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Generally speaking, Richard Kelly's latest dark sci-fi film, 'The Box,' has been widely labeled as a middle-of-the-road effort: that is, not nearly as bad as his poorly received last movie, 2006's apocalyptic 'Southland Tales,' but also not nearly as inspired by his breakout cult classic, 2001's 'Donnie Darko.' The film, based on a short story by prolific sci-fi writer Richard Metheson, and starring Cameron Diaz, 'The Box' is simultaneously being talked up by critics for intricate, detailed story-telling and bashed for moving too slow.
Read the reviews below and tell us what you think.
The New York Times: "Richard Kelly, the writer and director of the much-loved 'Donnie Darko' and much-loathed 'Southland Tales,' has a thing for the apocalypse. Like those films, his latest, 'The Box' is sincere and sinister and inevitably ambitious, a serious work that insists on its own seriousness even when it edges toward the preposterous. As in his earlier films, he is again using genre (and pretty actors) as a vehicle to ask questions about the human condition (and conditioning) amid a thicket of high, low and trash cultural allusions and against a backdrop of impending doom. But the end isn't nigh in Mr. Kelly's world. It's here."
The Los Angeles Times: "Have you ever actually tried watching paint dry? A sloth walk? Grass grow? You can have all the 'thrills' with none of the chills courtesy of 'The Box,' the painfully sluggish new sci-fi morality play from 'Donnie Darko' creator Richard Kelly. It's as if its stars, Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as the financially strapped yuppie couple Norma and Arthur, were on a continuous, prime-time-mandated 10-second delay."
MSNBC: "'The Box' is like a magician's prop: It gives the illusion that it's full of stuff -- ideas, portents, clues, meaning -- when actually, it's as empty as the heroines' heads in Diaz's 'Charlie's Angels' flicks."
'The Box' Trailer
'The Box' showtimes and tickets
Hollywood Reporter: "OK, there is really only one box, but as a convoluted yet unconvincing story evolves, metaphorical boxes get pulled out of boxes as the plot winds its way through suspense, psychological thriller, science fiction, conspiracy theory and horror genres with an overlay of Christian religious motifs and a dab of existentialism. Oh, there's also a lot of nose bleeding."
Newark Star-Ledger: "Yet even as Kelly adds unnecessary detail, he takes the story on interesting tangents. There's a man struck by -- and changed by -- lightning (a nod, perhaps, to the Matheson story 'One for the Books'). There's some murky doings at NASA, a dose of old Jean-Paul Sartre, and lots of groovy sideburns and wallpaper (the story is set in '76)."
Screen International: "Richard Kelly's third feature is more accessible than his second, the impenetrable and financially disastrous 'Southland Tales,' but less arresting than his first, cult classic 'Donnie Darko.' Playing like an over-extended if well-mounted 'Twilight Zone' episode, 'The Box' has more commercial potential than its writer-director's earlier efforts, thanks to the casting of Cameron Diaz and the popularity of a new wave of 'Zone'-influenced TV shows ('Lost,' 'Fringe,' et al). Yet it still seems unlikely to appeal much beyond its limited core audience of weird-loving fantasy/sci-fi fans."
Variety: "Pushing a few of the right buttons and plenty of the wrong ones, 'The Box' reps a dicey mainstream effort by enfant terrible Richard Kelly following the doomed exploits of 2006's 'Southland Tales.' Expanding a Richard Matheson story into a '70s-set thriller in which a couple is besieged by space-age conspiracies, nose-bleeding zombies and quotations from Jean-Paul Sartre, the pic reveals the hazards of taking 'Twilight Zone' material too far and too seriously. Still, Kelly's trademark mix of sci-fi, surrealism and suburbia occasionally entertains, while Cameron Diaz should carry the cult helmer into more commercial playpens."
The New York Times: "Richard Kelly, the writer and director of the much-loved 'Donnie Darko' and much-loathed 'Southland Tales,' has a thing for the apocalypse. Like those films, his latest, 'The Box' is sincere and sinister and inevitably ambitious, a serious work that insists on its own seriousness even when it edges toward the preposterous. As in his earlier films, he is again using genre (and pretty actors) as a vehicle to ask questions about the human condition (and conditioning) amid a thicket of high, low and trash cultural allusions and against a backdrop of impending doom. But the end isn't nigh in Mr. Kelly's world. It's here."
The Los Angeles Times: "Have you ever actually tried watching paint dry? A sloth walk? Grass grow? You can have all the 'thrills' with none of the chills courtesy of 'The Box,' the painfully sluggish new sci-fi morality play from 'Donnie Darko' creator Richard Kelly. It's as if its stars, Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as the financially strapped yuppie couple Norma and Arthur, were on a continuous, prime-time-mandated 10-second delay."
