I never much cared for director Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko, with its trippy time travel and cryptic-creepy rabbit, and liked his nonsensical Southland Tales even less. His seeming need for his films to be illogical eventually plagues The Box, too, turning what starts out as an intriguing and easy-to-grasp sci-fi parable into yet another mind-bending mess.

Adapted by Kelly from a 1970’s short story written by noted sci-fi author Richard Matheson, it’s set in 1976 and sees the title object delivered to a Virginia couple (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, sporting Southern accents) along with an offer: push the box’s big red button and $1 million is yours, but someone you don’t know will die.

It means to examine the human condition, of course, with Diaz and Marsden, their financial situation deteriorating, initially debating the pros and cons of pushing the button. What if a baby buys it? Or the neighbors? On the bright side, a murderer on death row could meet his maker. At one point Marsden offers up the obvious, and astute, observation that, “Everybody dies.”

Frank Langella effectively adds to the early eeriness as the man with half a face who makes said offer. While his CGI injury alone unsettled me, his dapper demeanor and sonorous voice made him all the more menacing. He’s especially good towards the end, as he issues Diaz and Marsden a particularly agonizing ultimatum.

Unfortunately, Kelly seems less interested in exploring the thought-provoking aspects of the story than in creating an elaborate explanation about what’s behind it all. Hence the bleeding noses, Diaz’s deformed foot, people flashing the peace sign and references to “Dante’s Inferno.” Not to mention a really creepy student, Marsden trapped in a slab of CGI water and the odd location of Langella’s HQ.

With such an abundance of clutter it takes seemingly forever for the film to make its Twilight Zone-like point, and shoehorning in subplots involving the Langley Research Center and NASA doesn’t exactly help. Ultimately, though, while I basically got what was going on, all I really cared about was the sweet silver Corvette that Marsden gets to drive around. - [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Drama/Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Rated PG-13

DVD Release Date: 2/24/10

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