I don't understand why everyone hates this so much! It's ambitious, complex and well acted (Frank Langella is great). The Box is like a good Twilight Episode, OK so it's not Solaris or Stalker (or even Donnie Darko) but it's better than a lot of the recent releases. Well worth the time.

This is the worst movie I have ever seen. Ever. DO NOT GO SEE THIS!!

The only way this film could earn a positive review is if the viewer had never seen a Kubrick movie before. Shot for shot, the film steals from The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, 2001 and even Dr. Strangelove. The plot is sci-fi nonsense overstuffed with red herrings and padded out with imagery recycled from Donnie Darko. A real snooze.

The first 3/4 of "The Box" is surprisingly entertaining and gripping. Sadly, the last portion of the film suffers from incomprehensible plot turns and reveals the characters to have little to no depth. There is also too much going on within the story to conclude all subplots with a suitable ending.

Worst. Movie. Ever.

The Box starring Cameron Diaz is a scary suspense thriller that almost pulled it off. The Box was a lot better then I thought it was going to be but still not good and don't even get me started about a complicated plot. By the trailer I thought the whole movie was going to be should I press the button or not. Well, if you thought that also you are very wrong. The plot was the only big problem about this film. Everything else was not bad. Surprisingly the acting was good, not award winning acting but you get the point. A very nice looking cast with a very underrated James Marsden. I think they acted good because it was a very easy movie to act in, and Frank Langella had to speak in a low voice and that was really it for him. But I was a bit confused at the start of the movie because when they said they had twenty four hours it seemed a lot longer the one day. They should of made the movie shorter so the plot wouldn't be so complicated. The more the movie went on, the more I got bored of watching this film. The box may of had many little problems but it had many sparks as well. The way Richard Kelly filmed the movie. The camera never just stayed in one spot. He found creative ways to show the viewers each seen. Don't forget all of the nail biter scenes. Like after when the man came, whoops almost gave away the movie. Those nail biter scenes wanted you to say no don't do it. Many times with the nail biter scenes came the freaky scenes their were a few but still made my heart jump a little. Overall The Box is a fun, stupid, funny, depressing ending movie that has all the traits for a friday night movie to see with all of your friends.… Expand

I adore Richard Kelly. This movie is a triumph cinematically. The treatment of the period, the way in which he handled the camera, the story is all poetically beautiful. It is a shame that it was his opportunity to achieve commercial success and ultimately due to his overthinking mind will alienate the audience whose support he requires. It is also, by far, his most conceptually clear film (in that the references and literary and theoretical allusions are well articulated). Its issues, of course, come from the simple fact that there was initially a longer cut and so important scenes that either establish or explain are lost. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful movie. In fact, saw it last night and am going back this afternoon.… Expand

OK, I know this is said a lot, but this is the worst movie I have sat through in years. I now have absolutely no respect for Roger Ebert. The movie is an absolute mess. I gave it a 1 simply for a couple of cool effects. Even my teenager laughed at it. Don't even think about it.

Though it does stir some interesting ideas, "The Box" just has a preposterous plot, lazy pacing and in general just leaves the viewer saying "WTF" instead of creating a thinking movie worth thinking about. No, instead when you think about the movie "The Box" it just creates more issues, and unresolved questions even murkier, if that's possible.

Why the fuck has this gotten an equal meta-score as saw 1?? that is just plain absurd. This movie really is a saw ripoff and I was willing to give it a chance until they stole the saw theme song amd put it in the trailer. If you want a horror movie of this style, do the right thing, and go see saw 6.

I guess this movie is one of a few movies released that needs more thought and consideration. However, the idea behind the movie is not unique, the way the scenes develops makes you feel interested to know the end. As it is said in the movie, whatever our choice in life is, there the consequences waiting for us.

The film's only a 6 really, but my god, what audaciousness, yet again, to cram so much goings-on into one little picture. Slow? Only if you like boring films going nowhere. It's silly at times, not well acted at other times -- but, also amazingly creative, billiantly shot and, most importantly, obviosuly the dedicated work of a film-making genius who dares to take movies into the sci-fi/horror rhelm...with a straight face and a holy heart.… Expand

The movie grabs you, and keeps you interested for about 30 minutes... then comes the "twist" Save your money.

