Netflix’s Bird Box is what should be a TV show condensed into a two-hour film- leaving major plot holes, and several unanswered questions that severely drag the movie down. Despite terrific performances from Sandra Bullock (Malorie) and Trevante Rhodes (Tom), the film fails to reach its full potential by cutting scenes that would take the movie from good, to great. Most apocalyptic films don’t succeed as great movies, but typically a series, which is exactly what the film should’ve been. The film does a fantastic job of creating suspense in viewers that keeps you on the edge of your seat, whether it is going into the outside, or taking off a simple blindfold. But in order to really drive this film into a high quality film, there needs to be more clarity and a better ending.

In an apocalyptic society, Sandra Bullock and her group must survive creatures that show you your worst fear, and then make you kill yourself. They must live indoors and whenever they need to go outdoors they must wear blindfolds to not see the creatures, which are invisible. The group slowly ends up dying which forces Malorie and Tom to leave with two children and survive somewhere. The movie continuously jumps from the past to the present showing the journey of Malorie and the two kids journey towards a society that supposedly is safe from the creatures. The movie ends up with Malorie and the two children running away from the creatures and finding the society, that is composed mainly of blind people. While the plot is fairly solid, the jumps between scenes and years make the film not flow very well and leaves several question to viewers. I also see a lot comparisons between Birdbox and A Quiet Place, with one being you have to be super quiet, and the other you can’t look at something. And for me, A Quiet Place is definitely better movie than Bird Box.

One student who saw Bird Box is senior Megan Phadel, who had some interesting opinions about the film. For her, her favorite part was when, “..The whole thing (outbreak in city) started and you saw everyone losing control of themselves.” For many this is one of the most intense scenes of the film, and orchestrated very well, as it slowly adds more chaos as they drive along the roads. I also asked Megan how the movie could improve, for which she said, “I think the movie could have thought of a better ending. It doesn’t make sense to me that there’s a huge community of people in the middle of nowhere, where are they getting food and supplies.” For many, this is also a big issue with the film, as it doesn’t fit well and leaves the viewers with so many questions left unanswered. I then asked Megan whether or not she felt the ‘hype’ of the movie was deserved. She responded by saying, “I think the success of the movie is based on both the quality and internet fame it has gained. Personally, I don’t think I would’ve watched it if I didn’t see so much about it on social media, but I do think it’s really good and I now recommend it to people.”