The Call Up

Eight top gamers receive invitations to beta test a new VR game and are transported to a high-tech testing facility. They change into motion capture suits, are scanned, and told to wear VR gear. Zahid objects to wearing gear that marks him as a terrorist, but Shelly persuades him to participate, claiming the tag is ironic.

After helmets are donned, the room's simulation replaces the office with a post-apocalyptic war setting. A simulated sergeant explains the mission: clear every floor from 25th down to the bottom of the building. The players brace for a dangerous test that mirrors a military operation.

The sergeant briefs the group on a Russian-terrorist occupation across every floor; they must clear a path to the bottom starting at the 25th floor. The first level, a tutorial, is easily cleared, and Andre, a former soldier, takes the lead. The team settles into the rhythm of the test, surprised by the realism.

Carl is wounded when the VR feedback causes him real pain. Taylor reveals she took her friend's place in the test, and Shelly promises to protect her as the group continues. The tension rises as the players realize the stakes are deadly.

Marco questions Andre's military background and accuses him of being involved in the game's design. Andre leaves in anger and is shot by a terrorist who has respawned, leaving the group to discover his body and the lethal shock programmed into their helmets. The revelation grimly raises the stakes of every action.

The sergeant forcibly stops Zahid from tampering with his helmet, warning of worse consequences. During a broken-window attempt, the sergeant returns, shatters Zahid's leg, and again warns that the next violation will be deadly. Zahid decides he can't be carried to the end and stays behind as the others descend.

Taylor becomes separated from the group and hides in a bathroom. Forced to defend herself, she kills a terrorist on her own and gains confidence as the others push upward toward the next floors. Her moment marks a turning point in her arc.

On the 9th floor, the sergeant reveals a captive terrorist and instructs the players to torture him for information. Edward volunteers, and after jolts of electricity the password is obtained. Adam uses the password to arm a bomb in the basement, triggering a 30-minute countdown.

Marco uses Adam as bait for the terrorists, leaving Adam to be shot. When the others reach him, Marco kills Taylor to take a medical kit. Carl ambushes Marco, damaging his helmet, and the sergeant enters to kill Marco, ending the threat.

Carl, Shelly, and Edward reach the basement and take out four terrorists. A boss with a bipod-mounted machine gun shoots Carl and Shelly; Carl sacrifices himself to save Shelly by using their last medical kit on her. Edward then eliminates the gunner with a rocket launcher and stops the countdown just before detonation.

Shelly watches Edward recite the sergeant's victory speech by heart, realizing he must be the inside man pulling the strings behind the operation. The realization confirms the human element behind the deadly game.

Shelly wakes to the aftermath of the test, where Edward claims she has won and shows a large bag of money. He tries to silence her with the notion that no one will believe her if she speaks up. The seed of distrust grows as she suspects a broader conspiracy.

In a brutal confrontation, Shelly injects a guard, kills the remaining guards, and confronts Edward. He offers more money to stay silent, but she shoots him at point-blank range and walks away, leaving the money behind with a sense of justice restored.