Survival Box (2019) Poster

(2019)

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3/10
Survival Box:Slow burn to nothing
Platypuschow9 January 2024
Plot

Seven teenagers. Five months. Twenty feet underground. No exit. The gripping story of a handful of high school kids trapped in a wealthy Philadelphia family's backyard bunker.

Cast

Unfamiliar with anyone involved, but they're some of the oldest "Teenager" I've ever seen.

Verdict

I don't know why but going into Survival Box with the missus we'd found ourselves believing incorrectly that the movie fell under a certain horror sub-genre we like. Not sure what it's called, but it's where people are thrown into a deadly game such as Cube, Circle, Human Race, Would You Rather etc. Let me be clear, this is not that and in fact isn't even a horror.

A thriller following a theme that we've seen before, no really we've seen this exact movie before. We see the turmoil, we hear the angst, we witness quite frankly very little as the movie slow burns to absolutely nothing. I'd hoped that it had a surprise twist (And not an obvious one) but no it has nothing and arguably has another non-ending.

Full of unlikable characters, dull dialogue and no notable scenes this is an utter bore.

Rants

I want a doomsday bunker! I mean I don't trust society nor our governments, I already stockpile food! I'd make a great survivalist. I'm just not a gun-nut, paranoid or into conspiracy theories. In fact it's probably a bad idea anyway as I'd probably descend into my doomsday bunker, setup shop there and never come out.

Breakdown

Recycled concept Poor casting Weak characters Goes nowhere fast.
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2/10
not that great
corrosie3 September 2019
Dont normally review movies here,but felt I had too because of the 2 false 10 and 9 star reviews.. this movie is very wooden with nothing to offer that is new..the cast is very boring and drab..as others have pointed out in other reviews around,this is more like a tax write off than an effort to make a decent flick ..very sub par and not worth the time it will take to watch.
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4/10
4 out of 10 is being generous
natcalgary5 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Although the acting was not that bad it is the little things in this genre that make the movie. The little things were not there in this movie. 6-8 months go bye and not one of them had longer hair or needed to shave? A little more effort and this movie could have gotten a 6 but no.

4
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1/10
WOW! SO BAD IT'S HILARIOUS, AND ANNOYING!
bhowland0075 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I'm surprised that movie production companies or anyone would spend money making this ridiculously stupid unrealistic horrible excuse for a movie. If this movie made any money I would be very surprised LOL! I'm sure it went straight to half clearance off at Walmart only on 1080p instead of to theaters LOL.
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4/10
Boring and slow
gfarrell03 September 2019
Survival Box doesn't have many if any good qualities. You are better off with a dozen different Netflix titles with similar stories.
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1/10
Bad Bad Bad!!!
sejanus75 September 2019
Bad acting, bad story, so many mistakes, and pretty much nothing happens whole movie!

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME!
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3/10
A Thriller... for Children
genious-354134 September 2019
If you are an adult, or even a remotely mature teenager, skip this. It's for kids who don't want to see, and especially not read Lord of the Flies. It's basically a re-imagining of it with less creativity, worse writing and filled with contradictions and cliches. Lord of the Flies was all about the premise of what would happen if kids were put into an almost impossible situation. This movie was made just to have another movie with a bunch of pretty young people who look like the young Jonas Brothers and Kardashian fans. But: If you like movies where you couldn't care less about ANY of the characters, you might like this. But you might also be a little dopey.
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1/10
Just awful
Bogdan-frus9 September 2019
Almost everything about this movie was cringe. Acting was terrible, the directing and production was horrid, but honestly the worst part about the entire movie was actually the audio engineering. All the speaking scenes were very low so had to turn the volume up, then when the party scene began the volume was way too loud.

