Pandora's Box (2002) User Reviews

Not a bad home movie

[kallafilms · 5/10 · 24 February 2006]

I went to the video store and found all the latest movies were out. And the movies that were there, I've seen. But I wanted to see a movie. SoI thumbed through the older movies and found Trois 2.

I wasn't expecting much, since I never held of the movie. But I have to say I thought it was very good...thanks a lot to the sexual content. The sex in this movie was an eye full. They held no punches. The story is okay. The twist at the end was nice! Nice as in very very good.

In short, this is an entertaining and simulating movie. This is a sequel. I never saw the original. I plan to check it out and or buy both.

Not a Good movie!

[cng777 · 6/10 · 31 July 2003]

Someone else mentioned that this movie was very reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. This was just the black version. The plot of this movie was overpowered and entangled around an obviously pregnant star. It just irked me that she was pregnant and it didn't seem to fit into the movie's plot. It's like they ignored the fact that she was pregnant and jsut "shot around" the scenes that showed her being naked were shot from the wrong angle, they just reinforced the fact that she was pregnant. I kind of feel like if white actors were used this would have been a much better movie. If a white actress was pregnant and showing as much as the lead actress they would have replaced her. This definitely took away from the movie.

Oh well I'm through with this. I can't get away from the pregnancy thing.

Decent erotic thriller

[ugorbral · 6/10 · 10 September 2022]

I must admit that the main reason i decided to watch this last night is the absolutely breathtakingly stunning beauty of Crysthale Wilson at her imo physical/aesthetical peak. The movie is almost worth watching for that alone. As a movie i think it was a decent experience and that it's slightly underrated here on imdb. The cinematography seems a little amateurish, which is is probably due to a low budget. But the story isn't that bad, not anything spectacular of course- we're not talking Chinatown or even Basic Instinct here caliber here, but it has enough excitement to keep your attention for a while. It has some surprising and good twists towards the end. 6/10.

An Amazing Film!!!

[rome2002 · 13 December 2002]

When I learned that "Pandora's Box" was finally coming to selected theaters located in Baltimore, I was more than thrilled. After viewing Rob Hardy's first film, "Trois", I was surprised to see that this young, up-and-coming director pushed the envelope with powerful dialogue and talented actors such as Gary Dourdan ("A Different World", "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation") and Kenya Moore ("Senseless"). "Trois" was definitely a must-see. Now with "Pandora's Box" Rob Hardy and his crew at Rainforest Productions have made another film that pushes the envelope even further.

"Pandora's Box" is about a psychologist named Mia (Monica Calhoun) who helps a troubled patient (Chrystale Wilson) deal with the untimely death of her husband (Tyson Beckford). But soon after, Mia finds her her own life being examined as she takes her patient's advice and becomes involved in the underworld of sexual empowerment. She then meets Hampton Hines (Michael Jai White), a mysterious stranger who Mia becomes intrigued by. As emotions grow strong and her marriage to her husband (Kristoff St. John) going down the drain, Mia commits several acts of adultery and infidelity with Hampton only to find herself getting even deeper in a world of sex, money and murder.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, you are missing out on a good and entertaining movie. But please remember to leave the kids at HOME!!!!

A non-erotic non-thriller

[cableaddict · 2/10 · 27 October 2005]

Yawn.

This is yet another painfully boring movie that tries to get by on soft-core pornography and (oh so shocking!) S&M themes to keep the viewer interested. Imagine the worst episode of "Red Shoe Diaries," I mean the absolute worst, with black actors. This movie is worse. Another viewer cleverly equated this to "Eyes Wide Shut." The is much similarity, although the dismal, slow-moving EWS is FAR more interesting than this turkey.

The dialog was probably written in less time than the movie spans. Seriously.

Actual porn movies have better scripts and less wooden acting.

I gave it a "2," only because the opening sequence was pretty well done.

Avoid this one like the plague.

wow, this movie's tag line is so fitting...

[DVaune · 1/10 · 20 July 2006]

without being too detailed, this has to be one of the worst movies i have ever seen in my entire life. my partner got this on her Netflix and i was still upset to see it. watching this movie was like staring at someone who looks horrible because you cannot believe that a person could be in public looking that horrible. it was like rooting for the underdog with some hope that a win was possible. not only was it impossible, it was laughably impossible. even the little things were horrible. the police looked like security guards. the chase scene was downright silly. the only positive thing about this movie is that it gave the actors and crew some employment.

