The Box - Clearly divisive

I guess it's fair to say that a lot of people absolutely hated this film.  I didn't.  But then I'm a huge fan of writer/director Richard Kelly who oversaw this production.  The general consensus is that his first film 'Donnie Darko' was a masterpiece, however his second offering 'Southland Tales' was also generally run-down by critics and audiences alike (yes, I loved that one, too).  To date, 'The Box' is Kelly's third and final film that he wrote and directed (although I hear he's currently working on something new).  Perhaps if you know his other work you'll appreciate 'The Box' more?  Then again... perhaps not.

It's a dark science-fiction story about a young married couple who are currently experiencing financial difficulties in the seventies, played by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden.  Their suburban life gets more than a little turned on its head when a mysterious man (Frank Langella) with only half a face (CGI required) turns up at their door and offers them a - you guessed it - box.  If they press the only button on the unit then they'll get a million dollars, but someone, somewhere who they don't know... will die!

Apparently, it's based on a short story (which I haven't read, but am reliably informed that it's a masterpiece!) which is effectively a 'morality play' about whether they'd let a stranger die in order to become rich.  Most people seem to like everything up until this point where Kelly's influence takes over.  For me, I see this film as part of (the now seemingly mandatory) 'shared universe' that Kelly had already created with 'Donnie Darko' and 'Southland Tales' as I felt their were plenty of thematic nods to his earlier works.  I guess if you hadn't seen them (or just didn't like them!) you won't really 'get' the references, i.e. I'll bet you didn't know that 'water' is an element most associated with time travel.  Unless you've seen the extended edition of 'Donnie Darko' you probably wouldn't get that.

I won't go into too much detail about what happens and why, but - in my opinion - everything got tied up pretty well and all questions were answered.  Now, judging by other reviews, I'm in the minority there.  Either I understood everything completely, or I just didn't pick up on the (supposedly numerous) plot threads that other people felt were glossed over or left answered.

But, for what it's worth, I loved this film and often watch it when I'm in the mood for something a lot darker than the average science fiction.  Don't expect too much in the way of light-heartedness or lols here.  It's all pretty bleak.  The performances are excellent and especially Cameron Diaz who shows she can handle dramatic roles as well as just being the 'kookie blonde.' Frank Langella is also excellent with or without the CGI semi-face missing) and the seventies atmosphere is a pleasant change from most similar films and adds to the gloomy and bleak atmosphere.  However, I have to accept that just as many people hated it as loved it, so choose wisely if you want to invest your time into a movie that has as many one-stars as it does five-stars.

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather