In an action packed thriller sweeping the nation, Bird Box, puts a new spin on a dystopian world. The cinematic industry has seen many interpretations of what Earth would be like after a series of catastrophic events, but none like Bird Box.

The movie is a series of flashbacks and present day events, with Sandra Bullock, as Malorie, trying to save herself and two children she refers to as “Boy” and “Girl”, from an evil presence where if you look at it, it forces you to commit suicide. The movie switches from when Malorie first encounters this presence and tries to save herself with a group from the chaos it stirs up, and five years later, when Malorie is making one final life or death decision.

Before watching the movie, I thought it would be very similar to the movie A Quiet Place, where you could not make noise or else the monsters lurking the world would hear you and ultimately kill you. In Bird Box, you could not look at the mysterious presence, so the majority of the characters are wearing blindfolds which was a creative touch by the directors. The ideas of the two movies are quite similar to each other, but both movies are executed in their own fashion.

Bullock’s character changes dramatically throughout the movie as a character who doesn’t care too much about life and is just passing by, to a leader who many look up to. She learns these traits when she first encountered the mysterious presence and a nearby house saves her. Inside the house is Douglas, portrayed by John Malkovich, who is very hesitant to letting anyone else in the house as he already saved several other strangers. Douglas leads the group of strangers who have been saved and teaches them how to survive in this decimated world. Douglas ultimately came to be my favorite character of the movie, as his personality, and actions were not only entertaining, but extremely crucial to the storyline.

The plot of Bird Box was well thought out and executed, although I was a little disappointed that you could not see this mysterious force in the movie. Typically in an action or horror film, you would see the “villain” or antagonist but in Bird Box you never see what this presence is. The most you’ll see is some leaves swirling and the wind blowing around a character. If the director, Susanne Bier, included what this mysterious presence is at the end of the film, I feel it would make the movie complete.

The movie blew up all over social media, as people completed every day tasks with a blindfold on using the hashtag Bird Box. The trend is continuing to spread like wildfire, and there is no end in sight as more and more people watch the movie. The only problem is, doing everyday activities blindfolded is extremely dangerous.

According to Rotten Tomatoes movie critic, Deirdre Crimmins, the movie is a solid new entry into sensory deprivation horror, and a good sign Netflix is doing the right thing.

I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to anyone looking for an intense action film. Bird Box is available on the streaming platform Netflix.