Bird Box Movie Review (Spoilers)

Netflix has been dishing out some amazing titles as of late. Last movie that became a huge favorite of mine was ‘Bright’ starring Will Smith. Netflix Originals are some good movies and TV shows no doubt and now they have released ‘Bird Box’. Starring Oscar Winner Sandra Bullock, Bird Box is a horror and suspense feature that has a lot of good things going for it.

Movie has a flashback style story telling. You go back and forth to make sense of what’s happening and how it happened. Sandra Bullocks character is one month away from giving birth and her sister comes over to take her to the doctors. And right away things start go to hell. People start to end up killing themselves in precariously and strange ways. And the strange thing is that you’d think it’s like a zombie virus but it isn’t and that is the hook of this film.

Sarah Paulson

Apparently the movie is about a being that if you even glance at it, you immediately go into deep sadness, followed by your eyes turning into this cloudy brown and grey and then you kill yourself. And I gotta tell ya, I liked the concept and buckled up for some action. But sadly though, the action happens among humans and not between humans and this monster or being whatever you wanna call it. There is however an easy way to avoid all of that, just keep your eyes closed or keep them covered by whatever.

So the movie goes on with the survivors finding a shelter and that’s where we meet all the characters around Malorie played Bullock. The movie has all the markers and cliche tones of a survivor horror movie; people running out of supplies and food, some freak out and leave the group and end up dying, scavenging for food is hard while avoiding the monster outside etc. Don’t take it as a negative but the movie has nothing new except for how to avoid the monster. Which can be easily guessed by looking at the poster of the movie. Keep your eyes closed or covered with something because the way the monster gets you is by you looking at it. Monster then doesn’t kill you itself but instead you do that yourself by any means necessary. So a suicide wish pops into your head attached by a personal incident in one’s life.

Girl

You’ll see people toppling their own cars while driving or go into fire voluntarily, hit their head on concrete and split their head open, jumping out the window and many others. It is a ride for sure and the dissociative personality and her refusal to acknowledge the role as a mother is interesting for sure. The struggle is portrayed well and action is not bad either but at the end when you don’t get to see what it is that’s killing everyone is a huge bummer.

The new element in this movie is the character of monster though and how it makes you kill yourself and if you somehow avoid it, it influences other humans to make you give in by removing your blindfolds and forcing your eyes to open and see it. The monster seems to have a global reach, it is everywhere but it doesn’t physically harm you so you can avoid it but the influenced ones do it’s dirty work for it.

Malorie with Boy and Girl

After pretty much all dead around her, Malorie and two children, one her’s one of another survivor must make it to this haven that they hear about over the radio. And to be honest, that is my favorite part of the movie. Children in this movie did such an amazing job especially the little girl played by Vivien Lyra Blair. At moments I felt as though she was really scared and got to me a little. Interesting dynamic shown between the children and Malorie as she doesn’t acknowledge them as her children and calls them ‘Boy’ and ‘Girl’ but her maternal instincts come about as they journey across the river.

Malorie and Boy

I won’t give out the ending although I have pretty much given out the movie in this review of sorts. I was upset at the end and simply because I wanted to see the monster or whatever was doing all that in the movie. But it never came on screen and to me that is a major bummer. And now I realize that the writer maybe wanted to have the same effect on the audiences for if they see it then what’s the point to it all. I get it but I am still bummed.

Who is the monster? I think it’s 4 horsemen of the apocalypse and death is causing people to die. Think about it, something that can kill you in such a manner and can get you anywhere, sounds end of days biblical kind of a deal. And there is a part in the movie when creatures chase Malorie at the end and the sounds they make almost sound like a horse if you listen carefully. Well, I don’t know what the creatures are but that is my interpretation.

It is a good watch but most of you who need closure would have an issue with the ending. Good acting, interesting plot but nothing new that would make you go ‘wow’.