Must I FORCE myself to be scared?

Rating: 4/10 (28 December 2018)

America loves zombie apocalypse movies and this is another variation on the theme. Good acting fails to make up for genuine thrills in this outing and one sits there thinking"I guess I'm supposed to be scared in this scene." A Quiet Place, to which this movie has been unfairly compared, is genuinely scary, this one is an acceptable manufactured outing, graced by a major movie star (Bullock) and by a way-too short turn by the wonderful Sarah Paulson. The initial premise -- that anyone who opens their eyes out of doors will go mad and commit suicide -- could be an allegory for anyone who follows Trump, but the real world is scarier than this invented version. Shades of Charlton Heston's Omega Man or Will Smith's remake I Am Legend (which blew it for a sequel when the producers filmed a second, cheesy ending that killed Smith off) come to mind that provided much greater thrills and chills. If you want to see an incredibly scary, beautifully realized forever-classic example of a zombie apocalypse movie that will nail you to your seat in excitement watch the dazzling South Korean movie Train To Busan, with myriad twists and turns and characters you really care about. (When will Hollywood buy it and totally destroy it in a dumb as a brick remake? I beg you, watch the original!) Bird Box can only be described as a halfway decent effort in the horror/zombie genre that fails to rise to the occasion. READ MY LIPS: WATCH TRAIN TO BUSAN!