Bird Box

Another attempt at combining horror and social drama, sitting in a corner in the shadow of Darabont’s The Mist. The constant alternation of the two different time planes becomes narratively monotonous after an hour or so. Somehow, with its “relationship content” and all of the clichés it tends to use, it becomes very unlikely that the film may in any way be surprising or bring something new into its subject matter, which resembles that of some recent genre movies. The intriguing premise with a great start fails to fulfill the potential of a decent genre event, leaving only a safe, mainstream drama about the importance of sticking together with a few scary scenes, children at risk and a pleasant Sandra Bullock. It’s not that I didn’t watch it with interest; I just consider it a waste of a great potential. (20/01/2019)

One of the best directorial works by Susanne Bier, who has endured the dangers of a film in which a piece of hypersensitive kitsch is definitely dormant. But, folks, Sandra is great and Trevante Rhodes shows that his special fragility is as astounding as his musculature. Screenwriter Erik Heisserer is an aspirant and intends to specialize in female alien encounters ... which is why the structure of the two alternating levels of storytelling works very well. Bird Box has a nice rhythm and does not drag, and moreover, it avoids the absurd escalation that damaged the similarly tuned A Quiet Place. It's a bit unfortunate that the point itself feels a little lost, and the main character, despite trying to question her relationship to unwanted motherhood, never quite goes deep enough. But chattering aside, this is very solid genre work in all respects, also because the creators eventually gathered enough courage not to show the evil at all. I wish their Hollywood colleagues would take an example from them. One of the best Netflix originals and a dignified reparation for ultimate evil from Shyamalan's The Happening. (18/01/2019)

For me, on the same level of A Quiet Place (which I actually liked a little bit less than the average rating would suggest), though it also has some passages that will make a sane viewer facepalm. The behaviour of the characters doesn’t correspond to what would be sensible a given situation (can anyone explain me why nobody paid attention to the guy who in the flashback was experimenting with cameras around the house?). Taken as a whole, however, it’s professionally put together, with solid performances and direction. But expecting a masterpiece would be a mistake. (16/12/2018)

I liked it a little more than A Quiet Place, because this film started, continued and ended with a intimate-depressing atmosphere, and never drifted towards action scenes at all costs. Moreover, the evil that was causing all this was even more mysterious, unknown the entire time and thus more interesting. That's great. And the scene with the car ride to the supermarket was truly superb. (05/01/2019)

I just don't know. Similar to A Quiet Place, the film has a unique premise and a great cast, but the final execution lost quite a few points in some aspects. I genuinely appreciate the idea of suicidal tendencies after seeing the entity... but then there's the entity. The film fails to explain anything; we don't get any details about whether these are extraterrestrials made of flesh and blood or some sort of cosmic matter. I don’t even know how it came to Earth. I don't consider myself someone who enjoys filling in gaps left by others. Why should I have to? Moving on... Sandra Bullock surprised me. Although I didn’t quite buy her as a pregnant woman, she delivered high-standard performances in emotionally charged moments. There are some great scenes (the one in the house with Tom Hollander was absolutely top-notch). The ending played on emotions, which I understand, but the abrupt cut and lack of explanation really frustrated me. It felt like a missed opportunity, and it was a significant one. I give it 63%. (28/12/2018)