The Box (Movie Review)

Although the trailers for “The Box” were not flashy or filled with special effects, the premise caught my interest and I had the feeling that this movie would provide a unique experience in some way. I was right.

Within the first 20 minutes of the film, I felt as though I were watching an episode of the classic “Twilight Zone” tv series. A couple experiencing financial frustrations is offered a strange box by an even stranger visitor. They are told that if they press the button on the box, they will be given 1 million dollars… and someone they do not know will die.

The obvious moral dilemma plays out in ways one might expect, but the mysterious origins of the box and the stranger kept me interested in seeing where the story was heading. Odd happenings begin to pile up around our main characters, setting a weird and sometimes creepy atmosphere in which the story unfolds.

It’s obvious that effort was made to re-create a “classic sci-fi” feel to the film. The story is set in the 1970’s (which somehow aided the strange feel of the movie) and the score feels a bit like 1950’s sci-fi scoring, but with a modern enough sound to never feel antiquated.

Performances were handled well by all involved and the script portrays the lead characters realistically in most respects. Special effects are few and nothing new, but not particularly bad. Where the movie fails a bit is in the last third of the movie, where the nature of the antagonist is revealed(though not fully) and feels a bit unoriginal. Considering how effective the movie is at setting up a complex mystery, it fails to deliver a satisfying reveal.

This movie easily provides opportunity for meaningful discussion. It presents an unforgiving view of natural human tendency(that of selfishness). Do we value human life when it is not someone we personally know? Additionally, two references to Jean-Paul Sartre and one character’s “afterlife” experience make this an undeniably philosophical film. Given that Sartre was an Existentialist, there is nothing concrete or objective stated about the afterlife (as most forms of existentialism teach that meaning and religious truth are created by and for the individual only), but it is certainly implied in the film that, much like dogs apparently do, all protagonists go to heaven. Or at least to a “warm embrace”, as the script describes it in character dialogue.

Overall, this is a good movie that “Twilight Zone” or classic sci-fi fans should definitely not miss, but that has a third act that may not satisfy some. It plays with themes of human moral nature, right and wrong, the value of human life and the afterlife, all of which could easily lead to good discussion afterward.

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images.

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 8.5/10