Logan Sork Film Reviews
Bird Box
The idea of not being able to look at something doesn’t really seem like a scary idea. We use our vision to the point that we take things for granted, not realizing how much we need it to survive until it is taken away. It is only when the option to use our sight is taken away under threat of death that the concept becomes more interesting. Bird Box makes excellent use of this concept by using strong direction and creepy atmosphere. However, more than a great concept is needed to make the film stand out amongst the growing horror genre, as Bird Box hits a few too many sour notes for it to become the thriller sensation everyone is making it out to be.
Bird Box is directed by Susanne Brier and based off the novel of the same name by Josh Malerman. The film follows the pregnant Malorie (Sandra Bullock), who witnesses the world descend into chaos a unseen entities begin to cause people to kill themselves. In the midst of the chaos, Malorie manages to find shelter in a large house with other people seeking shelter. Upon closer inspection, the group discovers that if you look at the entities, you will die. Hoping to survive, the group covers the windows and takes certain precautions to avoid death. As time goes on however, Malorie has her baby as does another woman. As the group falls apart, Malorie is left by herself with two children. She must now take care of herself and the children while trying to find a rumored sanctuary, all while avoiding using her sight in the outside world, under threat of death.
What the film has going for it is the unique concept which drives the plot and heightens the suspense. The idea of not being able to look at anything under threat of death is a concept very few think about. We often take our ability to see for granted and the film uses this relatively overlooked thing to create some truly suspenseful sequences. While it was disappointing that we never actually saw the creatures, it does make sense, as our characters try so hard to avoid seeing them, shouldn’t the audience also be kept in the dark. The decision to keep the creatures hidden throughout the film only serves to drive the suspense up even further. There are also sequences in which the film would cut to point of view shots as our protagonist struggles to make it through certain situations while blind-folded, allowing the viewers to experience the struggles of this often-overlooked problem.
The atmosphere created in the film is also excellent as well. So many fills like this try to create a genuinely creepy atmosphere but fail. This is not the case however, as director Susanne Brier makes use of excellent sound design and cinematography to create a genuinely creepy atmosphere. It is one in which death could be around the corner, but you will literally never see it coming. There were moments in the film where I was genuinely on the edge of my seat, just from the atmosphere alone. This creepy atmosphere combined with the unique concept makes for some genuinely good sequences.
While there are some good things in this film, there are also some elements that make the film fall short of its potential. When it comes to characters, the only ones who are genuinely interesting are our two main characters Malorie and Tom (Trevante Rhodes). They are the only characters in the entire film who receive any type of development, the rest of the characters are literally stereotypes. I may say that sometimes to describe poorly written characters, but in this case, they are literally stereotypes. You have your guy who hates everyone and is not nice, your old lady who thinks everything is going to be fine, your crazy conspiracy theorist who somehow knows why everything is happening etc. In addition to being poorly written, these side characters are also poorly acted. Sometimes the cast members are just overt eh top, but most of the time they are just poorly acted. Having to spend time with these poorly written characters really drags down the interesting concept that the film has going for it, to the point that the film really doesn’t become good until most of these characters are out of the picture.
There are also some story telling issues that plague this film. The film tells its story in a non-linear way, cutting back and forth between the beginning and the middle of the story. While this may work for some films, this is one that could’ve benefitted from a traditional linear model. By showing what eventually happens before it actually happens, much of the suspense is removed because the audience now knows what eventually will happen and who will survive. This removal of suspense makes for sequences where that are meant to be suspenseful a complete waste of time because we already know what’s going to happen. If the film had just stuck with a traditional linear structure, the final product would’ve fared much better.
In the end, Bird Box is a good film. It’s not great nor is it terrible by any means of the word it’s simply good. It has a unique concept and a great atmosphere but is ultimately puled short of being great by some story telling issues and some of the worst written characters I’ve ever seen. So yeah, it’s not great, but if you’re looking for a horror film with some great sequences of terror and a chilling atmosphere, give it a watch. If you’re looking for anything else in a film, it’s better to keep your blind-fold on and just skip it.
5/10