Black Box (III) (2020) User Reviews

Rescue by call center

[tommaguzzi-96171 · 4/10 · 23 October 2021]

That's what it seemed like for much of this ultra low budget movie.

The Manchester accents grated and at times made it sound like a UK TV soap.

The little bit of action was totally unnecessary and unbelievable when they could just have had the pods dock together normally and have the other guy already unconscious to achieve the same result.

However the plot was interesting enough to keep me guessing so that's why it gets 4 stars.

With a better budget, screenplay and appropriate actors this could be so much better.

I don't Remember

[nogodnomasters · 2/10 · 6 June 2021]

Marcus (Garry Graham-Smith) is in an escape pod in space following an accident we know little about. He has lost his memory and is talking to people we never see who are trying to get him back to Earth.

That is about it. Some minor action. Marcus doesn't seem to follow directions even when it is in his best interest. His pod also contains the little black box about the incident which the parent company is more interested in than him.

Boring.

Am stook in a pod an a can't breathe proper like

[griffsta · 2/10 · 23 March 2022]

Should have seen the red flags as soon as I noticed the "black box" prop is made of a foam back roller. Then the epipen being used completely wrong with the needle effect was the icing on the cake. Started cracking up with "Swindon Space Control". The northern accents made it a feel even lower budget than it already was. Also the romancey vibe with Sarah was cringey and completely unnecessary. Couldn't watch to the end.

Worth putting on if you're having trouble sleeping.

Swindon we have a problem!

[Watcher42 · 5/10 · 2 June 2021]

The story has some intrigue and I was compelled to watch through to the end. It's TV drama sci-fi but if this movie had the budget of something like Gravity it'd be a whole different thing and more successful for it.

For a project created on a shoestring budget that wouldn't even cover a day of catering on a big budget movie, everyone involved should be commended.

It builds a decent atmosphere, and after adjusting to the accents I liked the characters. It does a decent job hinting at the history between characters without resorting to ridiculous exposition, as we see in a lot of Hollywood movies. It does feel a bit long even though it's only 90minutes, but the ending paid off for me.

But the best bit... Hearing them refer to 'Swindon Space Control'. As someone familiar with the UK Space Agency which has offices in Swindon this raised a smile and was a nice attention to detail for any Brit.

OMG - Embarrassingly bad!!!

[contactmaz · 1/10 · 24 May 2021]

This was so bad.... so, so bad....

I mean, "Swindon Space Control"! That was really the trigger that should have told me, "Stop, don't watch this!" and also, another trigger was Marcus seeing "Erf" with Sarah telling him that it won't be long before he's safe and sound on "Erf".

Acting was cr@p, script was cr@p, the accents were shockingly humiliating, and I think that on the advert for this film, it said that the special effects were, wait for it... "brilliant"! Mmmm, what SFX?

As a Mancunian, I thought that I could be proud of a good Manchester film... however... this was embarrassingly bad. "Beam me up Scottie... off planet Erf!"

extremely bad

[alfredbullock · 1/10 · 26 May 2021]

This movie was an extreme waste of time. Having a small budget is no excuse for poor acting and writing. The main character mumbled all of his lines. It seemed like they were making the dialogue up as went.

Masterpiece???

[patjo-22120 · 1/10 · 3 June 2021]

What was your budget.....$100 "This is such a beautiful experience that you don't want to miss, believe me. You'll thank me later." I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never did. I won't be thanking you now and I will not be thanking you later...and there will not be a Black Box 2 in my future.

Really, really bad film

[miltongxstephenson · 1/10 · 21 July 2021]

Poor acting with no special effects and a very poor storyline with major holes... Could have been a whole lot better with a decent actor, better script and some effects.

Wish I'd never seen it!

Nice try but...

[junk-monkey · 2/10 · 4 July 2022]

Valiant effort to make a low (zero) budget movie with an intriguing idea but sadly let down by an vastly overly wordy script - I have heard radio plays with less dialogue. Technically it looks good. For the money they had, the designers did a pretty good job of making a small enclosed space that, I presume, could be dismantled into sections to enable the camera to get in from different angles. Initially the relationship between the main protagonist and the flight control girl is interesting. But after a while the plot holes, and the 'wait! That doesn't make sense!' moments just kept on coming and by the end I really was itching for it to be over. I hope the long list of people listed as 'crowdunders' (sic) on the end credits felt their money was well spent.

Black Box is Empty

[rhiwderinray · 3/10 · 14 December 2022]

Might have worked as a radio play but as a film is is pretty awful. Most of the £100 budget must have been spent on building the escape pod. Why does Marcus sound like a Northerner and his millionaire dad sound southern? Anyway, it is badly written, acting is mediocre and the the plot average at best. The voice actors sound totally unprofessional which only adds to the amateur feel of the whole production. Unfortunately it looks and feels like a media student production. I cant imagine why it was released, more likely it escaped, much like the pod at the centre of the storyline. Waste of time and money.

