“The Box” (opening November 11 throughout San Diego) is mind twister based on a short story called “Button, Button.” It takes place in the 1970’s when a gentleman named Arlington Stewart (Frank Langella) sends a mysterious box to the Lewis family. In this box is a button and two rules set by Mr. Stewart himself. The first rule is that if Mrs. Lewis (Cameron Diaz) presses the button then one person in the world that she does not know will die. Second, she will receive one million dollars personally from Mr. Stewart and live life as if nothing ever happened. But the money becomes worthless by the time she figures out the horrid consequences she really puts her family though by pressing the button. Little by little Mrs. Lewis figures out who Arlington Stewart truly is, Then she has to find a way to reverse what’s happened before any harm happens to the ones she loves -- but it might be too late.
Directed by "Donnie Darko's" Richard Kelly, "The Box" has an intense vibe to it but not much actual action. The trailers made the movie look like it was going to be the greatest mind twister of them all but sad to say it was just okay. There were many exciting questions going through my mind while I was watching the film like, “What’s going to happen next?” Or “How’s Mr. Lewis going to change what happened?” I kept waiting for them to be answered but I was left curious for so long that I became bored with the film. Perhaps if they emphasized the twist and turns of the plot instead of making the dialogue the main part of the film then I would have been more intrigued by the movie.
All in all “The Box” (rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images) is nothing more than an interesting with a great plot. This film is more of an adult thinker because young people want to see more action and violence instead of waiting for the plot twists to come. But the ending of the film made up for the rest of the movie because it was surprising and unexpected. “The Box” is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images.
--Felicia Lomeli is a senior at Mount Miguel High School. Her favorite films are "Party Monster," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," and "The Devil’s Rejects.” She also wants to be a film critic because she believes the youth opinion matters and because she has a deep love for all types of films that are interesting.
