I can't remember a movie phenomenon quite like "Bird Box." When I first saw the previews and premise, I thought it was just "A Quiet Place" but instead of focusing on the lack of sound, it was a lack of sight, which sounded like a terrible idea for a visual medium. I can't think of many other films that clearly rip off another successful product, and yet is more successful than what they're ripping off. I put off watching the film for a while, especially since it came out in the middle of Oscar season and was so low on my radar. And after finally watching the movie, I can see why it would be talked about, but not understand why it's a good movie. "Bird Box" is a rip off of many other things than just "A Quiet Place," but especially zombie movies like "Night of the Living Dead." The difference between "Bird Box" and those films is that you actually get to see the monsters in those films, but we never get a hint here. The beauty of what these monsters do is talked up like it's a big deal, but we don't get to see any of it. It goes against the "show, don't tell" rule of cinema. The film very rarely takes advantage of the fact that these characters can't see, only covering basic elements that someone with no imagination would think about. Still, the image of Sandra Bullock stumbling through the woods blindfolded is iconic enough to warrant discovering just what "Bird Box" is about, but I feel like most people have already learned that.
Final Grade: C-
No comments:
Post a Comment