Sleaze, but not the good kind

[Sandcooler · 2/10 · 22 September 2008]

When a movie tries to get most of its power from a plot twist you've figured out well before halfway , there's a serious problem. You think it can't be that simple and hope for something better to come up, only to find out that yes, it is that simple. This whole production just screams nobody cared, screen writing brings images of monkeys with a typewriter to mind. Continuity is for pussies. This Tammy person talks about how she got to know Pandora's Box when she went there with Lance, then seconds later announces there's a rule that you should come alone the first time. They even tried to make this into an erotic thriller (you know, a skin flick), but the main actress is really not fun to look at. Or listen to. Or just experience in general. She gets the words out, that's all I can say. The sex scenes all just feel awkward and sleazy. And low on creativity. I mean, a bubble bath? Seriously? Is she going to order a pizza next? This is a failure on so many levels, it could have worked with a better screenplay, better director, better actors, better cinematography, and even then just barely. It's a pretty nasty movie that's not even entertaining or anything.

Don't open it

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 18 June 2022]

The movie starts off - upping the ante. Where there was no real nudity in the first Trois movie, the sequel kicks off things with a scene that does not cover up anything - no pun intended. And including Michael Jai White in the movie - that Dude has some serious charisma. If you are into men, you probably will also like other qualities in/on him - mainly physical ones I assume.

That being said, the main female character is also someone you won't mind looking at. So getting these two together sounds like a perfect match. Of course this being a "Trois" movie, there is more to it than that. You have another man in this case - a man who seems not to love his wife ... there are a few things going on. Most are predictable. The twist is too I reckon - maybe not from the start, but there is a reason for that.

it was good to me....

[pinknequa · 8/10 · 30 January 2005]

i liked this movie. it had so many twists and turns, and you had to pay close attention to understand it all. i feel lots of movies should have that. even though some things bothered me(Monica up tightness) i understand now that it was all in the acting(she was supposed to be perceived as an uptight person). i think it is better than the first movie, for the simple fact that the first one seemed like it was poorly doe. this one had many different locations(although they seemed to be playing the same soundtrack over and over again. but i liked the acting, and i liked the plot, although it had nothing to do with a threesome like the title would imply.

i liked it a lot....!

Good start... very stupid in the end. ruined by ending.

[afterdarkpak · 6/10 · 29 August 2020]

First of all , there are few foreign and Hollywood movies of 90s with same plot, but this time its all black actors.performance somehow OK, quality is also OK, it is low budget movie.

typical plot about a , Bored wife goes unfaithful , and she likes it. untill the events slowly goes to HER favor.

The ending is really suks, because in this movie, almost everyone is bad person, full of cheaters. and adultery or cheating always ends bad. but here it ends WELL.

----------------------spoilers----------------

the end suks because she also Got away with murder, yeh her husband is also bad person but he didnt want to kill the wife, but wife manipulated guy to kill husband and in the end she is rich , happy.

If she also got caught in the end, then it may be a good movie.

If this film comes to your town, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!

[mwoolfolk · 7 December 2002]

The independently produced PANDORA'S BOX finally made its way to a big screen in Columbia, SC in December 2002. Knowing that it was a follow-up to TROIS for director Rob Hardy, I didn't expect much, but I did expect to see an improvement in overall quality from what I saw in TROIS. PB failed to meet that expectation. In fact, I thought the quality of the film was worse than TROIS and anybody who thinks PANDORA'S BOX is good has very low standards for films.

Produced in Atlanta, PANDORA'S BOX appears to have been shot on a shoestring budget. The plot is pretty good but the script is so bad-- there are several grammatical challenges and lame dialogue at times-- the film never has a chance. Add some very flat acting and mediocre cinematography and you have the makings of something that is, well, not enjoyable.

Michael Jai White (Spawn, Half Past Dead), Monica Calhoun (The Best Man, The Player's Club) and Kristoff St. John (The Young and The Restless) star. All are decent actors in other films and on television but even their talents can't save this bad script. I was quite disappointed. Model Tyson Beckford also appears briefly in the film. No acting skills here. Just a body that most women would kill to see naked. And, they can in this movie.

