The Elevator: Three Minutes Can Change Your Life (2015) Reviews

• Surprising, but needed trimming

  josiahhilbig2015-06-09

  I assumed this was a low-budget student-made film, based on the number of ratings and reviews, so I was not expecting anything good to come out of it. There were certainly moments that broke my suspension of disbelief; moments in plot that made no sense, ADR that sounded off, and brief moments of unbelievable acting, but overall, it was better than I expected. In contrast, the main cast was phenomenal, both in performance, and in recognition. Imagine my surprise to see that an international director doing his very first feature-length film roped in three world-class actors. In all honesty, it was the acting that held the entire thing together - as you may expect from a film set almost entirely in an elevator. It was definitely slow to get going, though. It wasn't until the half-way mark that the plot actually got interesting. Occasionally things would happen that offered no value to the story line, and until the forty minute mark, a lot of it felt like filler, like the movie wasn't going to be long enough, so more scenes were added. Nothing was more annoying than thinking something interesting was going to happen, only to realise that nothing was happening at all. I began to get bored after the opening sequence. That being said, if you can endure the first act, you may be pleasantly surprised by the second, as things begin to pick up the pace, and the characters really begin to develop and take on their own stories. In the end, I wasn't impressed by the actual plot, and its conclusion. It was an interesting idea, to be sure, but it made for a rather dull conclusion, when it was revealed what it's all about. Basically, I was pleasantly surprised by the film, but only because I expected a no-budget indie film.

• Secret Sentence

  shoantell2014-12-19

  This movie reminded me of the 1991 movie "Closet Land". Movies with a minimal amount of actors can sometimes be overwhelming with the lack of on screen charisma, but these actors are powerful enough to draw my attention for the limited amount of time they have to tell their story. What I like best about this movie is the ending leaves you with the question, "What was said in the middle of the movie?" If you had seen this in the movie theater you would have left with an unanswerable question. Classic move on the writers part, and classic movie for people that like movies.

• Cheap made thriller that might be intriguing for some...

  Dr_Sagan2015-01-12

  This is obviously not a big movie. It's as low budget as it can be. Now that I watched it, it feels more like a claustrophobic episode of The Twilight Zone. Movies which don't have the resources to excite otherwise, are often trying to impress with other means like disturbing images or provocative situations. So... this is a thriller about a mature woman who holds prisoner a well known game-show host inside an elevator. No. It's not a "hostage situation" (if the production had the money for firemen and SWAT teams and negotiators, I wouldn't characterize this as "cheap"). It's more like...well..I won't spoil you...but if you get quickly through the short list of why a 55+ woman could do such a thing...well...soon you will have an idea about what is going on. But it's not the beginning or the middle of the movie that will impress you. You will get a mental puzzle near the end! What is true and what is not. Caroline Goodall, the good wife of ...Liam Neeson, Michael Douglas and even Bruce Willis, is the star in this. Despite the fact that she is a trained and experienced actress her performance is only adequate. You get that "crazy" vibe she went for, but in my opinion there was much room for improvement. Burt Young should had let us remember him from the Rockies. Didn't know James Parks, he is good but he is kind of unattractive to play a wealthy game-show presenter. Music works well, especially near the end where you will get the actual thrills. Overall: A Cheap made thriller with OK performances and some plot twists to its last part, but nothing special. If you have time to spare, check it out.

• Not Bad

  foutainoflife2019-01-23

  So this is low budget but it is a good find. I'd rather give it a 6.5 rating because it is better than 6 but not quite a 7. This has a limited cast and it is shot mostly in an elevator. I like watching films like this just to see if people can come up with some interesting scenarios for such a tight set. It really isn't too bad. The acting is decent for the most part. It was filmed well and I liked the story. I was a little unsatisfied with the ending but only because I wanted to know more. This worked out just right for my rainy day and nothing to do.

• Superb film

  mazzeotiziana-221732016-12-09

  The Elevator has superb lighting, an innovative use of cinematography in only a few locations and superb acting that is able to hold your attention from the first to the last frame. It jumps right to the inciting incident within the first few minutes, and the bloody fight between the protagonist and the antagonist is heavily suspenseful until the last scene. The superb dramatic action is well synced with the careful psychological crafting of the camera shots, always giving the audience a different look of the scene, even though the characters are at the same place.James Parks and Caroline Goodall are truly amazing at their parts. Overall, The Elevator is truly remarkable for being a smaller budget feature, filmed in the United States by an Italian producer Riccardo Neri and the Italian director Massimo Coglitore.