Bird Box Soars High Above the Internet

Don’t listen to the haters–“Bird Box” is worth the hype.

Sandra Bullock stars in the dystopian thriller Bird Box, now playing on Netflix.

Netflix

Sandra Bullock stars in the dystopian thriller “Bird Box,” now playing on Netflix.

Kevin Palma-Aguilar, Staff Writer

Bird Box, the newest in exciting, psychological thriller films, hit Netflix on December 13, 2018. The film quickly rose to popularity, and it seemed everybody across the globe watched the film. Memes surfaced the internet on social platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. It was the peak of everybody’s winter break.

Although the popularity of Bird Box died down, it is still an amazing movie to watch whether at a party, with a few friends, or even on your own, snuggled up in bed picking crumbs of popcorn off your blanket.

In Bird Box, a dystopian world of the near-future is plagued with suicides caused by strange visions.

Sandra Bullock stars, playing the role of Mallory, the main protagonist. She beautifully captures the essence of Mallory’s courageous and selfless character. Alongside her are the children “Boy,” played by Julian Edwards, and “Girl,” played by Vivian Lyra Blaire. While I don’t like the choice of names for the children, the names seemed to resemble something more important.

It seemed Malorie refused to accept that she was a mother, so naming them Boy and Girl made her feel less like a mother because she didn’t want to be one. Although the children do not have many lines, they still play a major role in the movie, appearing in almost all the scenes. They play child-like roles; they add a lot to the plot, with their innocence yet passion for survival.

Trevante Rhodes plays Mallory’s husband Tom and in the post-apocalyptic climate of the film, he serves as a caretaker to the children. Despite his leading role, he is mainly seen in the beginning of the movie and does not come up back until about halfway. Although he didn’t have as many scenes as I wish he would have because of his determined characteristics, he was still an important part of the movie.

The film had a cast full of familiar faces: Sarah Paulson, John Malkovich, and Machine Gun Kelly were just a few of the well known people included in the cast.

Within the film’s plot, a mysterious entity targets humans, taking the form of their worst fears and leading them to commit suicide. And if that wasn’t enough, the drama intensifies.

Mallory, Boy, and Girl must begin a dangerous journey through a deep forest, a treacherous river, and a lonely world to find the only place that may provide refuge. In order to survive, they must complete the trip blindfolded, in order to avoid terrifying visions, and outrun the malicious and hungry force that chases them.

I heard Bird Box is similar to A Quiet Place. Both movies are in a post-apocalyptic word, attacked by mysterious creatures. In A Quiet Place, the only way to avoid the creatures is to not speak, while in Bird Box not seeing them is the only way to avoid them. Although they had many similarities like trying to survive as a family, the movies still had different plots with different types of characters.

Although Bird Box had many fans, there were still many people who criticized the film. The main reason given was its many plot holes. Some people found the ending of the film unnecessary, and felt that the characters should have been further explored on camera.

But Bird Box was a great movie. Although the plot could’ve been more developed, anybody who is an adrenaline junkie would love this movie. It leaps into action right away and sets off on its post-apocalyptic plot.

These types of movies aren’t for everybody, but if you’re into sci-fi and dystopian films, I definitely recommend this one. This film was criticized right off the bat, and that’s the opinion of others, but all in all, Bird Box is a more than decent movie and deserves more recognition than it got.