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Scott Winters, Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella, Michael Zegen, James MarsdenDirector: Richard Kelly
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A facially disfigured man named Arlington Steward (played by the impressive Langella) turns up at a young couple's house and offers them a choice: ignore the box he had previously delivered, or open the box with a key, hit a red button and they will receive 1,000,000 dollars tax free. The catch is that if they push the red button, someone somewhere will die. Not something that most of us will experience in our lives I would imagine.
Its all set in the seventies and as a period piece it delivers very well. The ethical maze the couple go through is interesting, but it all gets a bit confusing when the film attempts to explain Mr Steward's modus operandi (something to do with being hit by lightening and acting as an agent for some unspecified superiors), especially as there are vague but apparently meaningless references to the Viking probe's mission to Mars.
Its quite a clever story, but at the time of watching it I saw too many imperfections to completely wow me. That said, I kept thinking about it time and again over several days and that counts for a lot in a movie these days.
Its all set in the seventies and as a period piece it delivers very well. The ethical maze the couple go through is interesting, but it all gets a bit confusing when the film attempts to explain Mr Steward's modus operandi (something to do with being hit by lightening and acting as an agent for some unspecified superiors), especially as there are vague but apparently meaningless references to the Viking probe's mission to Mars.
Its quite a clever story, but at the time of watching it I saw too many imperfections to completely wow me. That said, I kept thinking about it time and again over several days and that counts for a lot in a movie these days.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Box got a huge panning when it appeared in cinemas yet it wasn't a total disaster by any means. There are some decent performances based around an interesting theme and a moral dilemma.
The plot very much brought to mind the continuing sub-plot of the X-Files, that part of human govt was collaborating with an alien invasion in order to play for time. The central story behind The Box is rather different and I don't want to give too much of the plot away! But there are definite echoes which will feel familiar to X-Files fans. Or on the other hand, the unseen agency at work could be rather more mystical or godly than extra-terrestrial: the fun part of The Box is that it doesn't answer all of the questions. Although you do find out what happens to the couple involved, who -- yes -- press the button on The Box for immense financial reward, even though they know that someone will die as a result, there are plenty of other threads left floating and unresolved.
The flaws in this film come from the editing, I suspect, because there are a few scenes and part of the continuity which flat-out don't make sense when you review them afterwards. It also suffers a little from being based around a slender short story (which then became a Twilight Zone TV episode, I think?), so there is some pointless, rushing-around, padding out the middle.
The Box has been categorised by some as 'horror' which is over-stating it. There is some tension, and facial make-up which will make you wince on one of the lead characters, but it's really not a chain-saw crazy flick, as the 12 rating will tell you.
Decent enough entertainment for a Saturday night at home. One to rent...
7/10
The plot very much brought to mind the continuing sub-plot of the X-Files, that part of human govt was collaborating with an alien invasion in order to play for time. The central story behind The Box is rather different and I don't want to give too much of the plot away! But there are definite echoes which will feel familiar to X-Files fans. Or on the other hand, the unseen agency at work could be rather more mystical or godly than extra-terrestrial: the fun part of The Box is that it doesn't answer all of the questions. Although you do find out what happens to the couple involved, who -- yes -- press the button on The Box for immense financial reward, even though they know that someone will die as a result, there are plenty of other threads left floating and unresolved.
The flaws in this film come from the editing, I suspect, because there are a few scenes and part of the continuity which flat-out don't make sense when you review them afterwards. It also suffers a little from being based around a slender short story (which then became a Twilight Zone TV episode, I think?), so there is some pointless, rushing-around, padding out the middle.
The Box has been categorised by some as 'horror' which is over-stating it. There is some tension, and facial make-up which will make you wince on one of the lead characters, but it's really not a chain-saw crazy flick, as the 12 rating will tell you.
Decent enough entertainment for a Saturday night at home. One to rent...
7/10
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A film that would appeal to those that appreciate classic sci-fi more than today's audience who prefer a fast paced action packed scifi movie. This has elements of classic b/w sci-fi and horror and the 70s Mars mission and Arthur C Clarke connection made it even more compelling. In fact I think its one of the most interesting sci-fi movies in the last decade and completely underrated due to modern audiences not appreciating this style of movie making which is much slower paced and perhaps too cerebral. Its a film that would have been appreciated far more had it been made back in the 70s and might even have become a classic, as it stands its a good movie but out of sync with modern day audiences and probably badly marketed as there are a lot of older scifi fans that would probably like it. Some of the plot is confusing but I like the fact that it kept you guessing and most of it made sense in the end but it had a very dark and twisted plot which worked well.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Awful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The original story (Button, Button) was from the collection "Twilight Zone" and was brilliant!!
A box with a big Button is delivered to a couple by a mysterious stranger. Read more
A box with a big Button is delivered to a couple by a mysterious stranger. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. McLean
Strange but entertaining
The Box is probably one of the weirdest films you'll ever see, its a strange blend of science fiction, conspiracy thriller, drama and pshycological horror. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sam
Awful
I fell asleep several times during this film, that's how exciting it was. Boring, dull, uninteresting. Read more
Published 2 months ago by raven_guest
Waste of money!
It started with a small amount of intrigue.......The middle tailed off into second rate waffle & the least said about the ending the better.....I feel robbed of three quid.
Published 4 months ago by albrazier
The Box
I loved this film, Cameron Diaz is awesome, great story will watch over again, would recommend as a must see
Published 4 months ago by Mrs. J. Wilcox
The Box [DVD]
My item arrived quickly and I love the toaster, no complaints from me thus far. I would definitely buy items from this shop again, thanks
Published 5 months ago by Johan Kirchner
Almost good
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie as I had low expectations. I had wanted to see it after seeing the trailer and then after all the bad reviews didn't bother. Read more
Published 7 months ago by KH
Oh god this film is terrible.
Oh god this film is terrible. I really only want to say to the makers: Go back, write this film properly, re-film it, and then I'll review it.
sigh.. Read more
sigh.. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Benito
What's In the Box? (See What You Got)
I respect a director who has a singular vision in mind, but I also respect a director who can bend their style to a particular story. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sam
A terrible film
I saw some of the reviews on this film and bought it, with cameron diaz in it, how bad can it be? It is the worse film I have seen for a while. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Paul Sheehan
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