A lot better than the reviews make out

[grahammcainsh · 8/10 · 7 July 2022]

I'm really not sure why people are giving such horrible reviews. I've watched much worse films that are considered mainstream and full of top actors and action.

The dialogue is good, the acting is good, the main character does not mumble. It makes you think and you are invested in the story.

Very good and well done.

Successful

[rmthomas-36760 · 6/10 · 25 August 2021]

Interesting story kept me watching. The set and special effects made good use of the limited budget available.

My Review

[adevet-63841 · 4/10 · 11 December 2023]

Bit of an odd duck this. This movie could very well have been a radio play without losing much of the end result. The set design (for as much as there is a set) brings back memories of high-school shop class, Lighting is hit and miss, and during the movie the main character looks blue, pink and 'human colored' every other scene. Same goes for sound, which (for the main character) goes from 'great' to ' speaking into a tin can'. The story itself is engaging enough if you can get past the rest of the movie. That story is told by exposition-style monologues from the main character, fixed dead center in your screen at all times, supplemented by forced-feeling adlibbing and further expositioning by the characters on the radio. Not all actors hide that they are reading their lines from a script very well, so the whole of the movie feels a bit homemade because of it. If you like exposition and filling in the blanks yourself, this might be for you. For the rest of us: Skip this one unless you have nothing else to watch.

Pretty good for very low budget

[m0v13l0v3r · 8/10 · 25 May 2021]

I get that a lot of viewers are spoiled by multi-million-dollar productions these days, but they have to consider that this 130 minute film was made with less then 8000 pounds from a kickstarter campain. I tip my hat for what they achieved.

It has a B-Movie feel to it at times, sure, but those moments just gave me a smile on my face. It's not an action movie. I would consider it a sci-fi drama maybe(?). I even learned that "Swindon Space Control" is actually a thing, right now. At the time of this comment there are even open job offerings for it, lol.

The story itself is not instantly exposed or guessed by the viewer. There are supprises, puzzling moments and no obvious ending.

With very little narration, this could be a great audio play.

Oh and pro-tip: Never goto space without some tape, you might need it.. LMAO.

Solid, if bleak.

[bobcat333-287-597020 · 6/10 · 4 August 2021]

This is the kind of film that would be great on stage or as the setup for a computer game.

For such a minimalist film- crowdfunded, one actor in one set for the majority- I found it quite effective and engaging, with enough of a slow burn to keep me invested.

Better than average low-budget sci-fi. Well worth a try!

[antonnym69 · 8/10 · 21 July 2023]

Marcus Tyco, the son of Aerospace magnate Juliano Tyco has been on an orbiting space station for 24 hours when a serious accident takes place, destroying the station. Marcus and the station pilot, Brian, each escape in their own rescue pods, and Marcus has managed to save the Black Box to bring back to Earth with him.

Brian and his pod are not responding. Can or should Marcus try to pilot his rescue pod to rendezvous with Brian in an attempt to save him?

Refreshing independent film with an actual, oh... what was it called? Oh yes, a STORY. I liked it! It's not Hollywood, so don't expect explosions every 22 seconds to keep the x-box crowd engaged. This has a good, coherent plot, and some surprises. It is shot entirely on one set, which is the interior of a rescue pod, but that one set looks very good and believable, especially given what I calculate is about an $11,000 (USD) budget.

Some reviews said the script was wordy, but to me, it was not overly wordy. I thought all of the dialog was necessary, given what was happening. Even so, I can honestly say there is never a dull moment. Clever and very competent voice acting by Kerry Ely, especially, and the other two who play the Tech and the Doctor.

I'm a writer myself and I appreciated not only the robust nature of the story, but the dialog and the credibility of the events as they unfolded. If you go into this expecting a nice, well-produced, intimate Sci-fi tale, I think you will be very entertained. All good wishes.

Swindon, we 'ave a problem, like

[martinpeacock-90574 · 1/10 · 3 May 2024]

The blurb on the front declares, "nothing short of remarkable" (Movies In Focus) and "brilliant special effects" (Blazing Minds). Well, 'remarkable' is true, i suppose: it's worth remarking that this no-budget effort got made in the first place. Everything about it screams, 'made by students on work experience', from the production design to the script to the acting. The off-screen actors talk like newbies at a call centre and the lead emotes like an electrician's apprentice. The set's cobbled together from old office equipment and sticky-backed plastic, as though they got the Blue Peter team to rustle something up while the VT was rolling. If you like Hollyoaks, you'll love this. Otherwise, send it back to the charity shop you found it in. That's what i'll be doing with it. 50p wasted.