Unfortunately, I saw a lot of flesh in the film that would have been better kept clothed. Calhoun is not the near perfectly shaped young woman she was in THE BEST MAN. At times, she looks as if she was in the early stages of pregnancy when the film was shot and we're still shown her bare belly. Crystale Wilson, who also appeared in THE PLAYER'S CLUB with Calhoun, is absolutely horrible in this film. She too should have kept her clothes on in the film or made the director hire better makeup and lighting artists. Her stretch marks were quite unappealing as was her mustache.

PANDORA'S BOX does have moments. Small flashes of brilliance. For instance, the opening scene is gripping. It's one of the few well shot sequences in the film. Sensual and suspenseful. For the most part, though, this film is woefully bad. So bad, one of the people in our group walked out midway through. He couldn't take it anymore and went to the lobby to play video games.

If this is the best Rob Hardy can do, he should pursue another career. I have a feeling he won't be able to sucker folks back to theaters to see another effort.

A collectors item

[internetta · 9/10 · 1 October 2002]

Given the opportunity to create a movie can lead to even better movies. I look forward to future movies from the writer and director of Pandora's Box. the commercial, website and movie were all top notch and has taken Black Cinema to a new level. A movie that caters to all your senses is rare, especially when it comes from top notch actors/actresses. Keep the kids at home and enjoy this with someone from the opposite sex...there will be much to talk about after it's over. I look forward to seeing it again soon.

Tasteful and well done!!!

[lagina1973 · 10/10 · 29 April 2003]

I must say that I was greatly impressed about the quality of this movie. I truly appreciated the cinematography work that was done on such a tight budget.

The storyline didn't stray and the whole concept on how things came to play and why they were handled in the manner that they were was explained at the tail end of the movie.

It reminded me of a movie I'd seen Halle Berry in some years before, "The Rich Man's Wife".

The most erotic thriller in years!

[rchappell32256 · 8/10 · 21 August 2002]

PANDORA'S BOX (2002)

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 4 stars

Got nothing to do lately? Thinking of seeing a movie, but are having second thoughts because summer blockbusters make you ill? Do you wish there was a movie this summer that you found to be truly sexy and intriguing? Well, now you can relax. The moment you've been waiting for has arrived. Prepare yourself. WARNING: What you're about to experience is absolutely stimulating, and not for the faint at heart. You'll never be the same again after you've seen what's inside PANDORA'S BOX.

Director Rob Hardy, whose previous film, TROIS, made a well-earned 1.2 million at the box office, said that he wanted to make a film that had something no one had ever seen before. Without giving too much away about the plot, Hardy describes his latest effort as an erotic FATAL ATTRACTION-style thriller that brings something new to the genre - "actors of color engaged in romantic scenes."

From the opening scene right down to the climatic finish, Hardy's film grabs the attention of its audience, locking everyone's eyes to the screen by way of its intense eroticism and twisted plotline.

In PANDORA'S BOX, Monica Calhoun plays Mia, a beautiful psychiatrist confined to a loveless marriage to her neglectful husband, Victor (Kristoff St. John). She seems quite unhappy at home, so she works as many hours as she possibly can. Spending more time at her job than she spends sitting at home, Mia becomes wrapped up in the mind of a new patient of hers, Tammy (Chrystale Wilson), whose been having a lot of trouble lately coping with her husband's murder. Tammy tells Mia about where they met, a place called "Pandora's Box", and how it transformed her into a totally different person. Because she seems to want to help Mia to understand her better, Tammy tells her doctor friend that if she wishes to understand why her life has changed, then she'd have to have been there and experienced it for herself.

Not quite certain of what to expect, but curious nonetheless, Mia decides to check the place out. Upon entering, she is opened to a world of self-gratification, sexual liberation, and decadence as its existence "taps into the most primitive and passionate aspects of her otherwise controlled personality" (Rainforest Productions), revealing hidden urges that she never even knew she had. When she meets handsome stranger Hampton Hines (Michael Jai White), she forgets all about being faithful to her husband and starts a dangerous affair with him. In doing so, she releases the evils that were hidden beneath the surface, causing herself to become entangled in a plot against her that includes blackmail, murder, and deception. All that Mia has now is the hope that it's not too late for her to rescue herself from her patient's dangerous life.

