History YMMV / TheBelkoExperiment

%%* TheWoobie: Pretty much all the workers, especially after all that they've endured.

* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Out of all the characters, Dany appears to be the most well-liked due to her impressive survival instincts, having indirectly saved Mike and the remaining co-workers [[spoiler: during the execution line up scene]], and being one the few to not take part in the killings except for self-defense. [[spoiler: Many were furious when Dany was anti-climatically and abruptly killed off by [[TheHeavy Barry]] near the end after having spent the majority of the film surviving for so long]].
** Evan and Marty are also pretty well-liked. Evan for being a competent, moral man who does a lot to help undermine Barry's early attempts at killing people, and Marty for his comic relief elements [[spoiler: and attempt at TakingAThirdOption by trying to disable the bombs]].
* FanonDiscontinuity:

* HesJustHiding: It is nice to hope that some characters may have only been LeftForDead, particularly [[spoiler: Marty]] who was shot through the throat, but didn't seem to be bleeding enough to indicate that an artery had been hit and [[spoiler: Dany]] given how headshots to the center of the forehead aren't always fatal in real-life.
%%* IronWoobie: Mike, [[spoiler: Especially when he loses Leandra]].
%%* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: Arguably when [[spoiler: Mike and Barry fight. Also serves as a CatharsisFactor considering Barry had become sadistic and unreasonable as the film went on]]. And that's not even getting to [[spoiler: Mike killing the Voice and his guards]].

** [[spoiler: Wendell's murder of Evan, considering all Evan did was ''throw his keys''.]]
** [[spoiler: Barry's entire FaceHeelTurn, from taking the weapons and then executing 30 people in the lobby. When the Voice makes it clear that he must kill everyone else to have the highest kill count, he throws logic out the window and just goes on a killing spree]].
** [[spoiler: Terry basically betraying Mike and then having the ''gall'' to cry pity to Leandra after trying to execute Mike]].
** Let's all be honest here: [[spoiler:the titular experiment]] is a ''big'' [=MEH=] due to [[spoiler:its sole purpose being to see how humans react in hostile environments]].
* {{Narm}}: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]], and ultimately what brought the movie's reception down. Gunn's script seems to have been written as a BlackComedy that the director plays entirely straight, and the whole movie just comes off feeling vaguely uncomfortable overall.
* TheScrappy: While some of the characters are liked either due to being sympathetic or because [[DracoInLeatherPants of how insane they are]], Terry's very disliked due to being a tool and [[spoiler: attempting to shift blame when Barry and his group start the lobby execution]].

* DirectorDisplacement: Some people think that Creator/JamesGunn directed this film. While he wrote and produced the film, it was directed by Gregg McLean of Film/WolfCreek fame.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: How much of Barry's willingness to kill is due to gradual SanitySlippage?

** Let's all be honest here: [[spoiler: the titular experiment is a ''big'' [=MEH=] due to it's sole purpose being to see how humans react in hostile environments]].

* {{Narm}}: ZigZaggedTrope, and ultimately what brought the movie's reception down. Gunn's script seems to have been written as a BlackComedy that the director plays entirely straight, and the whole movie just comes off feeling vaguely uncomfortable overall.