Interesting Plot, Bland Execution

Rating: 5/10 (10 June 2020)

Considering the plots of other post-apocalyptic films, e.g., viruses, zombies, natural disasters, etc., Bird Box stands apart. However, besides the plot, everything else about the film is disappointingly generic.
I see other reviewers mentioned that reading the book provided more clarity or made them like the film more; it seems that their ratings are based on the book. But the film adaptation and the book that it's based on are two separate things. It makes little sense to rate the movie on the book; if that's the case, then why watch the film at all?
That being said, the premise of the film, that people have to move around without looking/seeing caught my attention. After watching the film though, it all seemed so unrealistic. At no point does anyone bring up the canes that are used by the blind. Instead, they use string. String! Speaking of the blind, where are they? All of them are at the safe haven at the end of the movie? Sure. How amazing would it have been if the protagonist of the film was actually a blind person? Such a missed opportunity. (I get that the protagonist in the book isn't blind but writers do have wiggle room when it comes to film adaptations.)
As for the entities that cause people to commit suicide, the viewer has no idea what they are. Are they even creatures with physical bodies? Are they creatures or more if a humanoid hybrid? Are they ancient or alien? Are they more like ghosts/spirits? Because whenever they're around, the wind always whips around and they seem to be able to move objects without a physical presence. So, what is it that people actually see? And why does it change people's eyes? What's physically happening to their bodies? And why are some people immune to these entities and why do they want to force others to look? Are they possessed? What's in for them if those who aren't immune are just going to kill themselves?
And I cannot not mention how I hated every character in Bird Box. I wasn't rooting for anybody. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded if they all died at the end, including the protagonist, which is rare for me. The only exceptions are Girl and Boy. They were so adorable. But how stupid to name children by their gender (constructed or not). Sure, life sucks in this dystopia and it's understandable that the protagonist wants the children to be hardened in order to survive. But what's the point of surviving if you're not going to live? You might as well be dead. I wish the character Tom would have delved deeper to make this point, especially as a Black man. Even African slaves managed to find some joy in their lives while being property, having no rights, and constantly getting separated from their kin, so, I don't see how this white lady raising two beautiful children with a hot guy can't do the same. Give me a break.
Oh, yeah. Speaking of race, the only two Black characters in the film sacrifice themselves for the white people. This is such a tiresome trope. And the nerve to have a Black man pining after a PREGNANT white woman carrying another man's child is a topic for a dissertation by itself, especially considering the discussions around Black fatherhood.
Lastly, Bird Box is not a horror film. Suspense/thriller, sure. Sci-fi/fantasy, perhaps. Horror, no. For the people who were scared watching the film it's likely that the idea of suicide creeped them out. We're a society that's very uncomfortable about the topic of death. We're incapable of grasping the idea that someone wants to end their life; the notion that an external force can control us and make us commit suicide is likely to highlight an unconscious fear.
There's just too many big answered questions around this film. And when there are big plot holes, then the smaller plot holes become even more apparent. Y'all, there's a school for the BLIND in the middle of a FOREST. A forest! Huh? Why? How? This is what I mean.
Bird Box isn't complete trash. It's just mediocre. I didn't feel like it was a waste of time after watching it (I've watched much worse). I just wasn't impressed.