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The Box movie poster - The Box review and rating on movieMx
2009115 minThriller, Science Fiction

The Box

Is The Box a Hit or Flop?

FLOP

Is The Box worth watching? With a rating of 5.643/10, this Thriller, Science Fiction film is a mixed-bag for fans of the genre. Read on for our detailed analysis and user reviews.

5.6431,839 votes
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The Box Synopsis

Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. However pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world; someone they don't know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.

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Top Cast

Cameron Diaz
Cameron DiazNorma Lewis
James Marsden
James MarsdenArthur Lewis
Frank Langella
Frank LangellaArlington Steward
James Rebhorn
James RebhornNorm Cahill
Holmes Osborne
Holmes OsborneDick Burns
Sam Oz Stone
Sam Oz StoneWalter Lewis
Gillian Jacobs
Gillian JacobsDana
Celia Weston
Celia WestonLana Burns
Lisa K. Wyatt
Lisa K. WyattRhonda Martin
Mark S. Cartier
Mark S. CartierMartin Teague

Official Trailer

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Box worth watching?

The Box has received mixed reviews with a 5.643/10 rating. It might be worth watching if you're a fan of Thriller, Science Fiction movies.

Is The Box hit or flop?

The Box has received average ratings (5.643/10), performing moderately with audiences.

What genre is The Box?

The Box is a Thriller, Science Fiction movie that Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A...

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Critic Reviews

John ChardMay 31, 2015
★ 6

If you push the button, two things will happen. The best quote I ever saw as regards Richard Kelly's The Box, was that it is a Marmite movie. Marmite is a food substance that people either love or hate, The Box is a Marmite movie. Cameron Diaz and James Marsden star as a couple who are visited by a mysterious stranger (Frank Langella) who has a bizarre offer. The Box now in the couple's possession has a button (Langella's mysterious Arlington Steward informs them it's called the Button Unit), they are told that if they push the button then a complete stranger will die, they will then receive a life changing amount of money. What to do?. Based on a Richard Matheson short story titled "Button, Button", The Box is an ethereal mind meld of a piece. Morals and ethics are married up to a whole bunch of twists and other worldly ideas, which goes some way to explaining that where once there was a more than adequate half hour "Twilight Zone" episode (Profile in Silver/Button, Button 1986), there is now a near two hour movie crammed to the brim. It's this that hurts an otherwise stylishly produced and potentially thoughtful picture. After the raves and craves for his "Donnie Darko (2001)", Richard Kelly appeared to believe the press praise, that here was a new surreal director on the block. Where "M. Night Shyamalan" had success with the twist gimmick and couldn't let it go until his career went in the swamp, so to Kelly who kept straining to make movies that were needlessly over complex, trying to be smart when it isn't needed ("Southland Tales (2006)" is a car wreck of a movie). The Box does have intelligence and lots of good ideas, but a two hour film it does not make, with the attempts at weaving all the threads together proving to be too problematic come the finale. Incredulity a most appropriate word, plausibility is not. The Box, an intriguing - attractive - failure, but some do and will love it. If you haven't seen it then roll the dice and good luck. 6/10 Footnote: We have yet to actually get an adaptation to screen that contains Matheson's original literary ending!