Black Box

"Black Box" is the one of a first batch of movies made in partnership between Amazon Prime and Blumhouse productions, famed budget studio that specialises in making horror movies. Though by no means a bad film, I do wonder if that Blumhouse name might give people incorrect expectations about "Black Box" that may lead to disappointment.

Six months after losing his wife in a car accident, Nolan (Mamoudou Athie) is struggling with memory issues related to the severe head trauma he received. This is impacting his ability to care for his daughter Ava (Amanda Christine), so he agrees to undertake an experimental therapy from leading specialist, Doctor Lillian Moore (Phylicia Rashad), which combines element of hypnosis and virtual reality. Exploring his own memories, Nolan comes under threat from an unrecognisable and barely human form.

When I mention expectations, even in that synopsis it sounds like the movie is a horror film - and the character of backwards man, played by Troy James, who I've seen perform on "The Flash", is certainly a creepy element. But beyond him, the film is more of a science fiction thriller, than it is a horror film - and that may disappoint some brought by the Blumhouse name. Away from that aspect, the film has the good sense to use its rather obvious twist well before the end, and then use that as an exploration point for the finale, rather than as the ending itself. That said, I thought overall the film was a little dull and struggled to full maintain my attention for the duration.

However, it is the first feature for Writer/Director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour and for screenwriter Stephen Herman and though, as I say, I thought the plotting was a little pedestrian, from a technical standpoint the film is pretty good. It often interesting to look at, and what visual effects the film has are nicely done. Mamoudou Athie is decent as the lead, a little bland at the start but that does begin to make sense as the film goes on.

I have no massive regrets about watching it, but it was all just a little too mediocre to consider recommending it.

The rating almost turned me off this movie. But with nothing better to do I have it a go. It was a solid phycological thriller, amazing acting and a good twist. Give it a go

Black Box begins intriguingly - a single father suffering from amnesia tries to regain his memories through a tech-backed experiment. The dynamic between father (Mamoudou Athie) and daughter (a terrific Amanda Christine, the true star of the film) is warmly established. It takes about an hour before the big (predictable) twist arrives, and thereafter, Black Box descends into a heap of melodrama. I didn't find Black Box positioning itself in the horror genre except for the first time the Backwards Man (played to astounding effect by actor-contortionist Troy James) pops up. It's very clearly a psychological sci-fi thriller that focuses less on the sci-fi and more on familial bonding.

The performances (from the all-black ensemble) are good enough to drive the film forward even during its melodramatic portions, with Amanda Christine being the standout performer, followed closely by Phylicia Rashad (as Dr. Brooks). The film has most elements of a Blumhouse production and blurry parallels to Jordan Peele's Get Out can be drawn. However, once the initial uneasiness recedes, Black Box is content being a little sappy in its proceedings. While I was never bored watching Black Box, I felt it could have been better.

Although the title proves to be rather forgettable, Black Box is anything but. It's a unique and peculiar twisted vision from the likes of Blumhouse, which has a great premise, but doesn't always execute it as well as it could have. I'll start with this films flaws, for a number of reasons, this film ends up feeling a bit uneven. I won't spoil the whole twist of this film, you know a 'twist' is coming though as you watch it, and once it is revealed you can't help but feel a bit cheated out of the whole premise it set up. This alone accounts for the film feeling uneven for the last 1/3 or so, and also leads to a rather predictable finale which I knew almost exactly how it was going to play out. However, despite these flaws, the film does manage to capture the viewer's attention all the way throughout- by never giving up on the wonderfully mysterious and unsettling atmosphere it sets up from the very beginning. The acting is quite good, most notably from lead actor Mamoudou Athie, who provides a nearly incredible performance all the way throughout. Other standouts would include rising star Amanda Christine, Tosin Morohunfola, and Charmaine Bingwa. Phylicia Rashad's character feels a bit played out at times, as her character really serves no purpose other than a plot device, and a generic one at that. I enjoyed the cinematography in this flick, as well as the ominous tone and music it kept threw out. It never feels like more than one film, but you can't help but feel there was a far better way to tie this story together, rather than focus on something you truly aren't invested in, or even given much of a reason to. In the end, at its worst Black Box can be a bit of a structural mess, but its ideas and potential- as well as its phenomenal lead performances- lead this film to be quite enjoyable. It's an experience unlike any other, one you won't forget, but one you wish they would have spent just a little bit more thought on.

My Rating: 6.6/10.

I put it on last night on my phone while in bed, the tags of Sci-Fi, Mystery and Horror giving me hope that it will be something mind-boggling and a bit scary that will keep me on my toes.

I was wrong, though. The movie started out OK, but later on became quite predictable and around the middle or right before, I already had figured out the mystery and the second half of the movie was rather boring.

It doesn't help that at around 60% of the movie, I started falling asleep and left it to finish it the next day and it actually managed to feel even cheesier in some parts.

The acting was for the most part OK, except for the protagonist's daughter that seemed way too mentally and emotionally mature for her age to the point where I started questioning is this a Horror or a Comedy/Parody.

The rest of the movie was almost spot on, except that it was too predictable and not scary at all, if I started falling asleep while watching it alone in the dead of the night, it says how "scary" it is.

Overall, I don't regret watching it, but I could've definitely watched some better and more rewarding Sci-Fi Mystery that I was originally looking for.