5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An unhappily married couple receive a small wooden box on their doorstep. At the push of a button, the box brings its bearer instant wealth but also instantly kills someone the bearer doesn't know.
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Gillian Jacobs, James Marsden, Frank Langella, James RebhornThriller | 100% |
Horror | 44% |
Mystery | 40% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
I'm afraid Richard Kelly, the once-promising wunderkind who gave us the wonderfully enigmatic dystopian fable Donnie Darko, has taken a sharp turn for the worse. I hesitate to toss him into the same camp as frustrating filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan (whose prestige and talent have rapidly declined since The Sixth Sense had its way with audiences), but Kelly's rightfully reviled Southland Tales handily vaulted to the top of my Worst-Films-of-All-Time list, while The Box, his awkward adaptation and misguided expansion of Richard Matheson's fantastic short story "Button, Button," has made an impassioned grab for the same title. I know Donnie Darko Devotion will continue to color many a faithful fan's impressions of the director's subsequent work, and I know there are those who will walk away from his latest twisted tale spouting words like "brilliant," whispering slack-jawed praise, and labeling Kelly a "misunderstood genius." However, at its core, The Box is a shaky house of cards; an onerous, overwrought, overreaching cloud of soupy smoke. It's strengthened by several intriguing personal touches and wraps up neatly, sure, but a moving setup and a bold endgame can't hope to redeem the film's ever-shifting tone, off-kilter subplots, laughable supporting performances, and mounting air of pretension.
What would you choose? Matheson's original question is the only interesting question in 'The Box.'
Kelly's visuals are just as unwieldy and inconsistent as the film itself. Softness comes and goes, diffusion filters are employed then suddenly tucked away, subsequent detail is all over the place, and key special effects disappoint (the water coffins look as if they were produced with early '90s CG, the 1970s cityscapes are a bit cartoonish, and Langella's scarred cheek often appears disjointed from other elements in the same shot, even his own suit coat and tie). That being said, Warner's 1080p/VC-1 transfer is quite proficient, faithfully rendering the director's every intention with the utmost care. Nestled neatly amidst an unobtrusive veneer of faint grain, an effective wintry palette, capable fleshtones, ominous blacks, and filmic contrast lend the image strength. While scenes that take place in the NASA facilities suffer with bronzed faces and a boorish palette, the majority of the presentation is fairly impressive. Dreamy hazes notwithstanding, detail is just as strong. Textures are noteworthy, object definition is satisfying (even through slight ringing pops up on occasion), and delineation provides ample access to the darkest corners of Kelly's library basements and underground warehouses. Moreover, artifacting, banding, smearing, and noise reduction are nowhere to be found, and instances of ringing and aliasing are so rare that they never become a significant distraction.
Were I to rate The Box's transfer on appearance alone, my score would be lower. However, I'm not interested in penalizing a technical presentation for adhering to its filmmakers' intentions. Anyone armed with appropriate expectations will be pleased.
Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track doesn't fare as well. Dialogue is flat and muddy, and even occasionally sounds as if it's being spoken on the other side of a window. Voices tend to get buried beneath Arcade Fire's jarring score, and are forced to compete with overpowering ambient effects far too often. Simple conversations in Lewis' kitchen are clear and intelligible, sure, but anytime Norma heads to school, Arthur goes to work, or the couple venture beyond the walls of their home, the entire soundscape grows soggy and indistinct. Rear speaker activity and LFE output are just as unreliable, if not more so. There are moments when the trio make their presence known -- a passing truck, an investigation of a murdered woman's house, a waking girl, and a third-act car accident -- but little else demands attention. The track is fairly front-heavy, and bass tones are too earthy, clouding the aural waters and sullying fidelity. Even so, directionality is decent, and the sound designers have a bit of playful fun with side-to-side and front-to-back pans. A more traditional, or at the very least a more accessible soundfield would have been welcome, but I'll admit it's somewhat immersive in its own peculiar way. Director's intention? It honestly wouldn't surprise me to learn that it all is. But without a word from Kelly to suggest otherwise, I have a hard time believing he would find artistic merit in such a mundane and listless sonic experience.
Unfortunately, the Blu-ray edition of The Box doesn't have a lot of special features on tap. Kelly's restrained director's commentary is fairly absorbing, but with a mere thirty minutes of additional material, the disc's supplemental package is a disappointment.
The best part of The Box was hearing my inner-Brad Pitt scream "what's in the baaaahx!?" every time the red-buttoned menace appeared on screen. The film itself is a mess. Its screenplay struck me as a nonsensical laugh riot, its performances are bizarre and ineffective (particularly from any supporting actor whose last name isn't Langella), and Kelly's tone, dialogue, pacing, and visuals are all over the place. A strong endgame saves The Box from my worst-of-the-year list, but not by much. The Blu-ray edition doesn't help matters. While the disc's faithful video transfer deserves some praise, but murky DTS-HD Master Audio track falls short and its anemic supplemental package is brief, bland, and stingy. A high-quality release might have spared The Box from the scorn of disinterested cinephiles, but its eternal destination most likely lies at the bottom of the Blu-ray bargain bin.
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