People come into movies with expectations. If you're expecting a thought-provoking drama, you won't be happy if the movie's a hokey musical. My advice? Don't go into a movie expecting the exact same thing you've always seen. I don't know what the budget was for Gamebox 1.0, but from what I can tell it certainly wasn't a "major motion picture." That being said, I think this was a lot more entertaining than people are giving it credit for. Starting off it was a little rickety. I didn't know what to make of the protagonist, but as the story went on and they developed his character it was a fun story to follow. I think the reason this movie won't appeal to everyone is the fact that it is what it promises. If you've ever played a relatively recent RPG or shooter, the game-scenes in the movie are like actual video game cut-scenes. It's an interesting idea -- not necessarily completely original, but certainly well executed. It was a journey for the main character and a way for him to grow, and the story only got more entertaining as it went along. I thought the ending was good. Each aspect of the film fit in neatly to make it so. People were probably put off by the simplicity or the unrealistic nature, but it comes back to going in with the right expectations. You don't play a video game to explore moral ambiguity or some deep, profound ideal. Don't go into a film that's supposed to be modeled after a video game expecting something like that.
