Wow. it's been two years? Let's get started then.
Netflix closed 2018 with Bird Box trending and opened with the same for Bandersnatch. What is Bandersnatch? It's the latest Black Mirror installment on the streaming platform. Bandersnatch is an interactive movie modeled after the Choose Your Own Adventure books popular in the 80s & 90s. Netflix had been testing the concept with their children's content and on December 28 brought a full movie to the platform with much success to date.
After a brief tutorial, it's July, 1984 in England and Stephan Butler, starts the film readying himself to make a big pitch to gaming software company, Tuckersoft. He is in the throws of programming a game adaptation of Bandersnatch, a choose your own adventure book. His decisions (keep your controller ready) start simple enough with lightweight consequences, such as breakfast and music preference. The decision making grows increasingly crucial to the storyline with some light and seemingly light choices throughout affecting your path. This is where Bandersnatch begins to shine and Black Mirror shows it's face.
For those who are unaware, the Black Mirror series has a tradition of peeling back the layers of societal behaviour for examination, much like the Twilight Zone before it. The most prevalent theme of Bandersnatch is self-control. Without spoilers, Stephan's world is slowly imploding as he wrestles with fantasy and reality, past and present. The secondary theme OR maybe the most important one is can he live with his decisions? Actually can he live with YOUR decisions? ACTUALLY, can YOU live with YOUR decisions?
For those who are unaware, the Black Mirror series has a tradition of peeling back the layers of societal behaviour for examination, much like the Twilight Zone before it. The most prevalent theme of Bandersnatch is self-control. Without spoilers, Stephan's world is slowly imploding as he wrestles with fantasy and reality, past and present. The secondary theme OR maybe the most important one is can he live with his decisions? Actually can he live with YOUR decisions? ACTUALLY, can YOU live with YOUR decisions?
Therein lies the beauty. Therein lies the dilemma. Bandersnatch has been advertised with a multitude of paths and several endings, some merely consequential, some official, others hidden. It is up to YOU to decide your level of engagement. Many viewers have taken to the movie much like a video game. Upon what's deemed as a failure, they retrace their steps from the last major decision that led them to the current path and go again. Billed as a 90 minute venture, folks have professed to having binged 3-4 hours in a sitting searching for all of the paths and endings. Having been a fan of choose your own adventure style books, I felt that the real fun was in sharing MY unique experience with others. However, what many are doing is near the equivalent (in my opinion) of reading the book from front to back, not wanting to "miss" anything. I wonder if this were on Vudu, Amazon or iTunes where each view to the ending was the cost of a rental, if people would be content with their choices or be willing to spend the money. I DO know that the Bandersnatch conversations would be much more interesting.
As a hypocrite, I will say that I have viewed the product TWICE. The first viewing ended less than 20 minutes in and I was honestly kind of pissed that I didn't get an ending credits sequence, but was rerouted back to my detrimental decision. I immediately switched to other programming because I didn't feel like I was in control of the decision making at that point. An hour or so later, I decided to attempt a second run to try and achieve the full experience as my wife watched on. My second viewing was closer to an hour and 10 minutes and significantly more satisfying. I've not cued up the movie again. Curiosity MAY get the better of me. I doubt it If it DOES, I will see if there is a way to clear all decisions from my cache to not affect my subsequent run throughs and report back.
In the meantime, no matter who you are, enjoy Bandersnatch. For it's nostalgia. For it's innovativeness. For it's message. Enjoy it however you like as much as you wish...
As a hypocrite, I will say that I have viewed the product TWICE. The first viewing ended less than 20 minutes in and I was honestly kind of pissed that I didn't get an ending credits sequence, but was rerouted back to my detrimental decision. I immediately switched to other programming because I didn't feel like I was in control of the decision making at that point. An hour or so later, I decided to attempt a second run to try and achieve the full experience as my wife watched on. My second viewing was closer to an hour and 10 minutes and significantly more satisfying. I've not cued up the movie again. Curiosity MAY get the better of me. I doubt it If it DOES, I will see if there is a way to clear all decisions from my cache to not affect my subsequent run throughs and report back.
In the meantime, no matter who you are, enjoy Bandersnatch. For it's nostalgia. For it's innovativeness. For it's message. Enjoy it however you like as much as you wish...