But somehow this movie did better than battlefield earth... how?
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3/10
Running....away from this movie!
df420511 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Boy that was some silent apocalypse wasn't it? Anyway. So, some 'kids' are drinking and partying in what has to be the most elaborate bomb shelter I've ever seen when some...'disaster' happens. We're to assume it was a nuclear incident of some kind, but the best we're given is an implication, no actual confirmation. So fortunately the A.I. triggers the auto lockdown, trapping the kids inside, it also turns on the air, water, and constantly monitors for any issues...and yet it couldn't be programmed to transmit an S.O.S. automatically. Rather quickly we see a breakdown in their new society as one guy is coming down off of drugs, an one girl is a psycho. Instead of a nice slow burn to show the slow descent into madness, or the eventual breakdown of societal norms (a la Lord of the Flies) it's into the deep end we go. So we already know who the problem people are, and who the 'sweet innocent' ones are. So that's two hours of non-mystery we have to deal with. Then there's the dream sequences. We see the dreams of one of the survivors, I don't know why they focused on him, he was no more interesting than the rest, but whatever. We see him running through a forest in his dreams....again....and again...and again...and again. Think the movie was running short for time? (no pun intended). When something does not advance the plot, serves no function, and affects nothing..and it's used more than twice...yeah that's called wasting my time. So we have a guy that needs drugs, a chick that needs medication, and a guy with asthma who needs an inhaler. It's funny the way he keeps puffing on it, even when he is very clearly not having an attack. This is one of those 'movie illnesses' that follows only movie logic and not real world medicine. Out of 327 Million Americas, only around 4,000 a year die from asthma, with another 7,000 listed with asthma being a contributing factor. And again, only a handful of those need to puff on it like its a freaking vape pen! Usually an inhaler is for sudden onset attacks. But anyway. Druggy guy leaves the shelter, and "you can neveeerrr come baaaack!" Because he might be sick and contaminate them. What? Then why have the freaking suits if they're not good for anything? I can only assume that they're not designed for extended use or something, but the way they act, it seems like only a few moments outside even with the suits spells certain death. So more people start dropping like flies. And we're supposed to care, but I really didn't. These people had so little personality or established traits, it was like somebody bought mannequins in bulk. Pregnant girl dies, but the baby lives (lets hope it doesn't have asthma!) Older brother dies. Gay asthma decides he wants to hit on the straight guy (the one who openly shares a bed with a woman) because "Oh those wacky gay men, they just can't help themselves right?" But asthma dies soon after. Crazy girl goes...crazy. But its all alright in the end because of....umm...oh look a baby! Now the two sane ones leave the shelter and crazy girl behind. They take the baby too...inside one of the suits apparently. What is it just gonna live in there with you? What happens when it need to use the bathroom? Did you pack baby food into the boots or something? Oh well, who cares, movie over. Yep...movie over. Do they live? Do they die? Was it a war? A meltdown? How do they expect to make it 600 miles carrying a baby in a suit? Well, the movie isn't telling...probably because they spent too much time writing about some guy running, and not enough time writing an actual ending. I expect that the writer/director was going under the "But wasn't the ride worth it folks?" mentality. Let me tell you...no it wasn't!
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4/10
How many days are in a month again?
ron-642-9841674 September 2019
Let's see... 5 x 30 = 150 days... c'mon, people... it's simple math. Pffft...
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10/10
A movie for a generation!
UruIncoherente4 September 2019
Survival Box is a must see for this generation! With Trump and Kim Jong Un making the kind of statements that could start a nuclear war, this movie is a Lord of the Flies for the nuclear age, and the movie will get this generation talking about how brutal, terrifying and nasty nuclear war is. It is beautifully acted by a young ensemble and expertly directed and shot - so much so that you actually feel like you are in the bunker with those kids! intense, gripping and totally immersive viewing, this movie is an absolute standout and unlike any of the other films I've seen in this genre.
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7/10
What are you expecting
sunnya-3064715 September 2019
You watch a movie don't know one person acting and you want an Oscar performance.. wow really. I was intrigued and watched the movie wondering what was going to happen. So with that said I liked to movie , even what some would say slow parts . Waited to see who came out in the end .
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1/10
Worst of worst
hiteshkhille9 September 2019
For 250 days and more they stay inside a bunker with no exit and limited source of water and electricity and food than also their clothes are in clean condition also how ever they manage to survive
