User reviews

I gave this three stars because of some excellent cinematic direction and camera work. Don't get me wrong though, there is also plenty of mediocre cinematography to balance it out. Oh, and there was some effort spent on costuming.

Apart from that, a grand total of zero (or maybe 1, if I was in an extraordinarily generous mood) for acting, script, plot, pacing and direction. Psychological horror? I don't think so. I found nothing of merit in this movie other than the prettiness factor. If I was to sum up my opinion in one word, it would be 'Avoid!'

You only have to look a little closely at people who leave reviews like chrisgordon75 to see that they are so biased and career aligned with cast and/or crew.

A box, a gun, predator looking bad guys and a bunch of tribal goons running around.

As it's low budget, I will give praise to the costume design.

The crying scene with the lead actress reminds me of Roy Hattersley from Spitting Image.

The scenery and music was too over-powering and did nothing to save me from the mundane script, unconvincing and over-cooked acting.

Don't believe the hype and don't waste your money !

It's shameful but it appears most of the reviews of Pandorica are from people directly involved in the production of the movie. Here's an actual honest review.

This movie looks like it was somebody's college homework, and I hope they got an A. However, the movie is not at all honest about itself. It is not a psychological horror thriller. It's barely entertainment. The pacing is inadequate. Nothing shocking or surprising happens.

The story is predictable and barely present, the acting is not horrible. Love seems to have gone into the filming but not the script. There are silly continuity errors, the facepaint looks a little too Space Oddity, and there is virtually no character progression. Also, I get kind of a racist vibe from the film.

The plot arc makes absolutely no sense.. The main character waits until the end of the film to do something that she could have done for the entire film. It's ridiculous.

Probably the worst acting I have seen in a while, poor dialect and unbelievable characters, I do not understand how the other user reviews, are 10/10!!! This has to be the cast and crew writing them! Nobody in their right might would think this was good, it is cringe-worthy all the way through, the plot has been plagiarised, from others,such as the hunger games and game of thrones, but just to make sure they are not directly plagiarising this, most likely it was changed, which is why you get some parts of game of thrones and other parts like the hunger games. I have seen better amateur YouTube videos! I am seriously wondering if anyone else, other than the cast and crew who have definitely rated this, because they all seem to pick out the parts and make them sound good, with hints of trumpets being blown by their owners!! I think it's very dishonest, I had enough of this fake reviews bull on trip adviser, why can't people be honest? This film was terrible I actually can't believe that anyone actually enjoyed it, I had to turn it off half way because it was so bad I couldn't take it anymore! Kids with their iPhone's could do better!

The premise of "Pandorica" is stupid as are the actions of the characters at almost every point. The Varosha Tribe are a small, post-apocalyptic community, a few hundred years from now, who choose their leader once each generation by taking the three most promising twenty-somethings and subjecting them to a trial that kills two of them. The winner then replaces the current leader (who is still mentally and physically vigorous) who is also not allowed to return. If any of this makes any sense to you, you must be one of the people who left positive reviews for this vid.

The main character, the female warrior 'Eiren' is a classic Mary Sue while her two male competitors are a big, dumb klutz named 'Thade' and a swishy backstabber named 'Are' (which is virtually identical to the name of the Ancient Greek god of war, Ares. That's about how subtle this flick is.) It's obvious within the first two minutes of the movie that Eiren is the one who's going to win this goofy competition. Her plot armor is at an Abrams tank level of imperviousness.

The only one of the actors who's at all competent is Luke D'Silva as 'Nus', the current Varosha leader. The rest of the cast are incompetent performers who show no sign of having enough talent to be acting at all. The star of the movie, Jade Hobday, is supposed to be playing an elite warrior (Eiren) but her voice is sqeaky, her physique is slight, her posture is bad, and her movements are stiff. Frankly, she gives the impression of someone who's never done an hour of dojo training in her life. She's ridiculous, just like her character, just like this movie.

I rate this turkey a '1' on the imdb scale which means in reality... ZERO

The movie deserves to be thrown in the air and a bunch of hillbillies shoots it for target practice. Clearly, whoever gave this movie good marks are either intelligent as a goldfish or worked in the cast. However, option C exists; which is the combination of both A and B. But; What angers me the most is the fact that they copied the title from the British TV series Doctor Who; so many fans of the series will be terribly disappointed in this skulduggery.

