Black Box is a sci-fi horror film by Emanuel Osei-Kuffour. This film is part of a horror compilation series produced by Blumhouse Productions for the Prime Video platform (Amazon). This film stars Mamoudou Athie and senior television actress Phylicia Rashad. The film that presents the human subconscious theme is too many out there, but Black Box offers a unique premise.
Nolan had a severe accident with his wife. The wife died while Nolan is experiencing amnesia where he was unable to recognize his daughter. Soon after, Nolan still felt strange with his old life. The senior doctor at his hospital, Dr. Brooks, offers a modern alternative medicine that is said to open lost brain memory. During the therapy session, Nolan enters his subconscious and finds a different reality, and has to deal with an entity that continues to follow him.
The story is a variation of some popular science fiction films, such as The Cell, The Matrix, Inception, or horror-thriller films like Get Out. The concept of taking over the mind is also often encountered in supernatural horror films, which take a different term, possession. Black Box opens the story well and can make our curiosity even higher until the film’s climax. Apart from the exciting plot, the combination of science fiction and horror genres can also be presented in a balanced way, even though it seems the jump scare is still too “soft” for horror lovers. The problem with the film is presented too “cheap.” If only the film budget were bigger, of course, the visualization could be more stunning.
Black Box is a sci-fi horror film with an exciting premise and an intense plot. Unfortunately, its execution is a variant of many similar themed films much superior. The theme of the subconscious mind can still be explored further by filmmakers with various variations and combinations of genres. Even though it is different in class from other bestselling films produced by Jason Blum, for streaming viewing, Black Box is a film that feels a shame to miss, especially for fans of science fiction and horror.
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