Critical Film Review

Name: Mendoza, Denise Kathryn T.
Course & Section: MMA – 201

Subject: TCWN01G - The Contemporary World
Professor: Jumel G. Estrañero
Critical Film Review of the movie “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”
I. BACKGROUND OF THE FILM

On 28 December 2018, an interactive film entitled "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" was
premiered on Netflix. The entire back mirror was written by Charlie Brooker, directed by David
Slade, produced by Annabel Jones and actors Will Poulter and Fionn Whitehead. It was
originally planned to be an episode of Black Mirror's fifth series, but it turns out to be a
standalone film due to its complexity. In real life, "Bandersnatch" is also the name of a much
anticipated 1984 game that never happened.
It is essentially a choose your own adventure game where you select what the character does
whether it is a very minor character decision. The decision that will impact how the story would
have gone. Viewers are given ten seconds to select from two choices. There is no particular run-
time for viewers. Viewers can consume as quickly as ninety minutes, but could play as long as
two hours. The whole team explored so many fascinating scenarios, and they keep finding new
ways to up their game and explore new material.
II. BODY
Bandersnatch follows talented eighties game developer Stefan Butler. Stefan is offered the
deal of his dreams when he is invited to finish his computer game "Bandersnatch" at the
company that produces his favorite titles. But he denies the offer. In favor of finishing the game
alone and letting the company market and sell it. With his deadline looming and the complexity
of adapting the infamous "Bandersnatch" book in to game form weighing on him, he finds
himself deep in "the hole". Along the way, there are a lot of stumbling blocks. His father ushers
him to his therapist who helps him work through a childhood trauma that ended in his mother's
death. In another path, Stefan's idol, Colin Rickman, guides him through an LSD trip and tells
him that reality is like a game. And in this game, death is meaningless. Stefan becomes
increasingly convinced that he is not in control of his actions. Stefan too can kill his dad, his
boss, or Colin, or seek solace in his therapist. All these choices lead to some form of the game
being released, with the review’s dependent on the viewers choices. It is all up to us.
The film gives a sense of purpose towards it being presented in this format. It is a very
bizarre experience that will kind of piss with your head. The reality and the virtual world are
mixed and start to create confusion. It has no thorough plot line that has a definitive beginning
and ending. Netflix reported that there are five "main" endings and between ten to twelve
endings. The way to present this approach is that they definitely want you to win a game that
ends in style. From there, it gives you the options to go back and change to continue the
narrative.
III. ANALYSIS
The theme of Black Mirror is that there exist an intriguing parallel between reality and fiction
which is our world and an imagined one — and strongly encouraging us to question which is
more "real" in the end. Black Mirror often takes something from real life and amplifies it. They
try to see where would this thing go with the most extreme condition. Black Mirror is a unique
show, it often does not just tell a story but gives you something to think about. Like how would
you behave in the situation. Netflix’s inaugural attempt at interactivity plays with the ideas of
determinism and free will. It reflects on how choice affects storytelling.
Some part of the speech from the film is speaking about us, as the players/viewers of the
experience. As consumers, we let ourselves be seduced by the illusion of choice into ignoring
our impotence in society. We are trapped in a hell, and any time we think we have escaped, we
are just thrown back into another part of that hell. We are Stefan, because we can only watch
ourselves assist this grotesque horror unfolding around us. Our attempts to resist, like his
attempts to resist us, yield only short-lived, inconsequential victories.
The twist in Bandersnatch does not come from within the story (which has any number of
potential surprises, paths, and endings). The twist is in the format itself in the act of watching (or
playing, depending on how the viewers look at it). Bandersnatch beats us down into
understanding that we are not in control and the best thing we can do is accept how powerless we
really are in our own lives too.
Bandersnatch knows exactly what it is and the characters inside of the show know what it is.
It allows the audience to sit back and kind of just have fun with it and go through all of the
different possibilities.
IV. CONCLUSION
It depicts how the modern times have changed the way we do things. We focus much on
technology, we are so dependent on it. "The show depicts technology controlling humans, while
now, a human is guiding the actions of a set of pixels that looks like Fionn Whitehead."
However, it is wrong. Technology is still controlling humans. Netflix has come to a point where
technology can literally be in charge of what a character does in a story. This explores our
relationship with technology. We are all just part of it. Inventions are not bad if they are used and
consumed properly. In the end, it is all about your own perspective and how you want to live
your life.
Black Mirror does not tell us what to think about these hefty topics rather provides different
mirrors for which we can reexamine the world we live in. But if there is anything this episode
has taught us, it is that our actions have consequences and we cannot go back and change them.
But life is not like Netflix and it does not have a replay button.
REFERENCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mirror
https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a25700823/black-mirror-bandersnatch-interactive-
plot-spoilers-cast/
https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/12/28/18158908/black-mirror-bandersnatch-1984-no-
spoilers-netflix-data

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Name: Mendoza, Denise Kathryn T.

Course & Section: MMA – 201

Critical Film Review of the movie “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”

I. BACKGROUND OF THE FILM

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