"The Box" - Maria's Take

As a fan of Jean-Paul Sartre, I was horrible offended by this film's constant "No Exit" references. It was as if director Richard Kelly read the play and decided he could tell a similar story better. And by "better," I mean with more aliens and a less coherent story structure.

"The Box," unlike many of the films we review, actually has an interesting starting point. Basically, random individuals are given a box with a button and a choice. They can either not press the button and walk away, or they can press the button, get a million dollars, but kill someone they have never met. There is apparently a Twilight Zone episode using the original Richard Matheson "Button, Button" storyline which I would like to watch for comparison. The basic plot is simple, but under Richard Kelly's sloppy direction and muddled storytelling, the film loses all sense of direction and coherence.

James Marsden is fine, a little hokey in his portrayal of a Mars-obsessed NASA employee, but not offensive. The same cannot be said for Cameron Diaz. Her over the top, yet still painfully wooden performance is so carelessly done that I laugh more than I sympathize at her plight. Her character is so contrived that in every scene she was outshone by another actor, extra or set piece. I have never much cared for Diaz, but now I find her unwatchable.

The true weakness in this film is the direction. Richard Kelly is a one note director. He creates weird, incoherent worlds that lack any semblance of character or story motivation. I know his fans might muse that I just don't get his vision, but I do see what he is trying to accomplish. He wants to beat Darren Aronofsky out for the title of "this generation's David Lynch." He makes movies that appeal to a very small, but very well-voiced section of the film going public. His works speak to a small group of people, and that's just dandy. However, these individuals, much like those who praise Holden Caulfield, criticize me for disliking their film idols. They claim I just couldn't possibly understand. Maybe they are right. I cannot possibly understand how a movie about martians could compare with Jean-Paul Sartre. I cannot possibly understand how the over-written, constantly emoting lines are suppose to make me feel anything other than anger that this film got made in the first place.

This movie is terrible plain and simple. If you are interested in a movie about martians, go watch a movie about martians. Not a stupid piece of cinematic sludge that utilize martians to reflect our own flaws as humans. The lack of subtlety in this movie just astounds me. It underestimates the intelligence of the audience and plays the role of the pretentious friend who always has some pointless factoid to throw into conversation to maintain their holier than thou delusions.

Ultimately, I did not appreciate our time together, Mr. Kelly. Not one bit.