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Introduction to Bird Box Netflix Movie Review by Ms. H
Unless you live under a rock (just kidding), you may have heard of the Netflix movie Bird Box starring Sandra Bullock. The previous movie she appeared in was Ocean's 8; however, she seemed to have topped her performance in her latest movie Bird Box. This was not a surprise to me. After winning an Oscar and many other acting awards, there was no doubt in my mind that Sandra Bullock would do this movie justice.
As a caution, there’s news of an internet “craze” called the Bird Box challenge where certain tasks are dared to be done while blindfolded -- in real life. In fact, Netflix has sent a message warning people about these challenges. Along those lines, I found out that even though it looks like Sandra Bullock is blindfolded during the movie, she revealed in an interview that she was able to see the whole time. She was only acting like she couldn’t see. That being said, hopefully people will heed Netflix’s warning.
Sandra Bullock is Back in Bird Box
Sandra Bullock, like many other actors seems to be turning to Netflix for work. I was glad to see that she has returned so soon after Ocean's 8. Even though Bird Box is a Netflix movie, I think this is a film that could very well have appeared in movie theaters on the big screen.
Plot of Bird Box Movie
Bird Box has what I would consider a gruesome plot where people survive by not looking at certain alien creatures. You can tell if someone looked at these creatures because their eyes would take on a glassy look and they sadly destroyed themselves, even if just a few moments prior they seemed to be so full of life. Sadly, this happened to a number of characters in the movie including Sarah Paulson who played the role of Sandra Bullock’s sister in the movie.
The story is told partially in a flashback from the present to the past and back to the present again. Additionally, In the movie, Sandra Bullock has a child. Without going into a lot of detail, she became responsible for two children -- one who was her own and the other who was the child of one of the victims of the alien creatures.
Realism and Suspense in Bird Box Movie
WIthout the acting skills of Sandra Bullock, as well as the expert writing and directing, this film could have been a run of the mill Netflix movie. However, Sandra Bullock as well as the other actors used their acting skills to make it seem as if such an outrageous phenomenal could actually happen. There is also an element of suspense when you really do not know what will happen to the people who have not yet succumbed to these alien creatures.
By the way, one of Sandra Bullock’s costars was Trevante Rhodes who I gave accolades to for his acting skills in the movie Predator which I reviewed recently.
Camera Angles in the Bird Box Movie
I particularly liked one of the camera angles in this movie when Sandra Bullock is shown being very stern and seemed to be angrily giving instructions not to remove blindfolds to some people. In this scene, only her face is shown up close -- until you realize that she’s talking to two small children -- who are of course sometimes prone to either forget instructions or do not quite understand why they cannot take off their blindfolds.
Assessment of Bird Box Movie
As with most films, there were some shortcomings of this movie as well. Spoiler alert: For example, it seemed unlikely Sandra Bullock’s character and the two children would survive the rough waters while on a canoe during their journey to safety, especially after the canoe tilted over.
Spoiler alert: Also, there was a scene while on the canoe where they met a man who seemed to have been exposed to the alien creatures. It was strange that he did not destroy himself but managed to attack Sandra Bullock. I guess there were some exceptions. There could of course have been other unreal scenarios.
However, even with these “movie fails” which included the sad plot and the questionable ending of the movie -- I think Bird Box is a movie worthy of your time.
Rating of Bird Box Movie
Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate Bird Box 5 stars.