Elevated

Some movies benefit from simplicity. Some movies benefit from not fully revealing what is going on. This movie benefits from both of those things. The claustrophobic setting and the uncertainty of who is really telling the truth works in combination to keep the movie exciting until the end.

The Tarantino-ish guy really gets on my nerves, but the premise is so good it almost doesn't matter.

If anything, Natali is the most economically prudent of all directors. As in Cube he used the claustrophobia of a box (this time an elevator, hence the uninspired name of the movie) very well. It makes you cringe when a guy says "let's not panic" in a panicky voice in closed quarters. Being locked in with a monster is scary, but being locked out of where the monster is can be just as scary. Can be used in classes to show how to make a short movie.