Though many of you might have a high interest in seeing The Box starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, I highly suggest not to. I literally fell asleep during the film.

When first hearing that writer and director of Donnie Darko (a much idolized film), Richard Kelly, was also going to be creating the film The Box, I could not wait.

The film is based off the short story Button, Button by Richard Matheson. The story then got turned into an episode of The Twilight Zone in 1986. Though both stories were indeed short, it had immense mystery and fear.

            In both versions of Button, Button a married couple, Arthur and Norma Lewis, are going through marital and financial problems, until an unexpected visitor changes everything. An inexplicable man in a dark suit by the name of Mr. Steward leaves a box upon their doorstep. He comes by the next day to explain the box. The box has a button inside, if the Lewises decide to press the button they will receive an absurd amount of money, however, someone who they do not know will die. Norma always ends up pushing the button, despite her husband’s warnings and Mr. Steward returns with the promised money. Mr. Steward takes back his box, guarantees the couple that someone else shall receive the box under the same conditions and assures them it will be someone they do not know, implying they are in harms way.

In the film the Lewises (Diaz and Marsden) are only going through financial issues and shown as a happy couple. They are offered one million dollars and Mr. Steward is somehow connected to NASA, lived after getting hit by lightening, can control people, and has an eccentric wife who lives in the library controlling eternal damnations. Basically, you get the point; Hollywood loves to destroy simple classics.

The Box, first half an hour was highly enjoyable, and entertaining like the Button, Button episode; however, after that half hour the film went overload in science fiction, religion, subplots, and character depth. There was even a rehashed scene from Donnie Darko mixed in. Maybe it’s just me, but if you have to copy your own work for the lack of plot in your new work, the film is just not that successful.

The key ingredient of the original was the mystery element. In the episode Button, Button, never does the audience find out who the mysterious Mr. Steward is, or his purpose. In The Box, the explanation of the man could have been a separate film. Also, the film felt the need to give Mr. Steward a disfigured face to enhance fear. The fact that Mr. Steward’s character is exceedingly assertive and enigmatic should create enough anxiety for the audience.  

Director Richard Kelly decided to broaden the fictional piece for his film after reading the prose of the story when Mr. Steward explains whom he works for, “I can assure you that the organization is large and international in scope.” Kelly became fascinated with this one line, “I wanted to know, who does Mr. Steward work for? Why did they build the button unit? What are their intentions?” then decided to prolong the story into a twisted apocalypse.

Another bad move of the film was the time period. The film was set in 1976, yet there was nothing really about the film besides a few outfits that truly said 1976. The only part that truly stuck out as the ‘70s was the wallpaper in the kitchen, but besides that it was utterly meaningless.

“It became a huge decision for me to set it in the ‘70s because the concept of someone you don't know, which is inherent to the premise, doesn't really exist anymore.  You know with modern kind of social networking sites and Google satellite maps and like all of the surveillance technology that we have today. I realized that if I set it in present day, I was going to have to write that scene where you know Norma sits down and Googles the name Arlington Steward,” said Kelly.

Conversely, the Lewises do look up and discover who Arlington Steward is, which takes away from the suspense of the film. In addition, with today’s society, people still do not know everyone, just because of social media. 

This film received between a C- and a D+. For the beginning and end, this film did capture some great moments of anticipation, yet everything in between was too confusing, complex, and long. The few ending scenes between actors Marsden and Diaz were probably the worst acting jobs I have ever seen. It all seemed so fake and planned. The start of the film, both Marsden and Diaz did a fantastic job, it was as though they just got tired of acting towards the end and gave up. The only decent part to this film was the classic-eerie soundtrack and the filming for the last scene. The last scene included splits of Marsden and Diaz and another couple.