I have never written a review before, so please bear with me. Last night I went to see Pandorica at the Electric Cinema in Birmingham, I had already seen a 15 minute preview at the MCM ComicCon at the NEC in March, which gave me a real appetite to see the rest of the film. I have to admit, I'm a real sucker for the post apocalyptic genre so for me this film already sounded good, but it wasn't good, it was absolutely fantastic! It featured for me, a great script, strong characters that were portrayed extremely well. it's hard to believe that for some of the actors, this was their first acting role. I also thought that this piece is visually stunning too. From the two Q&A sessions I have attended from writer/director Tom Paton, I discovered that he wrote the screenplay in 3 weeks and the budget was around £77.000. It definitely does not show! It is an interesting, fast paced action adventure that makes you not want to take your eyes off the screen even for a second in case you miss something. It is currently touring the U.K. and will be moving onto their U.S. tour soon, it's also available on DVD, Blu-ray and Vimeo, have you seen it yet? No? Why not?

Pandorica immediatly impressed me with it's cover art, this looked like it could be something special regardless of it's minimal budget.

British made it's set in a post apocalyptic world where mankind has reverted back to tribes. Each generation the top 3 young people who have come of age venture into the woods to endure a trial, the winner becomes the tribes new leader.

This time they get more than they bargained for when they run into a fearful mysterious young woman with a secret.

Though I think Pandorica is flawed it has some interesting ideas and looks great all things considered.

The cast deliver their lines with competence, the direction is solid and you can see a lot of love went into the creation of the film.

Pandorica is almost a live action Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) minus the robot animals. All the credit in the world to the creators, I'd like to see what they could do with a budget.

The Good:

Looks great considering the budget

Cast do a decent job

The Bad:

Terrible choices in music

Often feels like not enough is explained

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

In the future we have face paint that doesn't fade, chip or rub off despite intense activities

I had the pleasure of attending the world premiere of this film as it was shown at the scifiweekender on the 19th March. There was a good crowd of over 800 people in the arena to watch. The film was introduced by director Tom Paton.

Initial credits came on, and already we were treated to a powerful soundtrack starting. The film opened, and we were taken straight into the story. I won't talk about what happened, or write spoilers, but as per the description, we were introduced to Eiren, Ares and Thade and their quest to become leader of the Varosha tribe.

I'll break my review from here into sections:

Cinematography:

This film was shot, as stated, using 20,000 ISO in ultra low light. Technically, I don't understand that personally, however, after speaking with Tom on my podcast, and hearing him on the Q&A, I appreciate what this meant. The film was shot at night, outdoors, over 11 days. No stages or studios. Purely all done outdoors. At night. This could prove problematic with getting ambiance right, but the DOP and team perfected it. Not once did I have to squint at the screen to work out what was happening, which I find myself doing now and then on films shot at night. It was perfectly done. The use of a swooping shot over the woods occasionally, to show the expanse of where they were, and the mountains, were executed very well, and at the right timings throughout, and not over-done.

Screen writing: The script was powerful. yet not overly complicated. We were introduced at times to the Varoshan language, which provided comedic moments. The use of this was also limited, and not overdone, so no constant reading of sub-titles, but enough to know these guys were of a different background.

Soundtrack:

Absolutely blown away by the soundtrack. It was superb. The suspense was kept up, and the music, for which escapes me at this moment, was perfect! It was really powerful, it boomed across the room, and after the premiere, in the Q&A it was one of the many things that people mentioned as being excellent, and questions asked whether it would be released on CD.

Acting:

This is the one that got me the most. I have come to know the actors through my podcast chat show, and have had them on at various times, so I was keen to watch them in action finally. I was not disappointed, quite the opposite, I actually felt emotional watching them on screen, and for the roles they played.

Luke D'Silva commanded his scenes, and showed true power and screen presence

Marc Zammit as Ares, very well played character, again, like the others, you were drawn in, and had that screen presence - not all is at it appears.

Adam Bond as Thades, showed the compassionate one, and you really warmed to Thades throughout the film.

Jade Hobday as Eiran, in her first role, you could never tell. She dominated the screen with natural presence, and power.

The same is said for Laura Howard as Flinn. If I had not previously known, I would not have known this was a first role for her either. Absolutely brilliant job, well done.

Bentley Kalu is a man mountain. I can't say anymore, but the guy was so powerful in presence.

