The Man with the Magic Box (2017) Poster

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4/10
Bodo Kox and the dystopian future with cold tones
davidvox21 January 2023
The man with the magic box is an extravagant and imperfect work, capable of weaving a myriad of ideas in the course of its incessant narration that are not always developed properly.

The reference points in the cinematographic field certainly remain one of the cornerstones of the trend such as the monumental Brazil (1985) by Terry Gilliam and in general the murky and creeping atmospheres of the compatriot Roman Polanski, but it is also possible to find camera movements à la Gaspar Noé.

If the Men in Black franchise is already mentioned in the dialogues in the prologue, the homage to David Fincher's Fight Club (1999) in a particular copy-paste scene is equally shameless. And then again Linea Mortale (1990) and temporal connections in the wake of what we saw, more recently, in the surprising L'immensità della notte (2019).

Too many references to cinema and literature denature the originality.

Certainly appreciable work, especially for lovers of the vein, which however falls under the weight of unexpressed ambitions.
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8/10
A brilliant blend of The Matrix, 1984, and Blade Runner,
petersfreeman3 March 2022
It is an intriguing film, puzzling at first, but I found that built tension and increased my desire to keep watching. If I gave a synopsis, it would spoil it, however I could indicate that while the film is SciFi based, it really is about relationships, love, and humanity. The message I got was that dystopian governments will never crush humanity.

If you like thoughtful films that progress slowly, revealing the story in a careful and human way, then you will be moved by the wonderful, creative vision of the writer and director.

The acting was good, particularity that of Olga Boladz (Goria). I liked Helena Norowicz (Ursula) with her portrayal of the old woman. Sebastian Stankiewicz (Sebastian) was consistently true in his role as well, which I don't want to give away as it would be a spoiler.
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8/10
Underrated Sci-Fi Romantic Drama
MongoLloyd9 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I've watched this several times and I don't completely understand the low rating. I have to assume the amalgamation of a romance based story and sci-fi genre didn't work for audiences because men generally avoid romance based films and women generally avoid sci-fi. Combine these two things and you're stuck with no audience.

However, it's a very interesting take on time travel that typically involves a machine and lots of fireworks. At its core, this is a compelling inter-dimensional love story with actual chemistry between the leads.

The production design is inspired and even though created on a comparatively low budget, works very well immersing the viewer in that world.
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