THE GOOD...
1. It's adapted from stylish, schlocky source material...sci-fi Richard Matheson's short story Button, Button (previously filmed for a very 80s episode of the The Twilight Zone - see clips below...Matheson himself was the genius behind the original I Am Legend) sets-up a nice, simple premise: would you take $1million knowing full well that someone, somewhere else in the world, whom you don't know, will die as a direct result? Richard Kelly, director of sublime angstravaganza Donnie Darko and apocalyptic dirge Southland Tales, uses this apparently simple MacGuffin as a springboard for some increasingly insane, freaky conspiracy plotting.
2. Ladies and gentleman, Frank Langella... He stormed it in last year's awards-bothering Frost/Nixon and here he's brings the menace as Arlington Steward, the mysterious stranger behind pretty much every single nefarious going on in the film...In truth, he doesn't need the CG facial burns, that's just panto villain stuff - his malevolent uber-villain would be terrifying without the scars...in other words, he's creepy-as-fuck with sinister intentions (just exactly who are his "employers", mmmm?)
3. Cameron Diaz and James Marsden nail it as the ordinary, everyday couple driven to near-madness by their dilemma... Diaz in particular gets it just right as a mother and a teacher, physically deformed (dodgy foot, you know), wracked with guilt, driven to desperation...
4. Things get genuinely wacky in the last act... We mean VERY twisted, almost existentially so... Don't expect easy answers, though - seriously, who the fuck really knows what's really going on in the end? The best thing to with The Box is just to sit back, relax and hope that it all works out in the end (which it does, sort of.) Put it this way, this is The Parallax View via Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 specs) as seen through the eyes of David Lynch. Enjoy the ride.
5. It's probably evil... Ok, so The Box is a 12a certificate, but some really nasty things happen to key protagonists...the pervading sense of paranoia and desperation escalates as the film gets twistier and turnier and you really feel as if anyone (and we mean anyone) could pop their clogs at any given moment... For once, something worthy of the classic BBFC disclaimer "contains mild peril."
6. It's about 20 times better than Southland Tales... Admittedly, that's not really saying much given that Southland Tales was only marginally more enjoyable than a dagger in the balls, but there you go: The Box is 20 times better than something that's only marginally more enjoyable than a dagger in the balls. Put that on the poster, Warner Bros.
7. An amazing score by the Arcade Fire..it's big and baroque, full of 70s conspiracy thriller-style flourishes...the perfect, pulpy accompaniment to Kelly's labyrinthine craziness.
8. This is meant to be Kelly's "mainstream" breakthrough, a conventional thriller designed to bring in the punters. It's not. It's probably one the least commercial films you'll see in a multiplex all year. (In other words, not exactly a date movie.)
THE BAD...
1. The narrative flourishes that keep the film interesting will infuriate some... true, as the story becomes increasingly (ahem) cosmic, the screenplay sometimes veers into Shyamalan territory....if it feels silly, then that's probably because it is - let's be honest, some of the later revelations will not endear the film to skeptics...
2. Painfully slow in parts...the pace completely cranks down about half-way through when it should be ticking off those plot points. Thankfully, the movie rewards patience (and when we say "rewards patience" what we really mean is "it goes fucking nuts.")
3. The editing can be a bit random...Kelly has a habit of cutting to random images that allude to future events but make no sense in context...it's as if he feels the mystery is somehow enhanced by randomly whipping away to something wacky during inappropriate moments. In truth it justs makes the film even more pretentious.
THE VERDICT...
Barmy stuff from Darko director Kelly...The Box takes a mental premise and runs with it. Fine, so the story doesn't really stand up to scrutiny but that's not really the point. For sheer bollocks alone, The Box deserves a big, old-fashioned...
****
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