Direction:

The direction was done extremely well, and full credit to Tom Paton. The film flowed seamlessly and to direct a film over 11 nights, in the dark, in woods, and make it look like it did, takes the work of a talented director, and it worked very well.

Overall:

Overall I would personally give this a 5 star rating. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I've seen many films of this genre, and not all "grab me". This one did. I felt connected with the cast, and felt with them throughout their journey. I highly recommend that people go and see this film, either at the cinema, or the other media of Bluray, DVD, or VOD all out at the same time. (another UK first)

Pandorica:The Future Reset is an incredible achievement for a film made with such a low budget and without any 'famous' faces (this will change now), the film succeeds on so many levels. It does not pander to mainstream desires for 'blockbusters' but will appeal to fans of the dystopian genre.

The premise is that a new tribal leader is chosen every generation, the current leader takes three hopefuls into a forest where a trial takes place, and only one can survive, quite why is not made plain.

The actors are all excellent and the dialogue is delivered with conviction, it's hard to single out favourites but Jade Fenix Hobday, Marc Zammit and Luke D'Silva stood out for me. Director, Tom Paton (who also created the whole film), keeps the beat of the action going, rising to the inevitable conclusion.

The filmography also excels, filmed at night in a forest but without ever looking too dark. The images are sharp and clear and reflects how much technology has improved to enable new film makers to reach previously unattainable heights.

Everything that appears in Pandorica is there for a reason, not everything is explained this time but sequels are promised. Even prequels?

Despite the outcome being fairly predictable and the start of the trial reminding me of the Wayne's World 2 quote "If you book them, they will come", this film deserves to succeed to enable the crew to develop this dystopian world further.

The art direction, beautiful cinematography by George Burt and Martyna Knitter, perfect locations and costume design by Spyke Toombs and Adam Ford, make it a visually stunning spectacle, with each element complimenting the adjacent medium. A very intelligent, albeit risky, choice of camera paid off beautifully in telling the story that almost exclusively unfolds at night. At no point was the eye left needing to see more than was shown in crisp detail and the absence of light was a necessary tool in the visceral atmosphere created for the audience to share with the characters.

The trio of trial undertakers give wonderfully engaging performances. Adam Bond's portrayal of Thade is both strong in character and soft in soul and as an audience member, I could not help but adore him. On the other hand there was Ares, an unmistakable arsehole brilliantly brought to life by Marc Zammit - each tiniest change of facial expression and instinctual character choice made him a villain the audience loved to hate. The heroine that is Eiren was made for Jade Hobday; her anger and drive for good without the cliché of love interests or perhaps not being as capable in physical conflicts illustrated the perfect personification of a kick ass lead female. However, the whites of Bentley Kalu's eyes as Number 9 very almost stole the entire show - absolutely terrifying. An incredible display of talent and intellect across the board, very well cast by Giles Foreman.

A hugely impressive directing debut from Tom Paton. The manner in which he described his journey from vision to actualisation, made it clear he is extremely passionate about the industry in which he is sure to be a future force of excellence. It's inspiration from other great films such as Predator and Hunger Games shows that a million dollar film can be made to the same quality with a (surprisingly) low budget and a devotion to your work. I couldn't fault it.

The film has a simple plot, its post-apocalyptic where a chosen three of the younger generation compete in a leadership trial to be the next chief of their tribe. I liked the costume and make up design, and the carved masks of the warrior tribe the 3 main characters cross paths with reminded me of 'predator'

The film is well paced, was shot on a Sony A7 mostly at night which can be problematic, especially for a low budget indie. So I was impressed by the innovative way they lit the location, they bounced light off a huge helium filled balloon creating portable moonlight. special mention for the cinematographer George Burt, as overall it looked great!

Good Solid low budget indie film

Welcome too a world reset.. A power struggle between 3 to become leader of the Tribe! 'Ares' Eiren and Thades! Prevoius Trials Complete,The Final Trial Begins.

Chaos will ensue as the 3 battle Each Other

And An unknown Entity. Not forgetting The BOX! With the Power too Rule Over All.

Lavish settings, beautiful Cineography, Fast Paced Storyline That will transport you Deep Into The unknown. Who will Remain.. Who Will Survive Pandorica.

Director Tom Paton Is Changing How Films Are Made. A Pioneer of The Industry.

It's amazing to see the talent of the new generation of filmmakers like Tom Paton coming to the big screen.