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1/10
Another one!
ferdmalenfant4 September 2019
The day any sane person gives this movie anything over a 2/10, I will never watch another movie. Just terrible!
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1/10
So bad movie
vallavan_87 September 2019
Worst movie I ever seen . Bad acting so boring and slow
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1/10
Stop watching after first 15 mins
R3aperCr3w7 September 2019
Movie is well too slow start and even slower in the middle of it . Quit watching in the middle of it not my thing.
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1/10
Really boring and unbelievable and seemed made on the cheap
emmasumner-7282628 September 2019
As the other person said I don't leave reviews but I was so disappointed I actually looked up this film to see what others thought . Very unbelievable doesn't seem to explain what's going on very well sort of flicks one thing to another skipping things out . Wasted an hour and half of my life . I really would skip this one if I was you
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1/10
Absolute Waste of time
chishaacem16 September 2019
What was the point of this movie? Absolutely pathetic, even 1 star is being generous. Waste of space and time
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1/10
What a waste of 30 minutes..
andrewdoyle7415 September 2019
Yep I stopped at 30 minutes..Don't waste your time..
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1/10
If I coold rate it a zero I would
wedisney25 November 2019
I wish this bad meant good but this is a terrible movie. Nothing is explained, nothing is plausible and the acting is so bad that it was almost impossible to get through. Avoid this one at all costs. I can't even say to watch it just to make fun of it because there is nothing to it. Nothing in this movie ever comes close to making any kind of sense. Whoever directed this please go back to your old job.
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10/10
Refreshing...
lizandgeorge-5624826 August 2019
This movie is a refreshing take in a category that has gotten stale. It was great to watch a movie that cared about the characters and connected you to them.
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1/10
Horrible Work Done
tagifep1 July 2020
Who were the Executive Producers and Co-Executive Producers hired for this? Absolutely abysmal, everyone involved in this needs to take a film and acting course. My daughter can do a better job. Anyone involved in this should end their career now, this movie is clearly a resume padder for the untalented.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! (as others have said)
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2/10
Oof....Not worth it
owensknick7 September 2019
2 stars......because it's a movie. And It's got....half decent bones (setting/camera-work.) The rest....wow. Truly just one messy trope cliche after another. Right off the bat, they make sure to throw in that one **** character every terrible movie has that is so far off the spectrum of a normal person it's laughable. In real life, if there were someone who is that much of a ****, people just wouldn't put up with you, let alone in a life or death end of days type scenario(He luckily doesn't have a ton of screen time). Anywho, the rest of the characters aren't much better, all falling into one or another type that has been recycled over and over again from every other poorly written movie out there. The other fun note, this bunker's automated systems kick in and seal this group inside. Yet there's about 3 seconds of them questioning whether it's maybe just a fluke. Then they all just kind of go, "yep, okay, world is over, everyone is probably dead" which would be fine if they acted ANYTHING remotely logically after that, instead it's paranoia and unexplained behavior left and right within a week or two. It's like the writers couldn't decide what each character would be...if they'd be survival experts, smart, stupid, grown ups, soap opera characters that give monologues, stoic non-emotional, hyper-emotional, or the spoiled rich kids they were supposed to be. So instead characters just change from scene to scene, thus the reasoning/thought process that you might be able to apply and fool yourself into believing to explain why a character would do something, has to switch every few moments for it to make any sense. Which becomes tiring....fast!

If you like the idea of this movie. But want something with characters who make sense with the way they are non-sensical due to circumstances. Something that is raw. Something that will leave you kind of feeling....icky. And point out what actually lies below the surface of humanity being kept in check by society. Watch a movie called The Divide. It also has an occasional meh-moment. But it literally beats this movie over the head with story/character based logic.
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2/10
ron-642-984167 - How many months?
Markyajv4 September 2019
30 days has September, April, June and November. All the rest have 31, except February which has 29 - on a leap year 29. So I don't know what 5 months have 30 days, in a row,,,,,,,
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2/10
Boring, bar, awful
ryanhp0618 September 2019
I just have the heart to not to give this movie a 1 star...
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