When I first sat down to watch Bandersnatch, Netflix’s new and first-ever interactive film, I was excited by the cloud of mystery that surrounded it. Where would it take me? What new fucked up story was Black Mirror going to tell? What tunnel was I about to spiral down?
The story follows the life of Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead) as he tries to develop an innovative new video game. Stefan wants to make a choose-your-own-adventure style game that will present the player with choices that leads them on their own unique adventure. However, as his obsession with the game deepens, so does Stefan’s madness and he is drawn down a dark path—well, a lot of dark paths—many which involve both his father, Peter (Craig Davidson) and his therapist, Dr. Haynes (Alice Lowe).
What you experience, what story you are told, and how much is revealed is all dependent on what choice you pick before an anxiety-inducing timer runs out.
At first, the viewer is presented with seemingly trivial choices, such as which type of cereal Stefan will eat for breakfast. But it certainly escalates quickly. Instead of following a straightforward path, the movie brings you back in time to previous choices, allowing you to follow a different story line.
IS THIS GOING TO BE A POSITIVE REVIEW OR A NEGATIVE ONE? YOU DECIDE.
For a good review, read on.
For a bad review, scroll to the bottom.
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I WANT THIS TO BE A GLOWING REVIEW!
It wasn’t long before I felt as if I was in the movie, falling down a dark hole alongside Stefan.
The film goes above and beyond meta with its underlying theme of whether or not any of us have free choice, exploring this to the extreme. The idea of being able to decide the direction of the story was extremely fun, especially with friends.
It made we wonder, did we really have much choice about what happened? And instead of it feeling cheap, the story earns it by deeply threading that question through its plot.
Stefan’s hero, video game designer Colin Ritman, is easily the standout actor of the film. Every plot line he’s in is made more enjoyable from his presence.
Ultimately, Bandersnatch succeeds at what it is trying to be—a completely unique experience.
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NAH GIVE ME A NEGATIVE REVIEW INSTEAD
After getting my first ending, I had one thought: that was disappointing.
It got tiresome fast, and by the end of the two hours I was done with the film. Perhaps if the acting was better, or if the storyline made more sense, or if it wasn’t as repetitive, I would have been more engaged.
One of the cheesiest endings comes across as a giant ad for Netflix—there is such a thing as too meta.
It seemed that all of the focus was on the concept rather than the film itself. It was a cool experience, but it wasn’t an enjoyable movie. I wish more time had been spent developing than the cinematic elements so that it was truly a revolutionary experience. Instead it just came across as naval-gazing.
Credit where it’s due: this did get me interested in modular movies. I would definitely watch another interactive film—just not Bandersnatch.
Image from files