"Disconnected mess" describes this confusing piece of garbage perfectly. The first 30 mins are promising and then it all falls apart. The only reason it gets a 1 is that there has to be a lower rating for movies like Christmas with the Kranks.

Richard Kelly takes a perfectly comprehensible, and enjoyable, "Twilight Zone" episode (from a Richard Matheson story) and extends it into an incomprehensible, sleep-inducing feasture film that isn't just oblique but distasteful. I was in the minority in not liking "Donnie Darko", but it was well-made and intelligent enough to make me hope that "The Box" might be a pleasant surprise. It wasn't, the main mystery being how Kelly got major studio backing for this far-out project.… Expand

This is one of the more thoughtful, creative, interesting, albeit bizarre films I have seen in a long time. I'm sorry if there was too much going on for some viewers to follow (i.e. those that went expecting a "movie" instead of a "film"). This is art- from the cinematography to the music to the combination of moral fable, sci-fi, and suburban horror. If I were teaching a film as literature course I would use this as one of the films- and have students draw from Milgram's Shock Experiment & Sartre's No Exit in explicating it. Tons of material for philosophical and sociological discussion/analysis. Loved it!… Expand

How this is not at least a 60 on metacritic is beyond me. This is a spectacular film: brilliant cinematography, excellent screenwriting, amazing sets, and great acting. Moreover, the library scene is one that will go down as one of the most unique and well executed scene in the history of American film. Much like Southland Tales, critics seem to AFRAID to give Kelly the accolades he deserves. For me, as a fan of his work, I think that he is one of the best film makers working in the United States today. What is sad is that our culture is to ignorant to recognize this. The box is a critique of American modernity and perhaps America is still not ready to reflect on the symptoms of sick society. An excellent film that I highly recommend. It's a thinker!… Expand

I am amazed at all the symbolism the critics do not seem to get. Like Kelly's other films, this movie is really a symbolic representation of our deepest questions regarding life, the existence of God and other issues of human existance such as original sin. It is not just a science fiction movie. If you can't see past the button to the apple in eden then you're missing a huge part of the film. Intelligent, surreal and thought provoking as always, I am already waiting for Kelly's next film.… Expand

Worst movie ever seen. Made no sense and would not reccomend anyone to see this movie. HORRIBLE.

"In the Cut", Jane Campion's poorly received feminist thriller is remembered, if at all, for Meg Ryan's surprising nude scenes, more so than the manner in which Virginia Woolf's "To the Lighthouse", a novel taught by Ryan's English professor character, leaps off the page and encroaches its way into her everyday life. "In the Cut" climaxes with Franny being driven by her assailant, literally, to the lighthouse, where attempted murder will eventuate itself. "The Box" borrows liberally from the Australian auteur's narrative highwire act, as Norma(Cameron Diaz), a college instructor, like Franny, teaches a work of literature(Jean-Paul Satre's 1944 play "No Exit"), that insinuates itself into a literal metaphor at the apex of a life or death situation. Whereas the Campion film was a deconstruction of the thriller, a feminization of the male narrative, "The Box" merely aims to be smarter than your average sci-fi film. And it is, sort of. At times, the filmmaker seemingly paraphrases Arthur C. Clarke's quote about technology being indistinguishable from magic, in which the "Donnie Darko" helmer's storytelling wavers between cerebral and cerebrally crazy, and cerebrally crazy and outright loony. But maybe it's not his fault, maybe it's the story itself(adapted from a Richard Matheson short), whose aliens conduct tests much more ambitious than your standard full body probe. "The Box" finally loses its shape when Arthur(James Marsden) and Norma go to the library; that's where generic major studio filmmaking bites the dust. Depending on who you are, that's either a good or bad thing. It's flawed like how Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain" was flawed; both films bear the mark of a personal voice, which sometimes say the craziest things.… Expand

Interesting idea and concept. And at times atmospheric, creepy and moody. But overall, poorly done. Done better overall, this would've been a great cult movie. Unfortunately, mismanaged and flawed throughout.

