Black Box (2020)

2.5 out of 5 stars.

Black Box plays like a boring episode of a Black Mirror episode. A father is suffering from an amnesia. After recovering from a car accident. That killed his wife. Now a widowed father with his daughter who tries to help with his memories. He visits a neuroscientist doctor who tries to put him in a machine to revisit his memories. Except he is unaware of these memories.

It was a boring plot that was done before with the concept idea. The script and direction does not do anything new. The music score is tedious. The characters are forgettable. It lacks suspense and scares for a psychological horror film. There is a couple of twists which did not disappoint with the direction it goes. But it has been done before and better than this film.

Fmovies: 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.

The only saving grace is Phyllicia Rashaad. Everything after that is all downhill . Not worth anyone's time.

Black Box fmovies. 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: 7.75/10

It starts slow and confusing in the beginning. However, it is a good movie to watch. Ms. Rashad play some interesting characters.

A well acted and well cast movie with a good pace. Phylicia Rashad is a stand out and really helps the story along. It's difficult to write too much without giving away any spoilers and the minor mistakes in the plot consistency are easily overlooked as you want the story to continue.

Not enough of a thinking movie or a thriller/mystery to get an 8 or 9 but a good watch in any case.