A Dark, Somber Re-Hash which Delights in Asking Questions without Answers

Rating: 4/10 (11 February 2019)

Sandra Bullock plays a harsh, survival-driven mom in this big budget mishmash of several preceding genre films. Amidst a chilly natural backdrop and some violent, high-pressure scenarios, we revisit the awkward suicide device of The Happening, the heavy-handed sensory horror gimmick of A Quiet Place and the grim, dystopian parenting themes of The Road. A few scenes stand out, rare moments where Bird Box dares to set itself apart and try something different, but they don't last long and for most of the running time the thematic similarities are tough to escape.
Bullock's performance is similarly on-and-off. In the harsh opening scene, wherein she barks out a series of chilly, no-nonsense instructions to her two very young children, she's excellent. Stuck in an impossible situation, she hasn't the luxury for compassion nor softness, though her eyes bely an external poker face. Her role peaks in that first scene, however, and as the film staggers to its conclusion, she proves unable to cover for some very questionable screenwriting decisions.
Much of the film's most pressing questions go unanswered, left to vaporize in viewers' minds, and while that could be chalked up to atmosphere in the hands of a proficient writer or director, Bird Box is blessed with neither. Instead, it just feels lazy, especially when paired with an abundance of plot holes and silly coincidences. I appreciate what it was trying to be, but I don't really care for what it became.