BIRD BOX (2018)

Studio:      Netflix
Director:    Susanne Bier
Writer:      Eric Heisserer
Producer:  Dylan Clark, Chris Morgan, Clayton Townsend
Stars:     Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, Jacki Weaver, Rosa Salazar, Danielle Macdonald, Lil Rel Howery, Tom Hollander, Colson Baker, BD Wong, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Sarah Paulson, John Malkovich

Review Score:

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Summary:

In an apocalyptic near future where opening your eyes outdoors can lead to madness, a mother fights to find safety for two small children.

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Synopsis:     Show/Hide Spoilers

Pregnant artist Malorie and her sister Jessica watch a news report about an outbreak of unexplained mass suicides in Europe and Russia. Jessica also talks to Malorie about her reluctance to become a committed mother.

The sisters go to see Dr. Lapham for Malorie’s prenatal checkup. While driving away from the hospital, chaos spreads throughout town as the unknown epidemic hits America.

Jessica sees an invisible presence that causes her to crash her vehicle. Entranced, Jessica staggers into the street where she is killed by a speeding truck.

Malorie runs with other panicking survivors as more people continue killing themselves. Lydia exits her neighbor Greg’s house to help Malorie when she falls. Lydia looks at an unseen entity and then deliberately enters a burning car that explodes.

Construction worker Tom helps Malorie get into Greg’s house. Other survivors holed up in the home include Lydia’s angry husband Douglas, grocery store clerk Charlie, elderly Cheryl, police officer Lucy, drug dealer Felix, and husband and wife Jason and Samantha. Jason and Samantha flee outside when they receive a panicked phone call from their daughter Bailey.

After three days, the news confirms that people should be safe as long as they remain indoors and do not look at the entities. Pregnant widow Olympia joins the survivors in Greg’s house.

Greg theorizes that he might be able to see the entities secondarily by looking at them through his outdoor surveillance cameras. Greg ends up killing himself.

Olympia talks to Malorie about their pregnancies. Malorie accidentally walks in on Lucy and Felix having sex. Tom and Malorie begin taking a romantic interest in one another.

Tom, Malorie, Douglas, Charlie, and Lucy black out the windows of Greg’s car. Using GPS and the vehicle’s proximity sensors, Tom navigates a route to the grocery store where Charlie worked.

The quintet gathers supplies. Tom and Malorie continue growing closer. Malorie collects three pet birds that she soon realizes can sense the creatures. Douglas proposes that they remain in the store, but Malorie objects to stranding everyone left behind at Greg’s house.

Tom unlocks the loading dock door when they hear Charlie’s coworker ‘Fish Finger’ knocking. Entranced and ranting that the others must look at the entities, Fish Finger starts aggressively pushing his way into the store. Charlie sacrifices himself to close the door and save everyone.

Douglas and Malorie engage in a personal conversation. Lucy and Felix sneak out of the house by stealing Greg’s car.

Tom tells Malorie about an Iraqi father whose children he helped escort to school while deployed in the military. Tom shows Malorie a necklace he received as a memento from the man.

Olympia allows an erratic man named Gary into the house. Gary explains that he had been seeking refuge since his colleagues were beset by asylum escapees who forced them to look at the creatures. Gary adds that the entranced inmates were infected, but still somewhat cognizant while insisting that everyone needs to see the entities.

Douglas demands that Gary be thrown out at gunpoint. Cheryl knocks Douglas unconscious from behind. The others lock Douglas in the garage.

Olympia and Malorie have a personal conversation. Olympia makes Malorie promise to take care of her unborn child if anything ever happens to her.

Olympia and Malorie go into labor at the same time. Cheryl helps deliver Olympia’s daughter and Malorie’s son.

Gary becomes entranced after setting out illustrations of the entities. While everyone else remains distracted by the new babies, Douglas sees Gary put Malorie’s birds in the freezer before removing the coverings off all of the windows.

Tom removes the birds from the freezer. Gary knocks Tom unconscious. Gary opens the garage door, forcing Douglas to cover his eyes.

Gary goes upstairs and opens the blinds. Malorie manages to grab Olympia’s baby before Olympia throws herself through a window. Gary forces Cheryl to look outside, causing Cheryl to stab herself in the throat with scissors. Armed with a shotgun, Douglas tries shooting Gary with his eyes closed. Gary ends up stabbing Douglas with the scissors. Tom recovers and shoots Gary after a struggle over the gun. Tom helps Malorie recover with the children, whom she simply calls ‘Boy’ and ‘Girl.’

Five Years Later – Malorie trains Boy and Girl to survive while blindfolded. Malorie and Tom also continue their romance.

A man named Rick radios with an invitation to join his safe community. Rick warns that children should not come because of the rapids on the river required to get there. Over Malorie’s objections about engaging with Rick in the first place, Tom lies about the children and maps out a path to the sanctuary.

Malorie scolds Tom for telling the kids a hopeful story about being outside. Tom counters that the children need something to believe in as he challenges Malorie to be a responsible mother.

Tom, Malorie, Boy, and Girl scavenge another house for supplies in preparation for their river trip. Five marauders beset the house. Tom gives Malorie his necklace. Tom manages to shoot all of the marauders to save Malorie and the children, but succumbs to infection when he is forced to remove his blindfold. Tom shoots himself.

Before departing in their rowboat, Malorie gives Boy and Girl stern instructions to always do everything she says and to never remove their blindfolds. Malorie brings her birds in a box.

