Black Hollow Cage Movie Review

Review: Black Hollow Cage

This movie is available on Netflix. No Spoilers:

Black Hollow Cage is a stunning time travel horror story with great promise, but never quite reaches it's full potential. It's a story about a broken father-daughter relationship, a secret tragedy that haunts them, and two mysterious young strangers that bring uncertainty and danger into their lives. The set up asks many questions and touches on several intriguing concepts, but the ending doesn't live up to the hype.

The cinematography will hypnotize you. We are dipped into a sci-fy world where Adam, the father, and daughter Alice live in a gorgeous steel home secluded in the woods, a home impenetrable to the outside world and, apparently, contains a healing pool where all it takes is a quick dip to recover from minor injuries. Alice, who is played by the incredible Lowena McDonell, has a mechanical arm, as well as a dog who serves as her "mom." Really, the dog has a voice box and speaks as if she is Alice's mother. Oh, and there's a giant black box in the forest that serves as a time machine. Confused? Yes, the plot and storyworld are a little disjointed, but the gorgeous scenery and wide shots are nothing short of entrancing. 

Unfortunately, this style of filming also caused long pauses in pacing. Too long. And while the actors, especially Lowena McDonell, managed to hold their intensity as the moments of slow paced scenes ticked by, it becomes frustrating, as a viewer. I wanted certain parts of the movie to move forward when instead they came to slow halts.

There are many emotional layers to this movie, but there's almost too much subtly. Too many questions asked without definite answers. And while I might have inferred everything correctly, I'm not entirely sure.

If you're in the mood to watch a unique and stunning time travel movie, give it a try. But be prepared for some drawn out scenes and an ending that might disappoint.