I really enjoyed this ... for the first hour. Then I got bored. The plot wandered down too many narrative blind alleys, the weirdness becoming increasingly less sinister and almost comically OTT, before culminating in a finale that worked as a sequel to the film's first half hour but further undercut the whole middle section, making it seem like little more than needlessly convoluted filler. Overall, I really enjoyed many aspects of the film - from the many genre-crossing thematic motifs to the wonderful '70's mise en scène - but dialling down the ridiculously cheesy moments and cutting the length could have turned this Lynch-lite mess into a tighter, suspenseful little gem. Entertaining when it's not boring, "The Box" is better than Kelly's second film but still not a patch on his first.
Review of The Box
