'The Box' befuddles the brain

November 9, 10:52 AMPhoenix Movie ExaminerJoseph J. Airdo

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WARNER BROS. PICTURES

There is a pretty strong chance that "The Box" will be the strangest movie you will ever see.

And that is quite a big statement coming from someone who has a history of embracing the unusual (ie. "Cabin Fever"). So, upon hearing others' reactions to "The Box," I retained my belief that it was just the kind of movie for me. I have never been so utterly and completely wrong in my short-but-illustrious career as a movie examiner.

Taking a cue from another oddball thriller "A History of Violence," Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Box" begins innocently enough with a simple setup. What follows is a journey into the darkest corners of the human mind in which nothing - and I mean nothing - makes one lick of sense. By the time one character is imprisoned in a floating water cube, you will likely release a sigh of contempt.

Richard Kelly, the filmmaker who introduced the world to “Donnie Darko,” wrote and directed “The Box” which is based on the 1970 short story “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson. The story was previously adapted into an episode of the 1980s incarnation of “The Twilight Zone.”

Set during the 1970s, the film centers around Norma and Arthur Lewis (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden), a married couple who are the recipients of a mysterious package left outside their door. Inside the package is a wooden box with a red button protected by a glass dome.

While Arthur is at work, Norma receives a visit from Arlington Steward (Frank Langella), a stranger with a horribly disfigured face, who wishes to explain the purpose of the box:

“If you push the button, two things will happen. First, someone somewhere in the world whom you don't know will die. Second, you will receive a payment of $1 million.”

And that is when things start to get a little weird. Even if I wanted to include spoilers, I would not know how. Confusion takes over as the story drifts into some very complex territories. I suppose a simple straight-forward story with a manageable moral was not challenging enough for Kelly.

Therein lies the problem: Kelly wants to challenge the audience. Yet, he takes it too far thus causing "The Box" to become something of an enigma. The movie presents more questions than it does answers. That strategy works great for science-fiction anthologies like "The Twilight Zone" but it is ultimately unsatisfying when utilized in feature-length motion pictures.

For the record, Kelly perfects the 1970s atmosphere. "The Box" even feels like an authentic product from that era. It is all the more enticing to moviegoers like myself who found Langella's character's proposition as exhibited in the film's trailer potentially fascinating. Of course, the trailer's use of the theme music from the "Saw" franchise played a role in my interest, as well.

But all of that interest quickly faded away as "The Box" revealed its true genre - science-fiction. Moviegoers seeking a twisted thriller will be severely disappointed. There is some nice suspense that is built by the end of the flick but its effectiveness is reduced as a result of the audience's waining interest. After all, it is hard to care about a film's outcome when you have no idea what is going on.

So, all of you people out there reading this review to decide whether or not to purchase a ticket to see "The Box" via MovieTickets.com, think long and hard before pushing the "buy" button. If you push the button, two things will happen. First, someone somewhere in the world whom you don't know will receive $12. Second, you will die from dumbfoundment.