Gamebox 1.0 (2004)

Why so much hype?

Sadly Over-hyped

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

OK So I watched this on NETFLIX and didn't expect to get more than 10 minutes into it before shutting it down, but I immediately related to the lead character. This film obviously had no budget but still it grabbed me and I couldn't turn away from it. The storyline was really quite good and kept moving. I would LOVE to see GAMEBOX 2.0 with something like a $30,000,000.00 budget. Some great CGI ala Avatar. Some of todays video game effects and of course some SEX and EXPLOSIONS! Wow, this could easily become the new franchise line of films done correctly, right up to GAMEBOX 13.0. Seriously, SAW has grown old, Friday the 13th, Halloween and Freddy are done and in remakes. I really wish some exec with a ton of cash sees the promise of this film.

People come into movies with expectations. If you're expecting a thought-provoking drama, you won't be happy if the movie's a hokey musical. My advice? Don't go into a movie expecting the exact same thing you've always seen. I don't know what the budget was for Gamebox 1.0, but from what I can tell it certainly wasn't a "major motion picture." That being said, I think this was a lot more entertaining than people are giving it credit for. Starting off it was a little rickety. I didn't know what to make of the protagonist, but as the story went on and they developed his character it was a fun story to follow. I think the reason this movie won't appeal to everyone is the fact that it is what it promises. If you've ever played a relatively recent RPG or shooter, the game-scenes in the movie are like actual video game cut-scenes. It's an interesting idea -- not necessarily completely original, but certainly well executed. It was a journey for the main character and a way for him to grow, and the story only got more entertaining as it went along. I thought the ending was good. Each aspect of the film fit in neatly to make it so. People were probably put off by the simplicity or the unrealistic nature, but it comes back to going in with the right expectations. You don't play a video game to explore moral ambiguity or some deep, profound ideal. Don't go into a film that's supposed to be modeled after a video game expecting something like that.

First there are some plot holes in this movie. We see in the very beginning a kid dies from playing the game. But who was tied up in the mail truck delivering the package which contains the game? How did the driver place the package into the mailbox when he was lashed to the steering wheel? It is not like he was Mr. Fantastic. Wow that in just the first 15 minutes... The actors are second rate, take the "Bad Guy" played by Patrick Kilpatrick (who?) exactly he has appeared in one episode of everything on TV and some secondary roles in poor movies (like this one). So most of the acting is like TV dramas, I can live with that, but the graphics or special effects are horrible. The disembodied "Game" voice sounds like a poor clone of Hal from "Space Oddessy 2000". What they called Zombies looked more like shadows jumping around like monkeys from "Planet of the Apes". The Aliens had transparent bodies like the shadow zombies. In most cases, the movie was just predictable as it had no hook or hidden agenda going. The story was a good idea but like most good ideas discussed over lunch was never developed beyond that good idea stage.

OK, this movie wasn't good at all. Video games aren't what I would brag on if I was over the age of 15. Cool to play games, but writing a comment about video game players may like this movie for that it is, that is strange. Just play a video game, don't make up a sorry story about getting trapped in one. I use my cell phone, I hope I don't loose my girlfriend in that. Grease being the worst ever? OK, Grease has a very well thought out story along with being a musical. Even if you don't like musicals, anyone would say Grease is good. My brother plays video games all the time and he watched 30 minutes and left because it was so awful. I feel asleep.