Spoiler Alert: Certain elements of the plot are touched on that some viewers may not want to know.
Time to fly the unfriendly skies, literally. In a film that takes on the infamous mystery box trope, we embark on a terrifying flight. Black Box is subversive when it needs to be, while at the same time delivering perfunctory tropes. In less than ninety minutes, the story expands, blowing up like a balloon, leaving us on the edge of our seats. By the end, some of the air is let out, once the true nature of the story is revealed. Still, despite some shortcomings, it’s worth being an in-flight movie.
Take off begins as expected. Drinks are served. People are enjoying the flight. Black Box begins without an air of mystery, but once the seat-belt sign goes off, all hell breaks loose. This seemingly routine domestic flight experiences a series of inexplicable phenomena and raw terror. Surreal encounters blur the boundaries between reality and nightmare. Passengers fight against all odds to survive while combating bizarre technological malfunctions, accelerating supernatural events, and alien influences.
Part of the unique setup here is that the story borrows from the headlines over missing flights. There have been countless flights lost throughout history, leading to speculation and even intense conspiracy theories. Here, this film attempts to use those threads to tell an answer to those lingering questions.
Now, I will go ahead and put it out there: Black Box is another alien film. Part of the fun of the ride is the unexplainable mysteries that unfold. At first, a passenger becomes violently sick and dies, leading to fears of a contagion-like event aboard the flight. However, the theory is promptly put to bed. The cause of death and the series of inexplicable events aboard the plane are the result of otherworldly powers.
To avoid spoilers, I will refrain from revealing what is essentially an alien hijacking, but there is some symmetry with Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This story is largely an ensemble piece, but the main focus is on Jeremy (Tom Brittney). He is traveling alone and is the first person to discover that the happenings aboard the plane are psychological effects of an alien frequency rather than some biological terror.
Ideally, the mystery elements could have lasted longer than what occurs in the film. Much of the tension arises from the passenger’s reactions to the strange happenings both on board and outside the plane. Dogs in the cargo hold are going wild. People are suffering from mind-splitting headaches. Tempers are boiling. I won’t say the alien reveal is anticlimactic, as the manner in which this invasion occurs is quite clever; it’s only that the story seems more in a rush to reveal the mystery rather than linger on it.
Black Box is by no means an upbeat thriller. The story becomes increasingly dire, particularly once the threat reveals itself. One note of strong praise is the look of the aliens here. A lot of the time, movies will go out of their way to redesign an extraterrestrial being, and the result is something unnecessarily hammy or so revolting that the audience cannot bear to watch. Here, the design is simple enough to be recognizable, yet unique to the story it works in, and quite effective.
As this appears to be the summer of sci-fi tales, for those who have seen Disclosure Day, do not expect Black Box to be the same sentimental affair. This here is a dark and at times bloody affair that shuns any idea of otherworldly visitors coming in peace, but rather for domination.
While there is some rampant familiarity in the movie, and the story hurries the mystery elements rather than nurturing them, the overall experience is enjoyable. Not to hit the nail on the head too hard, despite a little turbulence, Black Box manages to land the plane. I won’t say safely, because it’s not that kind of movie.
Black Box is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Aura Entertainment. The film will debut on VOD on July 7, 2026.
Black Box. Director: Steven Quale. The movie will release VOD on July 7, 2026.
Not to hit the nail on the head too hard, despite a little turbulence, Black Box manages to land the plane. I won't say safely, because it's not that kind of movie.
Writing & podcasting, for the love of movies.
His Letterboxd Favorites: The Dark Knight, Halloween, Jaws & Revenge of The Sith.
