Semi-rabid Richard Kelly fan JB convinced me to go see The Box on Wednesday. My only prior exposure to Kelly's work was dropping by a freshman hallmate's room halfway through Donnie Darko, so I went in with few preconceptions. I'll admit that I was hooked from the beginning, as the stellar production values and earnest characters drew me in--though I kept expecting James Marsden either to belt forth a serenade to True Love's Kiss or blast Cameron Diaz with his laser eyes: just payment for her atrocious "Southern" accent. Having spent a fair amount of time in the Tidewater Virginia area where the movie is set, I appreciated the nods to local landmarks and institutions (the Ukrops calendar in the kitchen, for example).
The plot was very quick-moving and well-paced. According to JB, it also managed to avoid the pitfalls of Kelly's prior films, namely overreaching or oversimplification. I only noticed one or two times where I thought, Yes, we get the point, this character is doing X, you don't need to have him tell us he's doing X.
On the whole I liked it, but to voice my few complaints, I did regret that one or two major plot points were rather standard sci-fi cliches. However, this could say more about the the sci-fi baggage I bring with me as a viewer, though, than about the movie itself. Interestingly, I identify this particular cliche with a lot of the SF from the 1970s, when the movie is set, so maybe it's deliberate.
I'd recommend seeing it, but you might not get as much enjoyment as I did if you don't bring someone who screams at every slightest jump scene.
[7.5/10], or an A- on the law school curve.
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