Bird Box

I must have been the right audience for this movie. Before watching it I read several reviews and some of them critized it for being pointless and also for being a waste of two hours. But I decided to still watch it and that was great. Why? Probably because I am a father to a two year old son that I love more than anything. So I could relate to Sandra Bullocks character throughout. The decisions she took, the dedication she showed throughout was based on the love and protection for her child and loved ones. I don't want to write more than that. I thought the movie was great thoughout. Two hours felt like one hour. It was intense and interesting. Perhaps predictable as well but for this movie I didn't mind that. My curiosity was still on the highest level throughout.

One thought though is that perhaps some bad reviews comes from people watching this on a small screen. This movie is probably best viewed on a big screen with a good sound.

I don't want to write reviews for good movies because I think a good movie should be seen without any previous knowledge. But since this in my opinion is underrated and many of the negative reviews will scare viewers I felt I needed to say something.

"Bird Box" is a sci-fi action movie produced by Neflix and like in other films, with many overrated fake reviews in IMDb by hired users or robots promoting the flick. The storyline is the same of "A Quiet Place" as well the lack of explanation who the creatures are. The unbelievable plot, where a man is capable to drive a car with black windows using the GPS through streets full of corpses and accidents or a woman with two children rows a boat in a river and runs through a forest blindfolded is boring in many moments. Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich, who are the greatest names of this film, perform obnoxious characters. The conclusion is awful with a ridiculous sanctuary and leaves the viewers with many questions and no answers. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

For a world which has become so sight-orientated there are times when the sense of dread you feel whilst watching Bird Box is almost incapacitating.

Much has been said about how this is a 'blind' version of 'A Quiet Place' - it is most definitely not. The source material 'Bird Box' written by Josh Malerman was published in 2014. In many ways this film is all the more terrifying because of society's reliance on seeing the world around them. As you watch and come to understand (although not fully) the mechanics of the horror that is the basis of this post apocalyptic tale you find yourself wondering what would you do in a world where your eyes are your greatest weakness?

Yes, perhaps more could have been done to fill out the concepts of family, parenthood, and connecting. With a run-time of just under 2 hours the film does enough and manages to intertwine these themes with the base horror and makes you care enough to take the journey through the fear with Sandra Bullock's Malorie and the rest of the cast who perform admirably. The way the film is split over different time periods is not a clever gimmick as has been the case with so much output over the last few years. It simply layers on another level of dread as the film proceeds towards it's conclusion.

As is fitting a film who's protagonists are reliant on a life without vision, it is not full of bombastic CGI action sequences and instead wraps itself in a sense of horror that I found both terrifying and refreshing.

This is an excellent film in a theater or at home, with a story that will touch at a core vulnerability that makes many of us uncomfortable. Yet as the 280 million+ people around the world who are classed as having 'low-vision' or 'blind' already know' - if you have the will there is life to be had, sighted or not.

Whilst Bird Box isn't going to win any awards for originality, it packs just enough of a punch to succeed on the whole. Some people complain about the pacing being too slow. I found it just about right, with the timeline shift back and forth providing some much needed intrigue and mystery as the film develops. I have to say, this film has one of the more memorable and affecting opening sequences I've seen for some time and is played brilliantly.

The cast does a stellar job with what is ultimately a minimalist piece relying on tension building and dread, which they do admirably. A special mention has to go to Sandra Bullock who is terrific as Malorie, and Sarah Paulson who turns in an extremely brief but memorable performance that I was thinking about long after the credits had rolled.

All in all a very solid little movie without any bells and whistles. Give it a go, you might be surprised. It certainly surprised me.

Started off with a great premise, but dragged on far too long for such a weak finish.