The Box
Dir: Richard Kelly
2009
**
A 'close but no cigar' adaptation of Richard Matheson's work. I like the story and written in its original form it's brilliant. The problem is that Richard Kelly, one of the most over-hyped Directors working today, tried to tell the whole story when he should have edited it for the screen. The phrase 'Less is more' rings true here as after the hundredth twist neither myself or my wife gave a toss about the characters or what would happen to them. You can't draw in an audience with a simple premise and then bombard them with Aliens, 'Lightning people', Body-snatching, mind control etc etc. It was like a season of The Twilight Zone condensed into 100 minutes. It does look though (although the sudo-noir style is a little forced) and I did like many of the ideas. Frank Langella was brilliant as the creepy half-faced Arlington Steward and the supporting cast, especially the late James Rebhorn, gave a realistic feeling to the fantasy. Unfortunately Cameron Diaz and James Marsden let the whole production down, neither of them bring anything of substance or intrigue or indeed believability to the story and were obviously hired for their names/looks. A different pair of actors would have improved the film no end in my opinion. In conclusion, this is a real missed opportunity and maybe better suited to a mini-series rather than a film.