Bird Box

Rating: 3.5/5

A film that starts out stronger than it ends, Bird Box is an intense and at times, very disturbing film.

Malorie (Sandra Bullock) is a single woman who is expecting her first child. Before heading to her ultrasound appointment, her sister Jessica (Sarah Paulson) arrives at her apartment and informs her that mass suicides have been taking place in Russia. Brushing the bizarre phenomenon off due to the far away distance, the two head out to the doctor's office. Everything appears to be perfectly normal, that is until Malorie is leaving the hospital and sees a woman hitting her head against the window. Realizing that whatever mania that was taking place in Russia has made its' way to the States, Malorie rushes to the car to join her sister and escape.

What follows is five minutes of mass hysteria as people attempt to flee whatever it is that is causing the human race to exterminate themselves. Finding refuge after being pulled into a stranger's home, Malorie and the other survivors quickly discover that in order to live, they must shield their eyes from the outside world if they are to prevent themselves from falling victim to the suicidal epidemic that has swept over humanity.

Bird Box is what M. Night Shyamalan's the Happening should have been. Both bear a striking resemblance to one another with their plot and "monster". With Bird Box being so similar to Shymalan's film, the movie itself isn't exactly innovative or new, but it is at least a hundred times better than its' sort-of predecessor. Where the Happening tried hard to make a disturbing concept, the acting and laughable dialogue made the movie doomed to never hit its' mark. However that's where Bird Box really shines in comparison. The acting and overall tone of the movie makes Bird Box incredibly tense and upsetting, leaving a much more impressive impact.

There were times while watching the film when I wanted to stop watching, because the images on the screen were almost too disturbing to witness. However, the curiosity in me wouldn't let me turn it off. Would they ever explain what type of creature took over the world? Who would survive the horrific violence? I just had to know! Had the initial story itself not been so compelling, Bird Box may have been one of the few films that I didn't stick through for its' entire duration.

What makes Bird Box a bit more original than other apocalyptic horror films, is its' nonlinear way of story telling. The movie switches back and forth between when the suicides first began, to an undisclosed amount of time later with Melanie going down a river with two unnamed children. In theory, this was an interesting idea, but unfortunately it made any believable connection between the characters to be few and far between. Even with the strong performances by Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, and many of the other cast members, there just wasn't enough screen time for their relationships to truly come to life.

Though it may not be what I would consider to be a great horror movie, Bird Box is still above most films in its' genre. The acting and unsettling realism to the opening scenes, is what really saves Bird Box from landing in the collection of the many forgettable apocalyptic movies that have been made throughout the years.