Robin Bhuyan
Starring Sandra Bullock, “Bird Box” is a post-apocalyptic survival horror thriller film which dropped on Netflix in 2018 and quickly became an instant hit. The film revolves around Malorie, played by Bullock, who is on a mission to keep herself and her kids safe in a world haunted by invisible and mysterious entities that drive people to suicide when seen. The film gained a lot of popularity within a short time, becoming one of the most watched movies on Netflix.
The film has some resemblance with A Quiet Place, although it was not quite engaging, and can be considered predictable to an extent. Netflix comes up this year with a sequel to this film half a decade later, titled “Bird Box Barcelona”, which takes us to a Spanish town, and revolves around our protagonist Sebastian who is wandering blindly through the city, trying to survive. He is soon able to find a group of people who is residing inside a fortified bus shelter. It is soon revealed that Sebastian is not the hero of the film, but rather a villain, when he forces his newfound comrades to come out into the open and face the entities, after which they all start offing themselves, to embrace death.
So, is the film worth watching? If you consider the fact that Netflix took five years to come up with a sequel, then it is may be kind of disappointing, as they have left things unanswered just like the first film. The good thing about the film is that it is not a typical survival thriller, as compared to the first one, as we have a protagonist who goes through a transformation. The film also introduces a group of humans, who seem to have formed a cult, due to having an allegiance to the mysterious invisible creatures, and their only goal is open the eyes of the others, and “save their souls”. So, the film is not just about a bunch of people trying to survive, but also a battle of the survivors against the cult members.
If you’re into post-apocalyptic thrillers and liked the first “Bird Box,” you might want to go for it. Just don’t expect to find all the answers you’re looking for, because like the prequel, the film is going to leave a lot of things to your imagination. And here’s a thought for the filmmakers: developing this story into a series could be a good move. It’d give them the time to really dig into the characters and finally spill the beans on the lingering questions that viewers have.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
