Black Mirror: Bandersnatch – Film Review

A young programmer named Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead) starts to question reality when he adapts a mad writer’s fantasy novel into a video game.

It should go without saying that one of the most popular television shows right now is the brilliantly eerie Black Mirror, created by Charlie Brooker. First debuting on December 4, 2011, the show took the world by storm as it presented audiences with complex themes and interesting storylines that creepily did not seem too far fetched. It has drawn comparisons to other shows such as The Twilight Zone, as they both contain thrilling and exciting stories that viewers love to follow.

Much like Twilight Zone,  Black Mirror is a horror anthology series, meaning that every single episode focuses on a new group of characters, a new location, and a brand new story, opening up an entire world of possibilities.

Will Poulter as Colin Ritman in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018).

But honestly, we almost never get movies quite like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch; a spin-off film set in the same universe as the television show, but with one gigantic twist and selling point – it is an entirely interactive experience. Confused? Basically, you get to decide what happens in the film. A character may be having a difficult time deciding what to do. While watching a normal movie, you obviously expect the character to decide eventually what he/she is going to do. But what director David Slade has done here is put you in control.

It’s kind of a scary thing, really. It makes everything feel all the more suspenseful. Something that is truly amazing about Bandersnatch is the fact that it has multiple endings depending on whatever you chose earlier on in the film, making it a ton of fun to rewatch over and over again. One ending you get might be deeply depressing, much in line to the Black Mirror series, whereas another ending you may get could be kind of hilarious and funny, while also being sad.

While the story is never truly gripping or out of this world enticing, it still works as a highly fun interactive movie. It does not contain a storyline that is going to have you on the edge of your seat or anything like that. It has problems. The writing is not the strongest it could be, and it is nowhere near as good as the Black Mirror television series, but all that aside, this is a fun time. If you want to be entertained consistently for approximately ninety minutes, this is going to do the trick and then some.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is a devilishly fun interactive joyride that changes the game for Netflix.

Overall Grade: A-

MPAA Rating: TV-MA

Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Will Poulter, Craig Parkinson, Alice Lowe, Asim Chaudhry, Tallulah Haddon, Catriona Knox, Paul Bradley, Jonathan Aris, Fleur Keith, Laura Evelyn

Directed by: David Slade

Distributed by: Netflix

Release Date: December 28, 2018 (United States)

Running Time: 90 minutes