{"id":29986,"date":"2018-12-24T00:26:34","date_gmt":"2018-12-24T05:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=29986"},"modified":"2018-12-24T00:26:34","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T05:26:34","slug":"bird-box-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/24\/bird-box-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Bird Box (2018)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Netflix\u2019s horror drama \u201cBird Box\u201d has been unfairly dismissed and ignored as a blatant rip off of acclaimed horror film \u201cA Quiet Place.\u201d That\u2019s disappointing (especially considering \u201cBird Box\u201d is an adaptation of a book from 2013) since, while \u201cBird Box\u201d and \u201cA Quiet Place\u201d share similar tones and framing devices, they\u2019re more companion pieces than copies. \u201cA Quiet Place\u201d examined a family trying to stay together during impossible odds as well as the extremes parents go for their children, while \u201cBird Box\u201d is ultimately about learning to let go, and the paralyzing fear of losing our children to an outside world that we can\u2019t understand or ever fully trust.<\/p>\n

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Sandra Bullock gives a stellar performance as Malorie, a single woman and artist who is facing a grueling pregnancy on her own. After a series of riots and mass suicides begin plaguing Russia, Malorie chooses to ignore the chaos and for once focus on herself. But when the horrendous violence comes literally dropping at her feet, Malorie has to figure out how to survive. Much to everyone\u2019s shock, a mysterious force has been inexplicably unearthed, causing everyone who witnesses it to commit horrific suicides. Now with Malorie stranded in the chaos, she\u2019s pulled in to a small group of survivors, all of whom are struggling to make sense of what\u2019s happening. Meanwhile we jump forward in time, as Malorie ventures a dangerous river to make it to a potential a sanctuary with two small children at her side. How can she make it across the harrowing landscape when she can\u2019t even see?<\/p>\n

\u201cBird Box\u201d is a riveting often disturbing horror drama that works along the same tone of \u201cA Quiet Place\u201d is but so much different when you get down to it. While Krasinski\u2019s horror drama was about the end of the world, \u201cBird Box\u201d jumps back and forth in its narrative, exploring what happened, and what the world looks like in the end. As an added bonus, the entities that compel every single person to commit suicide are left incredibly ambiguous, presented more as an allegory and heavy metaphor more than a material foe with claws or teeth. The writing especially helps to add to the immense mystery of the film\u2019s foes, as while it triggers a self destruct mechanism within its victims, there are small vague hints of what the beings resemble every now and then.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s clever about the writing is that the characters have to face an enemy that they can not look at, putting the audience in a position where we actually want to see what\u2019s triggering such a violent response. The violence is extreme and so damn stark, but also work as interesting explorations in to our characters without too much clunky exposition to slow down the momentum of the movie. The performances all around are top notch, especially from John Malkovich, and Lil Rel Howry. Every character is granted their own motivation for surviving, and the environment that keeps the survivors alive gradually becomes just as harrowing as what\u2019s lurking outside the doors.<\/p>\n

The two banner performances though are from Sandra Bullock and Trevante Rhodes, both of whom are dazzling as two wildly different people that find some semblance of affection for one another in the midst of the chaos. Bullock is especially at the top of her game as this woman who simply can not get close to anyone, but has to ultimately force herself to guide and protect people that rely on her, whether she likes it or not. \u201cBird Box\u201d deserves a fighting chance, because it\u2019s a pretty fantastic horror drama with a meaningful message and relatable overtones about the perils of parenting, and the dangers of an often dark, unpredictable world.<\/p>\n