MSNBC: "'The Box' is like a magician's prop: It gives the illusion that it's full of stuff -- ideas, portents, clues, meaning -- when actually, it's as empty as the heroines' heads in Diaz's 'Charlie's Angels' flicks."
'The Box' showtimes and tickets
Hollywood Reporter: "OK, there is really only one box, but as a convoluted yet unconvincing story evolves, metaphorical boxes get pulled out of boxes as the plot winds its way through suspense, psychological thriller, science fiction, conspiracy theory and horror genres with an overlay of Christian religious motifs and a dab of existentialism. Oh, there's also a lot of nose bleeding."
Newark Star-Ledger: "Yet even as Kelly adds unnecessary detail, he takes the story on interesting tangents. There's a man struck by -- and changed by -- lightning (a nod, perhaps, to the Matheson story 'One for the Books'). There's some murky doings at NASA, a dose of old Jean-Paul Sartre, and lots of groovy sideburns and wallpaper (the story is set in '76)."
Screen International: "Richard Kelly's third feature is more accessible than his second, the impenetrable and financially disastrous 'Southland Tales,' but less arresting than his first, cult classic 'Donnie Darko.' Playing like an over-extended if well-mounted 'Twilight Zone' episode, 'The Box' has more commercial potential than its writer-director's earlier efforts, thanks to the casting of Cameron Diaz and the popularity of a new wave of 'Zone'-influenced TV shows ('Lost,' 'Fringe,' et al). Yet it still seems unlikely to appeal much beyond its limited core audience of weird-loving fantasy/sci-fi fans."
Variety: "Pushing a few of the right buttons and plenty of the wrong ones, 'The Box' reps a dicey mainstream effort by enfant terrible Richard Kelly following the doomed exploits of 2006's 'Southland Tales.' Expanding a Richard Matheson story into a '70s-set thriller in which a couple is besieged by space-age conspiracies, nose-bleeding zombies and quotations from Jean-Paul Sartre, the pic reveals the hazards of taking 'Twilight Zone' material too far and too seriously. Still, Kelly's trademark mix of sci-fi, surrealism and suburbia occasionally entertains, while Cameron Diaz should carry the cult helmer into more commercial playpens."
Reader Comments (8)
DanielC at 1:00AM on Nov 7th 2009
Saw the movie earlier with a friend and we both had the same reaction which surprised me. We thought it was too long and had too much unexplained details (at least we couldn't figure stuff out). My friend tried to urge me to leave about two thirds through the movie but I insisted on seeing the end. I should not have bothered and should have left when he suggested it. Terrible movie.
sweetiegirlz at 7:46PM on Nov 8th 2009
I didn't like it for the same reasons as the first commenter. I liked the retro setting a lot. that's about it. I was mad that I couldn't figure it out at one point, and that it seemed to go off in about a half dozen different directions. If someone's reading this that hasn't seen it, don't waste your money, unless there is nothing else good playing.
metro at 3:40AM on Nov 9th 2009
I watched The Box movie. Definitely I will buy that DVD for my movie collection. I watched The Box movie. it was truly made me chill. Oh…I was scared to see that stranger face.
Source
http://blog.80millionmoviesfree.com/in-theaters/watch-the-box-online
shari at 3:15PM on Nov 9th 2009
One of the worse movies I have ever seen. F - no doubts about it. Almost laughable in some scenes...could have been so much more with a better writer and better actors.
John at 11:28PM on Nov 9th 2009
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I don't understand why if a movie doesn't move at breakneck speed it loses people's attention. I guess that was the main argument for those who didn't like it. It had a little bit of everything to quench the thirst of those who enjoy sci/fi, horror, suspense and thrillers. It also made you think about other possibilities as preposterous as they might seem. I thought "The Box" was out of the box in its exploration of the human condition and what motivates people to make the decisions that can effect the rest of their lives. Two-thumbs up from me!
MovieFan at 5:41PM on Nov 10th 2009
THE looooonnnnnggggeeesssttt, most boring, convoluted, stupid movie I have ever seen and I've seen thousands. Don't buy it, don't rent it, don't even watch it if it's EVER shown for free on TV. If I could have, I would have "pushed the button" on the entire movie. Watching paint dry is definitely more entertaining!
Ash at 3:10AM on Nov 11th 2009
This had to be the worst movie I have ever seen. I dozed off and on throughout the end of the movie. It wasn't because it was slower paced then some movies, it is because it was horrible. I am wondering how much they had to pay Cam to be in this movie! The previews made this movie out to be something it wasn't. Also they didn't do a good job of making sure everything was set back in the 70's.
BobbieG at 9:53PM on Nov 14th 2009
3 Stars... and that's going some. The movie is rather bazarre which I didn't expect. I expected intrigue which it has but it's also slow moving which might put some to sleep. I won't add it to my DVD collection when it's available.