Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
Directed by David Slade
[Rated R] ~1hr 30min
★★★½
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is an interactive sci-fi thriller about a programmer making a video game adaptation of a gamebook titled Bandersnatch. It follows the programmer as he develops the game and explores his personal identity as the viewer affects his decisions.
This film is incredibly fascinating because the viewer is able to directly interact with the protagonist and alter the narrative of the story. Entire scenes are added, removed, or completely changed depending on the choices that the viewer makes, which results in the story leading to a variety of possible endings. This makes additional viewings worthwhile in order to experience the different narratives that the film has to offer, and the film itself even encourages rewinding to previous points once an ending has been reached. However, the inclusion of multiple storylines prevents the film from having a cohesive narrative because they create a messy mixture of underdeveloped plots and themes that don’t completely fit together. Despite its shortcomings, Bandersnatch is extremely entertaining due to its primary focus of interacting with the story to affect its outcome and to see how characters react according to the choices that the viewer makes.
I recommend Bandersnatch to anyone interested in its unique approach to filmmaking and storytelling. It doesn’t offer much in terms of its plot, but being directly involved in the story through its interactive structure is a fantastic experience. As the narrative itself is also about interactive stories, the film provides thought-provoking meta-commentaries about its own nature as well.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is available to stream exclusively on Netflix. Click here to watch the first trailer.
– Review by Will Hopper