If you take one thing away from this review let it be this…do not waste your time and money on this flop of a movie. Alright, having said that, one question I had going into this movie was why it was not released for Halloween? It is marketed as a thriller right? Possibly a horror movie? No…. Director Richard Kelly made a wonderful little cult classic a few years back called Donnie Darko. While this movie is a little strange and out there, it was very well done and easily one of my favorite movies. I expected the same eccentric and scary plot out of The Box, but as hard as Richard Kelly tried and as much as he stretched this story, it could not be saved.

It is the story of a husband and wife who receive and odd proposal to push a button and get a million dollars. On the flip side someone they do not know will die. A simple offer and an easy movie plot turns into a twisted mess of aliens, portals, government conspiracy, and the bizarre afterlife, sprinkled with hints of biblical references. With bubbling pits of “time portal gel” and sub par special effects this movie seems very thrown together and destined for failure. The only thing scary about this movie was the horrible southern accents attempted by Cameron Diaz and James Marsten!

I wish I would have walked out of the theater with the 10 other people that had the sense to leave early….it was that bad. But don’t loose hope in director Richard Kelly! Stay in and rent Donnie Darko, a classic sure to suffice in place of The Box.