THE BOX (2009, Blu-ray released February 23, 2010 – MSRP $35.99)
Decisions, decisions. Don’t touch that button…or should you? Who can resist a big red button? From early on, we are told to not touch the big red button–It’s red for a reason! But what would happen if you did push it? It’s so tempting, as is Richard Kelly’s The Box—and yes, it will push some buttons….
Judgement. Based on the Richard Matheson short story “Button, Button”, Kelly expands on the original in compelling ways, adding drama and emotions in the form of real-life occurrences borrowed from the lives of his parents, to whom the film is dedicated. Set in the seventies, Kelly also borrows from the Mars Viking missions as a bigger canvas to tell his expanded tale. From the silver Corvette Stingray, to the sideburns, to the music and the (several) television references, Kelly captures the look of the seventies impeccably. The disc includes a brief overview of the process used to “age” Richmond, Virginia, which maintained the period look. Cameron Diaz and James Marsden’s performances are solid, but it is Frank Langella, as always, that really makes the difference in the film. His screen presence lends itself to imposing figures (see Frost/Nixon or Masters of the Universe). On screen, he is a haunting reminder of the ugliness within and without and how the ugliness within can be so well hidden.
Choices. We have to make them. It isn’t always easy, but we do the best we can. That’s what I’d like to believe about Kelly’s The Box. I’ll be honest. This review wasn’t easy to write. I enjoyed the film. I wanted to like it more. The problem is that I can’t say for sure whether the trouble with the film is a case of less-is-more or more-is-less. While watching, I got the conflicting feeling that Kelly either doesn’t go far enough in the unraveling the mystery that is Steward (Langella) and his ominous employers or that he in fact, shows us too much. There are two films residing in The Box: One is a creepy, suspense story that would keep the audience guessing and encouraging discussion as to what did actually occur in the story. The second is more of a straight-up Science Fiction film with all the “Whoa” and Wow” factored in, with cool locations and the use of freaky disfigurement-causing accidents. It is a good film, but that tug-of-war between the two types of stories is apparent and a little distracting.
For the most part, the transfer is remarkable, only suffering from the occasional hiccup with certain effect-y shots (see: water coffins). The overall look is a little subdued, with that softened seventies feel, but details do not suffer in spite of that. Texturally, you can imagine how both Steward’s face and that crazy wallpaper in the couple’s kitchen must feel to the touch. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio track does the job, but only really pulls you in during the quieter moments–The balance is a little off in the busier scenes and the soundtrack don’t quite make the best use of the rear channels. The music soundtrack works well in embellishing the suspense and only occasionally oversteps the dramatic scenes.
The special features are few, but contain informative insight into the making of the film in Kelly’s commentary; the background stories of The Box in interviews with Matheson and the Kelly family; and a look at how they achieved the look of the film with the special effects. Also featured, are short “Music Video” prequels that could have been used as lead-ins to the story, but would have, in my opinion, only worked if the film were straight-up sci-fi fare.
Options. Alternatives. Selection. Richard Kelly took on a daunting task in adapting “Button, Button”. There is an excellent (short) film in The Box; however, don’t let some of the distractions take away from what really worked. It maintains the uneasy questioning of the original story, forcing us to look at the “why?” of the decisions we make.
