Why you need to watch the most underrated sci-fi thriller on Amazon Prime – CNET [CNET]

December 5, 2021 Thomas Giboney technology

As part of a collaboration with horror movie factory Blumhouse, a slew of mediocre horror flicks have made their way to Amazon Prime Video over the past two years. That might sound cynical, unfairly so. The eight-film (so far) anthology has given a ton of emerging filmmakers the chance to enter the horror arena.

Unfortunately, the majority of those movies haven’t surpassed the 50% mark on Metacritic. Most have an intriguing premise and most (read: seven out of eight) fell short of their potential.

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But one raises the eyebrows in an “oh, that was surprisingly good” way.

Black Box is far and away the best of the Blumhouse-Prime Video bunch. A sci-fi flick with a horror bent, the 2020 release can rightly claim Black Mirror comparisons, taking conflicted people and handing them technology with consequences.

We literally dive into the head of Nolan Wright (Mamoudou Athie), a man who wakes up from a coma suffering from amnesia. This sounds like familiar territory, but it’s bolstered by Nolan’s daughter Ava, played by Amanda Christine, a child actor so good she would give the Stranger Things kids a run for their money.

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Even if you don’t read up on the premise of Black Box, it’s clear early on that something isn’t as it seems — not just with the memory exploring process, but with Nolan’s existence in general. “You shouldn’t have even survived this” — a doctor says helpfully of Nolan’s coma-inducing car accident.

It offers the enjoyable experience of picking up on clues, clumsy or otherwise. Some have described the memory puzzle aspect of Black Box as Memento-esque. While it isn’t as clever or intricate as Christopher Nolan’s classic, Black Box pieces out its game-changing reveals in a way that builds exciting momentum, rightly serving up the best moments for the end.

Black Box sneaks up on you with its well-oiled moving parts, coming together to deliver a simple but effective morsel of sci-fi horror. It gets the human aspect of its story right, wrapping every element into an emotionally rewarding conclusion. If you’re a sci-fi buff, particularly of the hidden gem variety, head on over to Amazon Prime Video. Black Box should be ticked off your list, especially as a marker of what’s to come from debut director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr.