Five years ago a strange presence drove most of humanity to suicide. Today, a mother with two children engage upon a perilous journey to find safety. But they must do so blindfolded.
Sandra Bullock (Malorie), Trevante Rhodes (Tom), John Malkovich (Douglas), Sarah Paulson (Jessica), Jacki Weaver (Cheryl), Rosa Salazar (Lucy), Vivien Blair (Girl), Julian Edwards (Boy), Danielle Macdonald (Olympia).
Bird Box is conceptually quite interesting. A strange presence appears that when seen by humans drives them to suicide. The human solution is to live life blindfolded. When it becomes obvious Malorie and her two kids must find a safer place to live, they set out blindfolded through a forest and eventually down river in a boat. The emotional intensity of managing two children in an unknown setting while blind and being stalked by an ominous presence is very good. At the same time, the film never explained the strange presence in any way, nor is it ever presented well visually, leaving us somewhat wanting for closure at the end.
Acting was pretty good with Bullock delivering better than usual. Rhodes was an enjoyable choice and did nicely. Malkovich and Paulson were good choices and both contributed nicely. Blair, Edwards, and the remainder of the supporting cast were enjoyable.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were well done with good use of natural scenery. CGI and action scenes are good but again, a bit more detail around the strange presence would have been nice. Dialogue is solid. Sound and soundtrack are fitting.
Overall Bird Box was good, but not great. We were expecting more due to the hype around this film but it just didn't deliver the horror or sci-fi aspect well. Without the added hype, Bird Box ends up being a mild sci-fi drama at best.
With some nudity, sexuality, violence, gore, foul language, and disturbing scenes, this should be fine for older teens and above.
Released: 2018
Reviewed: 1.6.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Horror, Psychological Thrillers
copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel
Sandra Bullock (Malorie), Trevante Rhodes (Tom), John Malkovich (Douglas), Sarah Paulson (Jessica), Jacki Weaver (Cheryl), Rosa Salazar (Lucy), Vivien Blair (Girl), Julian Edwards (Boy), Danielle Macdonald (Olympia).
Bird Box is conceptually quite interesting. A strange presence appears that when seen by humans drives them to suicide. The human solution is to live life blindfolded. When it becomes obvious Malorie and her two kids must find a safer place to live, they set out blindfolded through a forest and eventually down river in a boat. The emotional intensity of managing two children in an unknown setting while blind and being stalked by an ominous presence is very good. At the same time, the film never explained the strange presence in any way, nor is it ever presented well visually, leaving us somewhat wanting for closure at the end.
Acting was pretty good with Bullock delivering better than usual. Rhodes was an enjoyable choice and did nicely. Malkovich and Paulson were good choices and both contributed nicely. Blair, Edwards, and the remainder of the supporting cast were enjoyable.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were well done with good use of natural scenery. CGI and action scenes are good but again, a bit more detail around the strange presence would have been nice. Dialogue is solid. Sound and soundtrack are fitting.
Overall Bird Box was good, but not great. We were expecting more due to the hype around this film but it just didn't deliver the horror or sci-fi aspect well. Without the added hype, Bird Box ends up being a mild sci-fi drama at best.
With some nudity, sexuality, violence, gore, foul language, and disturbing scenes, this should be fine for older teens and above.
Released: 2018
Reviewed: 1.6.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Horror, Psychological Thrillers
copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel
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