The Box

The premise for The Box sounds like something someone came up with staying up late with his college roommates: what if someone gave you a box, and in it there is a button that, if you push it, you will get a million dollars; the catch is that someone, somewhere, whom you don't know, will die.  What a wild and crazy moral dilemma!  Get me another beer!

It is conceivable that this type of dilemma could provide the basis for a good movie, but this wasn't it.  It started as a slightly compelling situation.  The happy couple is having financial troubles, and a mysterious stranger shows up with the box.  A million dollars just for pressing a button.  You know there's going to be some complication, but wondering how it will play out kept me interested.  Before long, though, it started spiraling into a barely cohesive sci-fi story about aliens judging the human race.  Yuck.

Overreaching and manipulative, The Box is one to be skipped.  Don't press the button.

Bottom line, 1 star.