The Box

I’m sure you’re thinking I’ll make some snide comment regarding vaginal euphemisms and the title of this film. Well, let me put that shit to rest right here. The Breach is a mature place; we’re not a bunch of assholes, ready and willing to cash in on toilet humor. So for those of you cowering behind your keyboard, trembling at the thought of double entedres, read on.

I really enjoyed my time in The Box. Sometimes, I’ll just sit around and think, “man, being in The Box was really sweet!” I wish the wife had come with me to The Box. For some reason, she’s just not into The Box. I’m sure some guys’ chicks are way into The Box. I wonder what that must be like…

Still there? I’m spent, here’s the review-

A word of caution- knowing practically anything about this film beyond what the trailers have already told you will diminish your viewing experience. For the sake of not ruining anything, here are my thoughts- the film works and the more I think about it the more I like it. It’s far from perfect and if you’ve not liked director Richard Kelly’s other films (Donnie Darko, Southland Tales), you’re going to find more of the same ambiguity and head spinning plot twists. But at the end of the day, it’s certainly one that could spark some conversations and kept me engaged from start to finish. For those of you who have already seen this movie or just don’t care about spoilers, read on for further analysis.

So the trailers show what looks like a Saw-esque scenario- normal people (played by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) make selfish decisions and are then put to the test for not only their survival but that of their loved ones. A couple is presented with a box that has a single button. The man that presents the box, Arlington Steward (Frank Langella), is horribly disfigured but gladly offers the consequences of pushing the button- they’ll recieve $1 million dollars with the only catch being that someone they do not know, somewhere in the world, will die as a result of the button being pushed. The button is pushed and the slow burn begins.

The first thing I’ll say is that if you have no patience, move along. This movie is very methodical and will even force you to infer most of the plot points along the way. I mean hell, at one point the main characters talk to each other, trying to determine what the fuck Steward actually meant. While I hate that sort of thing in giant summer blockbusters (I’m looking at you Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End), it really works in a thriller. I’ll be honest, I spent some time after the film trying to piece shit together. So I don’t feel like a total dumbass since even Cameron Diaz was lost.

But along with all of that, the film really kept me guessing. I think it’s safe to say that what plays out in the final 30 minutes would be rather difficult to ascertain from the previews. Yes, we know that Cyclops will be driving around with someone that knows what’s going on but the commercial wisely doesn’t tell us neither what’s going on nor what relationship that character has to our leads. I have to applaud the marketing team for creating an intriguing premise with the trailers without giving too much away. I’ve griped enough about film advertisements this year, I’ll move on.

One thing you can’t really glean from the promos either is the fact that the film is set in 1976. I won’t give away why but I thought it was very clever. It also made the vintage sheen applied to the film seem more authentic. And the whole thing starts off with this Hitchcockian feel , which slowly build into a Body Snatchers style paranoia. The setting and time period both help to authenticate these techniques and were very effective.

I couldn’t help but feel that one of the film’s stronger points not only works against it but will likely turn away a lot of potential fans. ¬†As I mentioned in the opening paragraphs, you really don’t get a flat out statement regarding what the fuck is going on. ¬†I’m still not exactly sure, but I think I have a pretty good idea. ¬†But I could tell that the crowd I watched the move with was just not buying it. ¬†So while I enjoy the occasional movie that doesn’t spoon feed me the script while I shovel popcorn into my belly, I can certainly see an argument made to the contrary. ¬†At least for me, it causes the film to stay with me longer. ¬†I thought about it for a good hour, trying to dissect everything. ¬†I dig shit like that. ¬†You may not.

So in the end, it’s a pretty cool flick that just misses the mark from being great. ¬†I quite liked it but I think for general audiences, they may be turned off by the slow paced nature and the fact that not everything is revealed. ¬†It’s been a good year for Science Fiction and this film continues the trend that¬†Moon and District 9 and started.

Recent posts by Dustin

• SXSW 2012 Reviews: Days 5 and 6 - March 15th, 2012
• SXSW 2012 Reviews: Days 3 and 4 - March 13th, 2012
• SXSW 2012 Reviews: Days 1 and 2 - March 11th, 2012
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