BOTTOM LINE: An unusual, bizarre and multi-faceted thriller from ‘Donnie Darko’ director Richard Kelly, who manages to steep this film with a rich and engaging story, with solid performances from its cast, although it does become somewhat ridiculous and anti-climatic by the end.

THE GOOD: The film starts off quite simply: a box is delivered on the door step of the home of Norma and Arthur Lewis (Diaz, Marsden). Norma brings the box inside, unravels it, and finds a simple, but well designed box on the inside, with a red button on top. Inside is a note that “Arlington Steward” will be calling upon them at 5pm the next day. Steward (Frank Langella) arrives on time, and makes an offer: push the button, someone in the world they do not know will die, and they will receive a million dollars tax free, or if not, nothing will happen and he will re-program the box and make the offer to someone else. After some soul-searching and realising they are quite cash-strapped, Norma pushes the button. From there, their lives begin to change and unravel in complex, bizarre and unusual ways. “The Box” has a very simple premise which is clear to follow. Director Richard Kelly then uses this premise to build a very bizarre, multi-genre narrative where higher powers (alien or otherwise) are using humans as test subjects to determine their nature. If humans fail the test, they face extinction. The main theme of the film is the morality surrounding murder and its personal connection to us; if we do not know someone and if we take an action that seems harmless but will kill them, would we still do it, particularly if we stand to gain from it? This film suggests yes, and that human compassion and empathy is limited solely to those who we are personally connected to. As a film, Kelly is his usual directorial self, creating sequences that are both bizarre and fascinating, such as the scenes where we see Steward in his lair, or when Arthur has to choose between three water portals to find the path to salvation. The higher powers in this story are never really clear but that works to the film’s advantage; at times Kelly suggests aliens (and there is a Mars exploration subplot), but other times more religious tones come in to play, with Arthur learning that he may have had a glimpse in to the after life. One of the standout qualities of the film is the character of Arlington Steward. He is charming and creepy, all at the same time, and his facial disfigurement (his left cheek and jaw are missing, having been burnt in a lightning strike) makes him look other-worldly. Cameron Diaz is particularly good in this film, offering a more restrained and mature performance than what we usually see from her. What is so good about a film like this is that it is an experience; it may start with a simple premise but it has so much more going on within it that you will be thinking about it for quite some time afterward. In this respect, “The Box” does a great job at creating an unusual and rich cinematic experience.

THE BAD: The last quarter of the movie is not particularly satisfying. Nothing is ultimately resolved other than that Steward’s tests will continue, and that each of his new test subjects will take the same path as Norma and Arthur. Moments earlier in the film, such as when Norma identifies with Steward’s facial disfigurement, are mocked in the end, when Steward still makes Norma pay the price for having pushed the button. Although the film does take you on an enjoyable, if bizarre, journey that is worth taking, the ending does give you a small sense of “what’s the point?”. After all, with nothing resolved and nothing gained by the characters, the only thing we are left with is an intellectual philosophy. Fortunately this does not detract too much from the overall film, but it does finish proceedings on a bit of an off note when everything else was so good.