A Bird in the Hand

Rating: 7/10 (6 January 2019)

Reel Nerd Reviews: Bird Box
Directed by Susanne Bier
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich
I finally checked out the Netflix sensation that is Bird Box starring Sandra Bullock. This movie is Stephen King's The Mist meets The Walking Dead meets The Evil Dead with a sprinkle of The X-Files tossed in for good measure. In fact there was an episode of The X-Files with a very similar plot but on a much smaller scale localized to South Central LA. It was about an entity or presence that visually took the form of what you fear and much like in the film Bird Box you never see what the "monster" looks like or where it comes from.
I really liked this film though it did drag a bit for me in the beginning. Some force is clouding the minds of people causing most but not all people to kill themselves in the most gruesome way. Others become possessed by this force and make it their mission to make sure others open their eyes to the beauty of whatever this unseen force is.
Through circumstance and happenstance Bullock's character who is a reluctant mother to be ends up in a house full of strangers after all hell breaks loose in her hometown. This home is populated by a ragtag group among them a wannabe cop, the home's owner played by B.D. Wong, a kindly elderly woman, a grocery store clerk, a construction worker, another pregnant woman and a punk rocker dude and a MAGA inspired character played by the scene chewing John Malkovich.
One by one the numbers in the household dwindle down as the days pass by through a series of unfortunate circumstances. Flash forward five years later and Mallorie must undertake a perilous journey to safety with her son and a little girl she made a promise to look after. The scenes where she and her kids are attempting to flee to safety were more of interest to me than the scenes in the home where some of the interactions between the housemates seemed somewhat formulaic and was stretched out too long. They probably could have trimmed the house scenes a bit to make the storytelling a bit tighter.
There is a love affair that blossoms between Bullock and another survivor from the house Tom (Trevante Rhodes). I really loved the Tom character as he serves as the moral center of the film. He is a beacon of light for Bullock's character and perhaps due to his military background cannot seem to turn his back on strangers in need seeking assistance or asylum.
His character is a stark contrast to Mallorie as she deals with the crisis in a much more dour and somber way. She is angry and paranoid and does not see the point in entertaining fantasies that life can get any better or that beauty and light can still perhaps exist in the world. She is very harsh on the children because she cares about them and wants to give them the tools and the know how to survive in this new and dangerous reality.
Bird Box is a good movie if a bit long. Some parts could have been trimmed to help the story flow a bit better. I think they spent too much time in the house which is where for me at least the film dragged at times. I would recommend that you check out this film and see what the fuss is all about for yourself.