There's a lot going on here, but what is most readily apparent and important to note is that filmmaker Tom Paton is obviously a huge fan of John Carpenter. The expository sequence at the beginning, preceding the opening scene, is an unmistakable nod to 'Escape from New York' and 'Escape from L. A.'; the same is true of the scenario generally. Even the font used at varying points seems borrowed from Carpenter's classics, and composer Max Sweiry's score is irrefutably inspired by Carpenter as it swirls together modern synthwave and more passive ambient themes. That's not to say that 'Black Site' has Carpenter written all over it top to bottom, but the foundations are plainly evident, and additional such garnishes reveal themselves throughout - take that as you will. As a huge fan of Carpenter myself, I'll take all this as a plus; now that I've used the name five times in these few sentences, you won't hear it from me again. (Maybe.)
Beyond these tasty underpinnings, we can quickly begin to form an opinion about various aspects. I like the very concept, for example, taking a different and more action-oriented tack toward cosmic horror than what we usually see from the genre. While we get glimpses Elder Gods in their unearthly forms, I appreciate from a budgetary standpoint the need to emphasize a more resource-friendly approach to depicting them - which is to say, we see these otherworldly beings as they are restricted to human forms. It's not unfair to say that this method is broadly less satisfying as a viewer, including in action sequences, but so it goes. Further down the slide of unfortunate shortcomings is that as the narrative begins we can make a reasonable guess fairly early about which characters will or will not survive, and dialogue is rather meager and bland.
What strikes me most, though, as an unfortunate weakness is that the look and feel of 'Black Site' is kind of incomplete. Despite clear promise as an action flick, there's not a whole lot of action overall - but there is a lot of dialogue. Despite ostensibly playing with cosmic horror, the feature never does very much with it; 'Black Site' could have been a story about pretty much anything outside of Elder Gods, and it would have played out no differently. And while I place no abject blame on production designer Matt Page or art director Toni Michieli, assuming they were limited by the budget, nonetheless their departments don't make a substantial impression here. It's not that the production design or art direction are bad, only that they come across as too neat and clean. Not to name-drop Carpenter again, but we can feel every pebble underneath our feet, the texture of every wall, he dirt and grime on every surface, as Snake Plissken traverses New York and Los Angeles; 'Black Site' lacks the richness of detail to draw out the verisimilitude and truly make the viewer Feel It.
With all this said, I don't think this movie is altogether awful. I like it for what it is, and I recognize the work that was put into it. Though they aren't all that they could have been, I do like the fight scenes, and the effects; I like the ideas in the screenplay. I love the music. It just seems to me that Paton's reach exceeded his grasp; he possessed the imagination and vision, but not the means to best realize it. For such lack the picture struggles to earn its keep as action-horror, and all the earnestness of cast, crew, and filmmaker alike isn't enough to make up the difference. Factor in more specific deficiencies, and sadly the end result falls further - not abysmal, not by any means, and not without any value, but no better than average. Provided one is aware of the issues I've described, I think this a decent enough recommendation for a lazy day when you want genre fare but don't want to have to actively engage with it. Temper your expectations, and 'Black Site' is modestly enjoyable for what it is.
Beyond these tasty underpinnings, we can quickly begin to form an opinion about various aspects. I like the very concept, for example, taking a different and more action-oriented tack toward cosmic horror than what we usually see from the genre. While we get glimpses Elder Gods in their unearthly forms, I appreciate from a budgetary standpoint the need to emphasize a more resource-friendly approach to depicting them - which is to say, we see these otherworldly beings as they are restricted to human forms. It's not unfair to say that this method is broadly less satisfying as a viewer, including in action sequences, but so it goes. Further down the slide of unfortunate shortcomings is that as the narrative begins we can make a reasonable guess fairly early about which characters will or will not survive, and dialogue is rather meager and bland.
What strikes me most, though, as an unfortunate weakness is that the look and feel of 'Black Site' is kind of incomplete. Despite clear promise as an action flick, there's not a whole lot of action overall - but there is a lot of dialogue. Despite ostensibly playing with cosmic horror, the feature never does very much with it; 'Black Site' could have been a story about pretty much anything outside of Elder Gods, and it would have played out no differently. And while I place no abject blame on production designer Matt Page or art director Toni Michieli, assuming they were limited by the budget, nonetheless their departments don't make a substantial impression here. It's not that the production design or art direction are bad, only that they come across as too neat and clean. Not to name-drop Carpenter again, but we can feel every pebble underneath our feet, the texture of every wall, he dirt and grime on every surface, as Snake Plissken traverses New York and Los Angeles; 'Black Site' lacks the richness of detail to draw out the verisimilitude and truly make the viewer Feel It.
With all this said, I don't think this movie is altogether awful. I like it for what it is, and I recognize the work that was put into it. Though they aren't all that they could have been, I do like the fight scenes, and the effects; I like the ideas in the screenplay. I love the music. It just seems to me that Paton's reach exceeded his grasp; he possessed the imagination and vision, but not the means to best realize it. For such lack the picture struggles to earn its keep as action-horror, and all the earnestness of cast, crew, and filmmaker alike isn't enough to make up the difference. Factor in more specific deficiencies, and sadly the end result falls further - not abysmal, not by any means, and not without any value, but no better than average. Provided one is aware of the issues I've described, I think this a decent enough recommendation for a lazy day when you want genre fare but don't want to have to actively engage with it. Temper your expectations, and 'Black Site' is modestly enjoyable for what it is.