Interesting and Original Premise, Solid Execution

Rating: 6/10 (26 December 2018)

It's Christmas night and my family is scrolling desperately through Netflix for something new to watch. After rooting through the endless list of goobery Christmas films, we finally decided on BIRD BOX, the new horror film starring Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich.
First of all, I'd like to say how original the idea for this film is! Sure, one could draw similarities to some other movies out there (A Quiet Place, War of the Worlds, and unfortunately... The Happening are some films that come to mind), but overall the idea of a monster that causes you to kill yourself upon seeing it is a concept that has never been done before. It's creative and a clever way to scare the audience.
The downside to this, however, is that the execution is CERTAINLY not on the same level of creativity as the concept itself. The storyline is...solid, but is fairly traditional as far as the horror genre goes (it's the usual "group caught in one setting during a disaster- tensions ensue" that sort of thing). The second half is where things really depart from the usual horror conventions.
Second downside is the character writing. It is noticeably bad. The first 20-25 minutes have a character that exists solely for exposition, characters meet and become friends in a matter of days (could be weeks, but time moves strangely in this film), and two particular characters fall in love for no reason whatsoever. Fairly odd, but the suspense and drama will keep you interested, despite the characters.
Speaking of suspense and drama; there are scenes in this film that had me holding my breath! Won't spoil, but wow the writer of this film understands realistic horror and how mob hysteria works. Also, the sound design! Wow...incredibly disturbing. Not on the same level as a Lynch film, but we're getting somewhere!
Final, and shortest point, the ending is a little goofy. Again, won't spoil, but it's exactly what you'd expect out of a horror movie trying to have a semblance of a happy ending...it doesn't work. Would've honestly preferred a downer ending.
Overall, I enjoyed THE BIRD BOX, and would rate it a 6 out of 10!
Thank you for taking time to read my review!