14 Hours on the River – Malorie and the children encounter an entranced river man who tries forcing them to remove their blindfolds. Malorie and the children ultimately escape.

24 Hours on the River – The rowboat hits a partially submerged semi cab, causing the boat to lose its food and blankets. Malorie rows ashore to raid a building for new supplies. Girl also wanders ashore when she hears Malorie firing her weapon at a creature. Malorie rescues Girl from a creature attack and then scolds Girl for disobeying her instructions.

38 Hours on the River – Malorie warns the children that one of them will have to act as a lookout in order for her to navigate the rapids. Boy volunteers to remove his blindfold. Malorie insists that she will choose which of the children will look.

42 Hours on the River – The rowboat arrives at the rapids. Girl volunteers to be the lookout. Malorie decides that no one will look and opts to brave the rapids blindfolded instead.

The rowboat overturns. However, everyone survives, including the birds in the box. Their journey continues on land.

Malorie falls down a small incline in a forest. Girl hears voices compelling her to remove her blindfold. Malorie recovers in time to rescue both children by apologizing for her past behavior and resolving to be a better mother.

The trio flees from unseen creatures. Following the sounds of birds, Malorie and the children arrive at Rick’s sanctuary, which turns out to be the Janet Tucker School for the Blind.

Malorie releases her birds in a covered outdoor atrium. Among the survivors at the school, Malorie reunites with Dr. Lapham. Malorie renames the girl Olympia and gives her son the name Tom.

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Review:

I get it. For one thing, we live in a world where we often feel the need to reductively describe things in “it’s like” terms.

And yes, “Bird Box” features a parent struggling to protect her children in a post-apocalyptic near future where they’ll be attacked by unseen creatures if they open their eyes outdoors. Meanwhile, “A Quiet Place” (review here) features parents struggling to protect their children in a post-apocalyptic near future where they’ll be attacked by unknown creatures if they make noise.

I won’t say the similarities end there, because they don’t. But looking at “Bird Box” solely through a lens comparing it to “A Quiet Place” kneecaps the movie’s merits as sharply produced, well-acted drama. Try caging it in that enticing simile and the distraction may cause one to miss many unique thoughts provoked by its themes. Simply see it for the standalone thriller it is and entertainment comes easier.

Based on the novel by Josh Malerman, “Bird Box” sets a stage where unknown, unseen entities have assumed dominance over the world. Take one look at their hypnotic presence and your mind will be driven mad, resulting in a sudden compulsion to commit suicide or cause some other sort of chaos.

Amidst the maelstrom of mass panic, pregnant Malorie (Sandra Bullock) holes up in a house with a variety pack of other scrambling survivors. John Malkovich puts his typically scintillating spin on an irascible a-hole archetype (hello Harry Cooper). BD Wong plays to his tailored strengths too, briefly flashing his self-assured smile as the neighborly voice of calm. Lil Rel Howery offers comic relief as a likable lug who finds the heroism hidden in his cowardly shell. Tom Hollander fits the bill of an erratic latecomer who cannot be trusted and Trevante Rhodes has the handsomeness to stir Malorie’s romantic interest. They’re all cookies cut from flattened dough, but the cast’s collective charisma amply flavors the typecast tastes.

“Bird Box” intercuts the immediate aftermath of the unexplained epidemic with “Five Years Later” flashes of Malorie fighting to find sanctuary for two small children. The film fills the blanks in between as it boomerangs between the two timelines. The movie thus molds metaphors from the ongoing evolution of interpersonal relationships as Malorie is challenged to reconsider her “I don’t need anyone else in my life” attitude.

As emotionally engaging as “Bird Box” becomes, its story undoubtedly works better as a book. Even at two full hours and change, the film runs out of room to adequately arc every development, conflict, and personality toward a totally resonant crescendo.

If we’re still making “A Quiet Place” references, “Bird Box” widens its similar narrative with more places and people, yet staffs its vast kitchen with more cooks than there are aprons. Malkovich’s initial hatred toward Malorie based on blame for his wife’s death fizzles quickly, replaced by ordinary, angry old man ire. Malorie’s constant crisis clearly involves her reluctance to accept responsibility as a matronly figure, but tips toward audience condescension with its ongoing obviousness. Then there are those like married couple Jason and Samantha (if you’ve seen the film, I’ll bet you don’t know who I’m talking about), whose single scene is two minutes “Bird Box” could do without.

The parts of those arcs that do make it on screen see themselves capably carried by the packed roster of top talent. Malorie and her sister have one of those sibling relationships where they regularly relate to each other with insults of endearment. Bantering barbs like theirs can only come from a screenwriter, and are sweetly sarcastic to the point of sickening. Only enigmatic actresses like Sandra Bullock and Sarah Paulson can pull such material from the brink of annoyance with their abundant affability, which is a thankfully contagious trait across the cast.

Young Julian Edwards and particularly Vivien Lyra Blair are gutwrenchingly great as the two little children. The excruciating tension that stems from seeing them face constant danger can have even the blackest hearts clawing at their couches while screaming at the screen.

Forced to circle back to the overdone comparison I’d hoped to avoid, “A Quiet Place” may be the leaner, meaner, more fully satisfying post-apocalyptic parent parable. But even in its Reader’s Digest format of chopped up chapters, “Bird Box” forges formidable fiction fueled by its star-powered engine.

Review Score: 75

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