I guess I'm the eternal curmudgeon. Completely unimpressed.

Visually stunning, to be sure. But I don't see why people are clamoring to make it into a movie. It's a pretty generic sci-fi/thriller setup (box does mysterious things, people will die/kill for it), and I'm guessing every studio in town already owns a bunch of scripts, comic books, novels, etc. that cover similar if not identical territory.

Russia's "The Gift" is "I, Robot" meets "The Box" on the cold streets of Moscow. Winda weird. Makes you think these people ARE waching Hollywood's movies and trying to make take-off from them.

Overall: not that impressed. Both of those trailers look weird.

I think my biggest problem with "The Gift" is that it seemed like they were trying to cram a really big story into a five minute short. Really, it feels like a trailer for feature-length film.

I will admit, despite its "generic sci-fi/thriller set-up," I'm interested to see if something bigger does come out of it. I've always liked Moscow/Russia as a back drop (I don't know, just something about it--the cold, the dreariness...makes for a good setting), and I was intrigued by the look/atmosphere of the film, and the potential story that can come out of it. That, and I'm a sucker for mysterious boxes. *grin*

- KP

I believe that guy is working on the next aliens.

I liked the look of the Gift, but considering the great lengths people were going to get it, it seems weird that they just gave up once it went into that water and a kid would find it.

I see the short as backstory to the 'real' story -- the kid finding the box. Movie takes off from there.

Second, what about this mysterious world in the semi-near future? Isn't that interesting? What sort of society are we dealing with? Russia, androids, weird political system. I'm hooked.

We'll find out soon if it sells...

Since I have my basic movie making experiences in short movies I'm surprised about the amount of money put into it.

Most people making shorts may love the format, but dreams about big budget features. Most of them would have made a feature instead of a short for the money used for this.

I love the world and the visuals, but would have liked some form of explanation to the robot's behavior.

http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/04/08/exclusive-concept-art-and-info-from-carl-erik-rinschs-small/

Astounding visuals but as standalone short the final third leaves a lot to be desired. Can see why studios would want to work with the director though.

I was impressed. Visually, it was great. The F/X were superb. The acting was excellent. And story-wise, I was also hooked:

- Who was the man delivering the gift, and why did he kill the Russian as soon as the box was opened? Did he need the ambassador (?) just to learn the secret of how to open the box?

- A unicorn?! Want to know more!

and finally:

- What was the android butler's motivation to grab the box and run? Why didn't he return to the estate with the box and give it to the family, instead of running off and looking guilty? Why was he so willing to risk his "life" to protect the box from the police?

I thought it was a lot better than the panic attack short. I liked it.

Here's a link to a better version of THE GIFT (minus the annoying Philips TV framing bullshit):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-tykXmKqQE

@daveed: Thanks for that link. I replaced the original with the version you linked to.