A bizarre thriller that leaves you guessing throughout the film, and still even after the credits have rolled.

Fine to begin with, good premise and all, then a deterioration as the movie tackled too much, became involved with more details than it could manage, lost believability, became confusing. It left too much unanswered. A disappointment.

This is really funny for me and making Richard Kelly crap his pants.... because all you people out there thought this movie sucked but you also hate when there is too much action in a movie but these are the kind of movies that the King Pins at universal studios say that the reason is for making lame movies like Iron Man and Terminator...pure action....well you get what you asked for...look for a summer filled with tons of crappy action movies...because you could pay attention to a great but slow movie.… Expand

Sucks, Cameron Diaz is OOOOOOLD,MY,GOD and she can't do drama. Down with the ship.t

As absurd as this movie is, Richard Kelly continues to make a movie that keeps you thinking. As in all of his movies, you never know, and that bothers people. People want closer in a movie. But this movie will not provide that, and that does not bother me. I enjoyed this film, thought about the premise and idea of the movie, and still found it worth while to see.

Worst acting I've ever seen. The accent is made it not believable. It made no sense. I felt like WTF the whole way except the beginning. The beginning was good and then it started making no sense as the movie progressed. It is worth a big fat zero. James Marsden is hot though.

This movie takes a cheeky idea very seriously. If you were offered a million dollars, how far would you go? In this economy? I'd go for double or nothing.

Worst. Movie. Ever.

If Richard Kelly was a chef, he would cook a marvelous meal and then destroy it on presentation by putting so much on your plate it would be falling into your lap. So it is with every movie he has ever done, they go on and on and on into irrelevance. He thinks every frame helps tell his story and is precious....Um, Wrong. Let me take The Box back to the editing suite and cut out all the extraneous fat. It would be a good movie then, not a 10 but definitely an 8. As it is right now, its an optimistic 6.… Expand

This was a better movie than I thought it would be. It succeeded at its goal which was to make an extended entertaining twilight zone episode. Rod Serling would be proud. Props to Frank Langella who is fast becoming one of my favorite actors.

Beautiful Horror Movie... Great actor's performance and perfect suspense !!

It was the most confusing movie I have ever seen, but I still liked it. Similar to how Donnie Darko was confusing yet intriguing. I still don't fully understand it after thinking about it for awhile now.

This was the worst movie I have ever seen. The plot seems to have been thrown together by a 5 year old. It should not be classified as a horror film, either.

An excellent, thought-provoking movie but there's a catch - it's not for everyone. In fact if you have no interest in existential philosophy, it will probably just give you a headache. Be prepared to think outside The Box.

The last third undone whatever was interesting in the premise of the absurd story. Acting was decent and the setting in the 70's was nicely done. Watch the "Twilight Zone" episode for a better version.

Could have been so much better. Disjointed, odd, and a little too preachy at times. This had promise, but failed to deliver much substance. I literally laughed out loud reading the use comment that claimed the library scene was one of the best in cinema history. Are you freaking kidding me? Watch about 3 movies - at random - and you will likely find a MUCH better scene. There is nothing in this movie that would make me seek out the writer, director, or producer to see what else they have done. It was definitely not a zero, but anyone reasonable would struggle to give it higher than a 5.… Expand

