Today’s quick review: Bird Box. Society crumbles with the appearance of mysterious entities that drive the people who see them to commit suicide. Malorie (Sandra Bullock), a pregnant woman, finds shelter with Tom (Trevante Rhodes), Douglas (John Malkovich), and a small group of survivors. Five years later, Malorie, now on her own, takes two children (Vivien Lyra Blair and Julian Edwards) on a perilous journey to safety.
Bird Box is a survival thriller with horror elements. Sandra Bullock stars as Malorie, a cynical woman who must learn to survive in a world where one wrong glance can mean death. Bird Box uses its premise to good effect; the need for a blindfold makes every trip outside into a suspenseful ordeal, while the pressures of survival give the movie its share of character drama. The result is a tense watch with a unique enough premise to set it apart.
However, Bird Box does have a problem with suspension of disbelief. The film generally does a good job of selling the audience on its premise, and the tension is high throughout. But the abstract nature of the threat makes it easy to stop taking it seriously, a problem that’s compounded by the bizarre image of characters stumbling around in blindfolds. Bird Box compensates for these lapses quickly, but critical viewers won’t find the movie convincing.
Give Bird Box a shot when you’re in the mood for a tense thriller with a unique premise. Bird Box doesn’t have the horror, drama, or thrills of the beset the genre has to offer, but it does manage to tell an interesting story with lots of tension throughout. Those willing to accept what the movie has to offer will find it to be a worthwhile watch. Those looking for full-blown horror will want to look elsewhere.
For a harder-hitting movie with a similar premise, try A Quiet Place. For a more dramatically moving tale of survival, try Children of Men or The Road. For one with less dramatic heft, try The Happening.
6.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for solid craftsmanship.