At its inception Netflix served as a streaming service, a way to get movies and shows right to your door faster and more convenient than ever before. However, in recent years the company has been branching out to create its own television series and movies, which have been met with both praise and rebuke.
This past December 2018 the company released its first ever choose-your-own-adventure movie, in which viewers can decide for themselves where the story takes them. Beginning with easy decisions and leading to life-altering ones, this movie’s aim to thrill and shock viewers is evident. Based off the “Black Mirror” television show previously available on Netflix, “Bandersnatch” follows the main character, Stefan, as he navigates through his life as a videogame creator and coder, following the ideas of one of his favorite books.
As you choose which path to follow the movie hints at what you should decide to do, asking viewers to learn from their mistakes and even leading them to dead ends. The movie itself has over five hours of footage and viewers can go back and try different paths to see if they can change Stefan’s end fate.
While I concede that this is a great idea from the creators at “Black Mirror” and Netflix, I think that the movie itself and the storyline could have been better. Even though the movie lets you make decisions there are limits to what you can choose to do. Often you will be brought back to a previous decision without the chance to truly see where it could have led.
The movie also does not deliver the same energy as the “Black Mirror” series itself, in which the viewer is surprised, shocked, and often left wondering. The marketing for the movie promised thrill and possibly even horror; however, I felt as though it was lacking on both. Even though the story did have some twists and turns, it personally left me wanting. I didn’t get the thought-provoking story line or shock that I had expected when beginning the movie.
Overall the concept is good, but I felt that it could have been delivered in a better way. The movie lets you choose to go back and make different decisions or let the credits roll, and sadly I didn’t want to continue. I do feel that the movie will open the door for more choose your own adventure movies, which could be a promising genre.