Black Mirror Bandersnatch Review
Netflix’s Black Mirror Bandersnatch breaks new ground by being the first interactive movie. A reality that becomes even more self-aware, as the plot of the movie is about Stefan creating a choose your own adventure game back in the 1984. Black Mirror has always been pushing boundaries on technology and the dangers it can lead us into in the future. However, for the first time, Black Mirror goes back in time to allow the viewer (player?) to make choices that impact the very existence of Stefan. There are a countless number of choices the viewer is allowed to make for Stefan.
The movie hinges upon the idea of free will. Your choices control Stefan and ultimately limit his free will. He may try to fight this at times, but many of his choices are out of his control. The idea of free will inside the movie also plays a big role, as the author of the Bandersnatch book, Jerome F. Davis believed that his choices in making the book were limited by his own free will. Are the choices we make really our own? Colin is a character that provides a very meta outlook on the world. We are in one of many branching paths. Flashbacks are opportunities to change the past, mirrors let you time travel. His raving madness seems crazy to Stefan, but to us, he is speaking the literal choice. Bandersnatch has a habit of remind you that you are controlling this on Netflix. It’s equal parts delightful and creepy.
While the choices seem vast, there are only five endings that have been discovered so far. It’s possible that more endings will be found through a weird series of inputs. Only time will tell. Some viewers are disappointed in the lack of paths, but they don’t see the bigger picture. The idea of choosing your own adventure movies used to just be a joke on Futurama; now it’s a reality. The process of throwing the viewer in these constant loops that force you to relieve key moments over and over again, waiting for what you deem to be an appropriate ending. It’s a trippy sensation that is also hinted at in the movie, as LSD is used as a plot device for certain variations of the story.
By nature of the adventure, there is no “true” ending. In a way, they’re all correct endings based upon how you feel. Because of this, the viewing experience can last anywhere from a few minutes, to the entire hour and a half spent exploring all the outcomes. Upon additional watches, time will seem more condensed and the plot picks up in speed. It’s a perception thing, but it makes re-watching it a mind-bending experience.
Black Mirror has always tried to push the boundaries on our perception of reality. Fans of Black Mirror will enjoy this for the same reason they love all the other episodes. It’s a psychological thriller that has you questioning reality itself. The Black Mirror universe is no stranger to the questions of what constitutes life and consciousness. It’s like they’re trying to perfect their ability to build a perfect simulation. Perhaps we are in a simulation created by some Black Mirror styled writer in a dimension that we cannot perceive?
Bandersnatch contains a ton of Easter eggs, as most episodes of Black Mirror do. One of which is to the episode Metalhead, both a nod at the director (David Slade did both that episode and this movie) and a chilling thought that that messed up episode was just a game. Additionally, Nosedive, another episode, was also a game made by Colin’s (perhaps a subtle nod at Charlie Brooker, the creator and head writer of Black Mirror.
The Easter eggs and deeper meanings to the movie deserve a separate, spoiler-filled analysis. The movie being set in 1984 raises countless theories by itself. There’re nods to MKUltra and possibly other government experiments. The film feels a lot like Donnie Darko. Both have parallel universes, a psychotic lead, and weird dream sequences.
Fans of Black Mirror and Donnie Darko should enjoy this for the same reasons they loved those pieces of work. It’s likely, that this is just the first of many choose your own adventure movies to grace the ranks of Netflix. The potentials of this medium are growing quickly into the future, just as Black Mirror dares to dream. The power to make choices that influence the outcomes of this film are equal parts stressful and exciting. It’s a great way to make the viewer so much more invested in the story. You become sucked into the story. You are but another layer of this insanity. This film gives us the ability to change the past. A power we all dream about having.
Black Mirror Bandersnatch is something like the game, The Stanley Parable. We control the outcome and it’s rewarded to experience it for the first time. This is a technical marvel that falls down a rabbit hole in a way that only Black Mirror really knows how to do. It’s worth a watch. That is, if you actually have free will to watch it in the first place?
