Movie Review - The Box

Movie Title

The Box

Year

2009

Genre

Drama, Thriller

Story

A young couple, Arthur (James Marsden, probably best known for his role as Cyclops in the X-Men movies) & Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz) with their young son living in the 1976 suburb of Richmond, Virginia, receives a mysterious box one morning - a box with a button that, if pushed within the next 24 hours, would immediately kill someone they didn't know but bring bring them a million dollars, tax-free.

Arlington Steward (Frank Langella, who played Perry White in Superman Returns), the myterious & badly disfigured man who delivered the box, gave the instructions, terms and conditions for the offer to Norma, would return in 24 hours when the offer expires. They did push it, and predictably, the rest of the movie shows how they had to deal with the ramifications of their decision.

Acting

Somehow,I find it a challenge to take Cameron seriously in any serious role she takes on simply because she has a face for comedy. Her accent in this movie also sounded more Southern American than Virginian. But, viewers can see she tried.

James Marsden impressed me with this one as I had always considered him a pretty boy for pretty boy roles. Here, he did convey a sense of a loving and devoted husband who stood by his wife and family to the point where he needed to make a life/death decision.

Overall

The movie had a very Twilight Zone feel to it. Very believable retro. Kudos to the set, costumes, casting and make-up.

It basically is a classic premise/story that compels viewers to think about the decision(s) they would make if faced with such a situation/dilemma. It was pretty engaging for a 1st viewing but it's not something I'd be watching again anytime soon.

However, altho' I did say it was rather predictable in how things went after they pushed the button, the ending of the movie was something else entirely (well, I didn't see it coming) and it was discussed that it was the ending that made viewers give it such a low rating.

So if you have not watched it, you may want to give it a try, but be warned, it's not your typical Hollywood fare.

Rating: 5/10