Coming out so close to Devil, which has a similar setup, this one plays much more in the real world. This has no supernatural bent to the story, and as a result, is much more palatable, even if there are several strange problems.
First, I'm really glad that they have full use of their cell phones during the movie. No one has a lack of reception. The only dead battery is on the security guard's walkie-talkie, which was probably written out in the interest of not having to spend time on that direction. However, I'm much more disappointed with how poorly they handle using those cell phones. When a 911 call is made, the guy talking to them skips all of the obvious information - like their location, and just complains about either being trapped in the elevator, or whatever has just happened. This took me out of the movie.
Second, there's a lot of time spent establishing how badly behaved the little girl is. She is responsible for them being trapped in the elevator to begin with, and she causes an accident causes some serious, bloody injuries. With her evilness so firmly established, I expected something else to come from that part of the story, but it never seemed to pay off.
But there are some things that I like. The comic, who comes across as a jerk for a good chunk of the movie, has an arc that turns him into a more likable, and more human character. There's a subplot that establishes their motivation that I liked, dealing with the inappropriate behavior of investment firms. Very pleasing to see these themes appear in movies now.
Somehow, by the time that I finished the movie, I felt like something was missing. I couldn't tell what. It was some strange thing, but it felt like the story didn't satisfy the way that movies normally do.
I have no idea what the deal is with the poster. It has just about nothing to do with the movie.
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