What sets this film apart from other thrillers of its kind is that it isn't some bogus rip-off with cardboard actors, sloppy dialogue, bad cinematography, and a predictable storyline. Instead, it goes farther than any of its predecessors have been able to go, with sex scenes that push the envelope more than any other erotic thriller out there. In other words, this is kind of film that Stanley Kubrick wanted EYES WIDE SHUT to be. Too bad we have the MPAA to blame for that.

Senusal and surpsingly good film

[DunnDeeDaGreat · 8/10 · 25 January 2003]

Pandora's Box aka Trois 2 is a good little sensual and surpising film about sex, murder,revenge and more sex. Director Rob Hardy who made the good Trois fills this film with Black Amercians having sex and Monica Calhoun and Chrystale Wilson both great bodies. Don't get me wrong the film has a lot of twists and turns . It's a fun rental and nothing more.

Great movie!

[trinton7 · 10/10 · 31 May 2010]

I felt as though this movie was great!!! I thought the mystery and adventure of this movie was unmatched! I thought they did a really good job with Ms. Racine did an out standing job with her acting!!! i Also thought the part of the main character was played very well. Showing her progression of coming out of her shell was on point this movie improved my sex game and skills!!!

The only negatives to the movie was the budgeting. They could have gotten better scenes for the hotel, office, and house but overall it was still a GREAT MOVIE!!! This could have been a top movie!!! If it was a white movie with Sandra bullock as the main character the actors might have won Grammy's lol!

Great Movie!

[kannita · 8/10 · 25 January 2003]

I haven't enjoyed an erotic thriller since "Wild Things". The story, excellent! Plot? Wonderful! Film recording was a little grainy but then this was an independent film with a very low budget! I truly enjoyed the film!!

TROIS DEUX (pronounced `duh').

[mediaprof · 3 January 2003]

Metaphorically speaking, what begins as a tennis match abruptly becomes a one hour and forty-four minute game of chess (pronounced `chest'). But, perhaps that's what's wrong with this production. It's about forty-four minutes and one pair of breasts too much. Unfortunately, just like its predecessor (Trois), what coulda, shoulda, and woulda falls by the wayside of an underdeveloped script that's punctuated by lackluster acting.

Exceptional casting, however, sometimes redeems poor writing. But, in the case of `Trois 2,' the principals are written into such a `small world,' the logic inherent in each character action has to be questioned. At least by all who see beyond the T&A.

Personally, I tried very hard to stay intrigued by the visual affect of Black actors making moves in something other than a slapstick chitlin' circuit genre. But, here, the creative team gave new meaning to something other than something being old, borrowed, and blue. Unquestionably, there's `sampling' from `Jagged Edge' (the movie), `Consenting Adults,' `Basic Instinct,' and `Body Heat.'

As a matter of fact, `Body Heat's' William Hurt and `Trois 2's' Chrystale Wilson/Tyson Beckford even share the same last name characterwise. Duh! And, just why did Kristoff `Young and the Restless' St. John's character have to be named `Victor?' Duh!

But, then and again, when considering the `monstrous' performance of a certain other `tit-illating' actress who wound up becoming an award recipient, indeed, Pandora's box is symbolically wide open for who knows what.

A breath of fresh air

[raysond · 3 October 2002]

After the on slaught of the summer blockbuster bull of films,there is one film that is very entertaining and for once a breath of fresh air that is strictly for adults from the director who brought us "TROIS". However,this one is on the same wavelength as Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT,but it goes even further into the abyss of erotica--and for once this is one film that shows characters of color engaging in sexual scenes. However,the sexual scenes that are displayed here are not for the faint of heart---since this is a movie that is STRICTLY ADULT--so leave the kids and teenagers at home!

Its amazing that it was very good,since you have a brillant cast of performers here including superb leads by Monica Calhoun,whom gives the performance of her acting career(which is something this actress would never do since she always plays the second banana in feature films,but wanted to take her acting to the next level in a leading role)as a psychiarist who goes into a web of sexual intrigue,money,and murder from which there is no way out. However,the movie was very good and its playing in limited release in selected cities across the country(which opened nationwide September 27th,2002)but its a movie that should not be missed by a long shot,but remember this is not for the faint of heart!

This is also a rare opportunity to catch this director's current project which will be more intriguing and even darker than his previous efforts since we need more of that are catered to adult black audiences and also to bring a new format of black cimema to the next level. Kudos to you, Mr. Rob Hardy!