I watch every half decent high, low, no budget scifi film I can find. I've reviewed many of them on IMDB, I believe that the no budget type films are well-suited for intellectual script-driven scifi such as Jeff Thelen's "Panopticon".
While at times exceeding it's grasps, Panopticon is exceptionally well-made and is extremely ambitious for it's $5,000 budget. Yes, the pace drags at times, but on the whole, it is a very well-mad movie, with very well-done sound, good cinematography, good lighting(which is usually not no-budget films strength's), decent acting, and a solid and well-developed idea. Maybe the script could have taken the ideas further, and could have done with a bit more editing, it is still well-done and well-executed by and large. It deserves between a 6 & a 7 for sure, but it is not for everyone with it's dream-like disjointed sequences and deliberately confusing narrative style and structure; this is a movie that is meant to disorient and confuse, it is clearly not intended to give solid answers by the end, and one is largely left wondering, what does it all mean?
I can't tell you why I like Panopticon, I believe it is because it strives to carve out it's own path, it doesn't succumb to cliches, although one might argue it is a little too convoluted for it's own good, but I am just not sure that's accurate, simply because the narrative structure is a direct result of the storyline, it isn't just a choice to confuse, the narrative structure and story are really one and the same. This is not to say I wish there were not a few things done differently, some of the dramatic parts drag on too long, with long drawn out conversations, so yes, some more editing to tighten the pace of the movie would have strengthened it for sure.
All in all though, I would love to see even more movies like this that dare to do their own thing, that try to make the most of their resources and turn out a pretty solid product. I think the acting is well-done, and I'm really not sure why some people say it is awful, it is nowhere close to awful, not even close. Stilted in a few spots? Sure, but awful? No.
If you have patience, and you enjoy thought-provoking sci-fi that isn't afraid to verge into the confusing and weird, give Panopticon a try, otherwise, I'd probably avoid this, you'll likely hate it.