Doesn't it suck when things are done without your input? When the uncontrollable occurs? Isn't it a great feeling when we can make decisions and choices for ourselves? Settle down and strap it in then, because this movie may be for you. Spoilers ahead, at least in one aspect.
Black Mirror has released its first movie after four successful seasons on Netflix. The new film is called Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Netflix released the film on December 28th, and already it is pooling in a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an 88% audience score, and IGN rated it an 8/10.
This is honestly the most intriguing and odd film I've analyzed, as well as even watched. It truly felt like a Choose Your Own Adventure book (which is what Bandersnatch is in the film, btw. Really well done).
As I began my intro for this post, my controller began to violently buzz. Looking up at the film, I saw the main character's father holding up two cereal choices. Two names options were displayed, and a white color bar slowly began to disintegrate as I ran out of time. Quickly, I selected the Sugar Puffs over the Frosties option, my heart thumping in my chest. This choice would clearly not alter the whole film. Right?
This made the movie more of a video game. My hands clutched my PS4 controller as a wave of anxiety rushed over me. My decisions mattered. This was no mere Netflix and Chill flick. This was something more.
My idea for this film was to experience it personally at first. Basically, make the decisions I wanted to. Then, do some research on the other options and what they lead to. As much as I'd like to rewatch a movie 10 times in one day, unless I start getting paid to write these I'm not investing that much time.
The acting in the film is phenomenal, for starters. Black Mirror is unique because every episode has a different cast with a whole new intrigue plot. It keeps things unpredictable and new, and the movie is no exception. Two actors in particular, Will Poulter and Fionn Whitehead, really play their parts well: Whitehead is a young video game creator with confidence issues after he places the death of his mother on himself, and Poulter is a famous creator who takes Whitehead under his wing. If you choose the right options. Wink Wink.
Learning the origin of the name PAC-Man, btw, was jaw dropping. PAC stands for Program and Control. The game is his mind, or "maze", he can never escape, and the "ghosts" are his own fears created into reality. Ya, your dot eating adventures with the game are changed huh?
That's a huge aspect of this movie: the time period. It's 1984, so game programming is much different than present time. I myself am not an expert in this field, but the importance of programming plays a large role in this movie. I can't even be sure if I can call it a movie, but for the sake of this post that will be its title.
My first attempt at this "movie" did not go well. Basically, I allowed my character to get high on LSD with Poulter's character and jump off a ledge because the belief was this was merely "one" timeline and he wouldn't die. I choose wrongly.
The film then showed two TV screens. It gave me two options: I could go back to the exact scene I was just on and try again, choosing Colin (Poulter's character) or Stefan again (the one the viewer is in control of), or I could go back further into the film and choose an option from earlier that would completely change things, causing me to not see Colin at all.
The film allows you to go back and right your wrongs. There's no pausing and skipping while watching either. It completely changed how this movie should be watched. You can't put it aside until you've completed a proper ending, or at least tried. There's no amount of time on the movie either because it could take as long as your decisions allow you to survive: for me it was a mere 20 minutes. I wasn't very good at Choose Your Own Adventure Books as a kid.
Every time you messed up and started over, the movie flashed through memories you already experienced. What appear as mere flashbacks were much more. Characters remembered interactions from before; there was a whole different reality within this reality! The 4th wall, shattered like shards of broken glass. The glass of a Black Mirror, perhaps.
When Stefan spoke of the dreams of not having control during my experience, my heart stopped. I realized he knew there was more to this. Stefan knew I was controlling him. Do you know how bizarre this felt, having control of a character and THEY KNOW? It was something I had never felt in my entire life. He even tried fighting against my decisions! I felt like I was playing God, and Stefan was a defiant creation. His world, literally in the palm of my hand. Well, two hands, clutching a white PS4 controller.
This movie is nothing like I've ever experienced. It forces audience engagement; your decisions have severe rewards and consequences to how the film goes. This is the future of streamed movies. We, the people, can freely choose how our characters live, make choices, and even die. That power is unimaginable.
Don't expect any huge Hollywood films like this though. The multiple paths most likely took many hours to film. It's like my brother Jake (s/o to the family) said, this is like a tree; every branch has multiple roots and endings. One choice leads to a sub choice, and etc. Season 4 of the show was finished filming on December 6th, 2017 (also my 17th birthday). That means this movie took over a year to be developed. Many companies don't have the money or time for this, or would rather not take the risk. Luckily, Black Mirror has four successful seasons already on Netflix, so fans were already bought in before this aired.
Do expect more movies like to appear on streaming outlets, especially Netflix. Black Mirror continues to defy the logic of reality, creating scenarios audience members have never encountered. I can't wait to see what else is in store. My score for the film? 8.7/10.
The following link is a guide to all the endings. Believe me, when you're done, you're gonna wanna read this.
https://slate.com/culture/2018/12/black-mirror-bandersnatch-endings-spoilers.html
If you'd like to experience a story that you control, head over to Netflix and check it out. Don't like this post? Browse the blog and select a new story I've written. Choosing your own adventure should mean reading more than one upload, right?
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