Bird Box (2018) Movie Review

 

Bird Box | 2018 | 2h 4m
Genre: Psychological Horror/Supernatural Horror/Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi | Country: US
Director: Susanne Bier | Writers: Eric Heisserer, Josh Malerman
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich
IMDB: 6.6
My Rate: 8/10

Malorie and her two children try to reach a place said to be safe from monster disturbances that cause those who see them to end their own lives. The journey is not easy; they must cross a rapid river and face unblindfolded people as well as manipulations from the monsters.

Warning:

Contains violent scenes, harsh language, suicide, sexual content, alcohol, and nudity

 

Synopsis:

Malorie (Sandra Bullock), along with her two children, tries to reach a place considered safe from monster disturbances. However, the place can only be reached by boat through the river. The problem is that all of this must be done with their eyes closed.

Five years earlier, Malorie and her sister, Jessica, visit an obstetrician to check Malorie’s pregnancy. A terrifying and unexpected event occurs as they are about to go home. The mass suicide cases that initially happened in Russia and several other countries also occur in America.

Malorie and Jessica try to leave the chaos as soon as possible. However, Jessica accidentally sees the mysterious figure, which makes her seem out of control. The car they are driving ends up in an accident. Both survive, but suddenly Jessica walks into the middle of the road and gets hit by a car.

Malorie, still sad and shocked, cannot process what happened before her eyes. People start running around in panic. Malorie, dragged by the current, accidentally falls and struggles to get up.

A woman runs toward her and tries to save her. However, the woman sees the creature and ends her life by entering a burning car. Malorie is then helped by Tom, who takes her to a house.

She finally settles in that house with Douglas (the husband of the woman who burned), Greg (the house owner), Cheryl, Felix, Lucy, Charlie, and Tom (the man who helped her). Charlie, who is writing a book with a similar story, shares his knowledge about the creature. They try to protect themselves by closing all windows and doors, hoping the creature cannot ‘see’ them.

They survive quite well until they face dwindling supplies, Charlie’s death, and Gary from the unblindfolded group who tries to make them see the creature. The Unblindfolded group believes the entity is a beautiful, charming figure and everyone must see it.

Will Malorie be able to survive the entity?

 

Review:

Bird Box is a film adapted from Josh Malerman’s 2014 debut novel of the same name. It has a quite interesting story idea, featuring an invisible creature as the villain. The creature is represented as wind and its true form is never shown because its appearance varies for each viewer.

This film reminds one of Smile (2022). Both share a similar idea where an invisible monster changes according to the viewer’s perception and causes them to end their lives. The difference is that in this film, the effect is instant and does not take long.

The story is presented with a non-linear timeline, alternating between past and present scenes. However, the story remains easy to follow. The transitions between times are quite clear with differences in atmosphere and character appearances.

The story foundation is built well. It opens with a tense present-day scene showing Malorie giving instructions to her children. Then it follows with past scenes explaining the background of the current situation. The origin of the creature is implied through dialogue, though there is no clear explanation of each character’s background.

The conflict is presented well. Despite the lack of intense direct interaction with the creature, the internal conflicts provide their own tension, especially after Gary’s arrival which changes everything. Also, the conflicts during Malorie and her children’s journey add to the tension.

The story resolution is satisfactory with the tension easing and relief visible on the main character’s face. This makes for a quite fulfilling ending.

The acting from both main and supporting actors is very good. Makeup and costumes suit the situations well. The choice of music and sound effects matches each scene. Camera movements and cinematography are also done well.

At first, viewers might be confused because some people are unaffected after seeing the monster. However, the film provides an answer through Gary’s dialogue, referring to ‘mentally disturbed or psycho’ people released from rehabilitation centers.

Another possible confusion is the portrayal of Malorie and Olympia, both nine months pregnant. Malorie does not appear heavily pregnant as she moves quickly, while Olympia looks like a typical pregnant woman. This is explained in a conversation between Olympia and Malorie about their upbringing, which shaped their contrasting personalities.

In the opening scene, Malorie gives instructions to her children. If we pay attention, Malorie’s gaze when saying “Do you understand?” is always directed at her daughter. This is not without reason. #spoiler It turns out that the girl is not her biological child.

From these examples, we can see that the director truly thought through every detail carefully. Overall, the film is quite interesting to watch. However, it could still be improved in terms of story logic, as it is somewhat confusing that some characters see the entity as a ‘beautiful’ figure but end up taking their own lives.

 

Memorable scene:

Malorie trying to hold back her tears and sadness after Tom’s death. In this scene, viewers can feel the loss Malorie tries to hide. She does this to avoid making her children feel scared or sad. Most mothers have probably done the same, holding back their own sorrow so their children don’t worry.

 
Memorable dialogue:

"I have so much I want to show you"

 

Ending:

Happy Ending

 

Recommendation:

Worth to Watch

 

(Aluna)