The Box must be one of the most absurd movies I have seen for the year of 2009. I must admit it’s not a movie I would watch again. I’m recommending it but not recommending multiple viewings. It’s weird, strange, complex, and the plot is very crazy. The really strange thing about it is that I was entertained. Yes it’s a bad movie but it wasn’t a boring movie though. The movie stars a perfectly normal couple, Norma and Arthur, played by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. They also have a normal child. One day while there sleeping a box is left at their doorstep. When they open it it’s another box. This time there’s a small dome on top with a button. They push it to the side and not think much about it. Throughout the day different situations starts happening and some of them are not good. It affects there life’s directly. Well a man comes later in the day knocking his name is Arlington Steward played by Frank Langella. He tells her about the box and makes a deal. If she presses the button she will get paid one million dollars tax free. The con of this choice is that someone will die that she doesn’t know. If she doesn’t press the button the family will get nothing. The film is based on a short story called Button, Button which was made into a The Twilight Zone episode in the 80’s. The director Richard Kelly who has made warped movies before (Donnie Darko, Southland Tales) adapted it to the big screen. As you watch the movie you can see how this movie goes in so many directions. The movie has good ideals of the moral implication of the choice. It’s a good looking movie, there’s a lot foreboding and sometimes really suspenseful scenes. Kelly’s likes to go to most strange by going to nose bleeds and very strange people. The movie is very silly and its ideals go right with them. However I admire the craft that went into it and Kelly’s attempt to show existentialism. I also like the moral choices the characters are forced to make. It’s the not greatest movie but it was intriguing and kept me up for 119 mins. Donnie Darko fans might love it, others will hate it. A film like that has worth checking out right. MP *** 3/5… Expand

The box is a good/bad movie its plot is really weird and acting really sucks at times but its one of those movies that when startt watching it you have to see it to the end

This is the WORST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN! MEANINGLESS, NO POINT OF VIEW WHATSOEVER, UNRELATED SCHENES AND MESSAGES AND CHARACTERS. TOTALLY WASTED MY TIME. SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY FOR B---T. THIS MOVE JUST BLUE IT! TOTAL FAILURE... HORRIBLE! NONSENSE...What is the meaning, the plot, the point? What is the movie teaching after all? What was the message of Arlington Stewart, after all? I don't get it! Absurd!… Expand

Lewis family finds a box on the porch of their house. It is an ordinary box with a button. Later, mysterious old man comes to tell them how the box works. If they push the button, someone on somewhere will die, and they received one million dollars. They have 24 hours to decide. Norma and Arthur Lewis starred by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. The mysterious old man played by Frank Langella, that we recently see him act impressively in FROST/NIXON (2008). The Director is Richard Kelly. The Director of DONNIE DARKO (2001) whose received many good reviews from movie critics. Personally, I did not enjoy DONNIE DARKO that much. The most interesting in thiz movie is our curiosity about what is really happens. Too see this kind of movie, we had to put aside our logic for a while. Because anything we see in thiz movie is very absurd. Thiz story had been told in one of the episode of TWILIGHT ZONE series in 1980s era. The film has setting in 1976. I think the Creative Designer Team already done their job very well. Everything we see is truly 70s. The music was also thrilling, like we had been watching 70s horror movie. In the end, there will always be dilemma in our life: Is there something we already done? Or, something that we did not do? Visit My Blog on JONNY'S MOVEE : http://jonnyfendi.blogspot.com… Expand

I have no idea how a movie of this quality rank could get the hilarious 47 out of 100 points. This is literally a masterpiece, one of the best movies made recently.

This film started as a simple morality vehicle, but ended as a deeply religious and human narrative regarding not only morality, but original sin and pulls symbolism from the Garden of Eden to exhibit the fall of man from a very interesting perspective. The acting was more or less unremarkable but the cinematography and audio are sublime. Do not be discouraged by the negative reviews. The only explanation that I can offer for low marks is that the reviewer wasn't expecting to see an actual film, and instead was expecting a cookie cutter sci-fi/horror summer blockbuster that is neither memorable nor engaging. If that's what you're after, enjoy saw 14. If you're looking for a narrative thriller with a little substance, check this one out.… Expand

The Box is a confused and strange film that many focus on confusing the audience and WTF moments instead of anything else. The film got ruined half way through.

What starts off as a promising film to some extent slowly but surely begins to unravel itself from that decently tied knot after the first thirty minutes. After that, it's all downhill for 'The Box'. While the premise itself is somewhat interesting (based on a 1970 short story titled "Button Button") the screenplay fails to maximise whatever potential the story might have had, instead decides to capitalize on a plot line that is incredibly far-fetched and never makes perfect sense. Regardless, I'm sure *some* fans of the psychological thriller genre will enjoy.… Expand