthy retelling of the events, it's pretty thin and underwhelming. The film was directed by Paul Scheuring, who directed some episodes of the FOX crime drama Prison Break, and that is exactly how it plays; like a Television crime drama. The performances, mainly by Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker, and the exceptional cinematography elevate the film to a passable status, but The Experiment lacks essential character development essential to furthering ones feelings towards its prisoners, and, instead of playing like an superbly intense film, it plays like what it is; an American remake.Starring: Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker. Directed by: Paul Scheuring.