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REVIEW: ‘Bird Box’

The Netflix thriller starring Sandra Bullock has arrived ... but do you dare watch it?
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You’ve probably seen pictures of a blindfolded Sandra Bullock doing all sorts of things – looking after two kids, rowing a boat down the river, avoiding looking evil in the eye. Those photos are from Netflix’s latest thriller, Bird Box, a post-apocalyptic tale with a high body count and a pretty A-list cast that also includes Jacki Weaver, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson and Dumplin’ star Danielle Macdonald.

The telemovie flashes between a woman’s efforts to transport two children to a safe haven and the events five years earlier that wiped out a huge chunk of the world’s population. But Bird Box’s twist on the post-apocalyptic genre works better in print – the movie is based on the novel by Josh Malerman – than visual form. That said, Stephen King is a fan (see tweet below).

In this story, the deadly force that has killed millions is an invisible entity that takes the form of people’s worst fears – which also go unseen on screen – prompting them to suicide. Although the movie does its best to depict the deadly fear, it’s hard to be afraid of what you can’t see.

Bullock and a star-packed cast stagger around hysterically with their eyes covered much of the time, which becomes a bit tired. But some of Bird Box works very well. A couple of key scenes, including a drive for supplies in a car with covered-over windows that relies purely on the vehicle’s guidance system, for example, make it all worth it. (On Netflix from Fri., Dec. 21) 3 stars

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Gavin Scott

After cutting his teeth on teen titles Smash Hits and TV Hits (remember them?) in the 2000s, Gavin moved into weekly magazines, working for TV Week for many years and continuing to contribute to that title to this day, and writing for Who, Woman’s Day, New Idea and OK over the past decade or so. He’s also worked for digital outlets, writing and editing for SBS, Pedestrian and Who.com.au, and has hosted and produced TV and music podcasts. Entertainment in all its forms has been Gavin’s focus, whether that be interviewing the latest eliminated contestant from Survivor; reviewing the newest films, TV series and albums; writing opinion pieces about streaming platforms and their offerings; or talking to Australian pop stars past and present about their musical journey. As a long-time freelancer, Gavin goes where the work takes him, with one hand on the remote and the other scrolling through his phone for entertainment updates.

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