This may be a low budget movie (77k), but this is not evident in the quality of the film making

The film is about 3 members of a tribe and their fight to become the new leader. I particularly liked the casting roles of Eiren and Nus. Great storyline, gripping and leaves you wanting to know what happens next .

The film was made on location in the Lake District and Essex. All of the filming in Essex was done at night time in a forest which added to the drama and intensity of the film. You will be able to read from other reviews about the technical aspects of filming in low light.

I firmly believe that this film will have a cult following and we will see a lot more of Tom Patons work in the future.

It's recommended to watch just because of the philosophical plot. acting was awful but what do you expect of low budget 11 day filming?

Erie, (Jade Fenix Hobday) is not an actress but is nice tattooed model. The makeup artists did a nice job on the clothing and makeups.

The voice director was not good but still better than some high budget junk movies.

Pandorica is a great fast paced Post-apocalyptic thriller story of survival. Society as we know it ceases to exist and humans have regressed back to a primal time. A new leader for the Varosha tribe must be chosen to lead the next generation. The current leader must choose a successor by a series of leadership trials to commence into the dark forest miles from home. Only three have been picked from the tribe to compete...who will return to lead? All around good acting performances and well directed and written by Tom Paton. A compelling performance by talented actor Marc Zammit who shines in his part as Ares. Pandorica delivers as an edge of your seat action horror that keeps the twists and turns coming fast...really enjoyed this film and highly recommend it!

Totally Impartial review here. Anyone who has worked in Film knows how hard it is to make a film on a small budget that has high-production values. Pandorica gets so much right, from the sweeping visuals and great Cinematography from George Burt, especially in the low-light setting of a night time forest, to the excellent costumes, great soundtrack, and great Vision and Direction by Tom Paton, who is going from strength to strength as someone to watch out for. I guarantee he'll be directing multi-million dollar films in the future, and I hope to see a bigger budget sequel to this world at some point, as it intrigued me to know more about what happened!

Stand out turns from Jade Hobday & Bentley Kalu as well, although everyone held their own and made for an entertaining film. Well worth a watch, and future stars in the making for sure!

Having seen some mixed reviews I was apprehensive as to what this low budget movie had to offer. The release timing sits well with the current 'post-apocalyptic'genre trend and its plot has heavy connotations to pseudo -medievil war amongst tribes in an age-old fight for survival. The plot lines and pace of the film are carried well by a great cast of hand picked actors, who are clearly accomplished and rising.The over all effect is raw and is a brave depiction of a fantasy adventure with some interesting twists. The movie benefits well from beautiful location settings and imaginative execution. I can see it is a labour of love which shows promise from a young and talented team of independent film makers.

Well I mean what can I say?? I watched Pandorica and I didn't like it, I loved it. This film kept me entertained from beginning to end and the plot line was great.. A British film that was made on a small budget and flawless acting deserves a lot of praise as it's a great film. The acting from each individual was on point and very believable, the cinematography was great and some of the shots taken were awesome.. id watch this film again as would a lot of my friends. I think people have to high expectations and comparing it to big budget films which is not fair A very entertaining film and id recommend it to everyone and anyone who doesn't know about it yet as there missing out on a great film. Good job to everyone involved and I hope there is a sequel to this film. Please continue what you're doing as you're all awesome at what u do.. definitely a few rising stars in this film who I will definitely be looking out for and will continue to watch there films as they entertained.. Please ignore all negative reviews. This film deserves every bit of praise that it receives.. u have a fan for life.. support the films and the industry as people put there all into everything that is made.. thank you for taking the time to read this review and hope u all agree with me. 👍🎬🎥🍾

I don't normally write reviews however I love post apocalyptic films and this low budget film deserves the credit for what it has achieved. I always say if your going to make something low budget keep it simple and focus on the acting and characters. Here it succeeds. Marc Zammit is great as the villain who you kind of agree with, Adam Bond the lovable guy that has to die. I particularly enjoy Laura Marie Howard's performance as it is shows great vulnerability. Jade Fenix-Hobday is great for 2 main reasons, number one she plays with a lot of conflict with great control, number two is something I highly applaud the whole film for. She plays a kick ass strong female lead with power. We all could do with more films showing strong females.

The scenery and cinematography of the film should also be praised as it is beautiful and you get all the information you need whilst holding the feel dark and like a campfire story.

To Tom Paton, the director, well done. To the cast and crew, well done. To all involved job well done.