THE MAN WITH THE MAGIC BOX. Polish science fiction that is great entertainment

Poland, the homeland of Lem and Dukaj, home to the visionary of the 1980s, Piotr Szulkin, and a place where “Sexmission” and “Mister Blot’s Academy” have legions of fans, yet no one seems eager to make science fiction films. The mere fact that Bodo Kox took on the challenge with “The Man with the Magic Box” deserves recognition, even though there are many criticisms that could be leveled against the film.

Kox must have been aware that he was tackling a genre with no real competition. On one hand, this is a comfortable position since there’s no one to be worse than, but on the other, it’s like turning on “god mode” in a video game—it’s satisfying at first, but quickly becomes boring because there’s no room to prove oneself. So, the Wrocław-based filmmaker went all out, serving us a futuristic vision of Warsaw in 2030, governed by a short-haired woman with a brooch prominently displayed on her blazer. The streets are teeming with soldiers, poverty, and grime, and when one of the skyscrapers explodes, the main couple sees it as merely a good opportunity for physical intimacy in an abandoned building. The world-building is phenomenal, and with each scene, you crave more. Bodo piles on more and more until glowing shoes, mechanical “dogs,” and dozens of other gadgets begin to blur the plot. This isn’t a heavy criticism, as all the storylines eventually tie together in a clear conclusion, but the lack of restraint is noticeable.

In broad strokes, the plot of the film resembles both Wong Kar-Wai’s “2046” and George Orwell’s “1984”—a passionate romance on one hand and a fight against an oppressive state on the other. The list of similar works could be extended much further because the only truly original element in “The Man with the Magic Box” is the setting. However, I don’t believe that new approaches are always necessary at all costs. If a familiar formula is cleverly repeated, it can at least provide entertainment value, which is precisely what Kox’s film offers—great entertainment.

The romance between Goria (Olga Bołądź) and Adam (played by Piotr Polak) is convincing love story, though it’s the kind of love steeped in its early, passionate stages. I admit I got caught up in it like a kid, rooting hard for a happy ending. It’s a shame that so many comedic elements were crammed into the story about two lovers fighting against the world. The government agents, resembling caricatures of Agent Smith, often irritate with their slapstick exaggeration, and the worst of the bunch is Sebastian Stankiewicz, who plays the same comic character he does in almost every film.

The world created by Kox is a fascinating place that could be explored for hours. There are no cliché holograms, flying vehicles, or a total erasure of the past—there are no overused tropes like those in “Ghost in the Shell“. Next to a modern skyscraper inhabited by an android, there’s a pre-war tenement equipped with a machine for time travel. Antique trade is thriving, and surveillance of citizens has reached an absolute level. If only to see all this, “The Man with the Magic Box” is worth a trip to the cinema. It is, by default, the best Polish science fiction film in recent years.