Thank Goodness I Didn't Look At These Negative Reviews

Rating: 8/10 (21 January 2019)

Although I am a little late to this train, my girlfriend and I finally decided to pop some popcorn and turn on a little Netflix movie called Bird Box. We had heard some things about the movie but never really decided to look at reviews and decided to give it a chance. Now that we have watched it and I have taken the time to see what others say, I am disappointed at the negative reception that this movie has received.
I really liked the pace of this film, starting right away by introducing the viewers to the scene where Bullock's character, Malorie, is speaking with two children simply referred to as "Boy" and "Girl." This opening monologue from Malorie was enough to get me interested in this fantastic film and make me wonder what would happen next.
One thing that I really appreciated from this film is that the identity of the creatures in Bird Box is never really revealed. Although it is hinted at through images, there was no confirmed identity and that gives me excitement because it allows the viewer to imagine what could be there. What are the people seeing? What makes all of these people want to commit suicide? I would rather something like that than a ridiculous explanation like "the plants did it," like in that movie The Happening. I think that today, a lot of films like to go for ridiculous and over-the-top creatures (like the demon in Annabelle) that, in some ways, ruin the fright factor.
Another thing that I thought this film did very well was that I genuinely found myself cheering for characters like Malorie and Tom, hoping that they would make it through, while disliking people like Douglas (John Malkovich) and Gary (Tom Hollander). Some people have said that the characters were bland, but I found some characters relatable and enjoyable to watch.
I think that one thing that this film also doesn't get credit for is the fact that all of these unanswered questions make the viewers "blind" to what is happening and can only get information as they watch and listen carefully, as not paying attention for a second could cause you to miss key details that are explained at various points of the movie.
This is, of course, not the perfect movie and I wouldn't sit here and say it is without flaw. But I think for a movie on Netflix that also comes from a book, Bird Box delivered a thrilling and genuinely terrifying experience that I may find myself coming back to, which is why this movie deserves 8 starts in my opinion.