Black Box

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!"

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.

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.

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.

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.