It was special to me having a choice of how the story would end. But it was a bit annoying that I often had to go back to choose something different to end the movie. That could be better. It is alright to have several choices but it must keep you on track to have a meaningfull ending. There may be several endings but now it did not feel as a smooth movie because I had to do some scenes again so many times.
It may be the future, so people could watch a movie several times and get another ending.
While I think this is a bit gimmicky and works for just this story, this is undeniably done so well. It's thrilling, warrants obsession, and just in a whole is absolutely jaw-droppingly fantastic.
Overrated and with choices that were not so choices.
I was excited by this idea and love black mirror so had high hopes. I’m sure if it’s done again it will be better. I think making choices like which cereal to eat, which cassette to play and which record to buy are ridiculous and just interrupt the flow of the story. Real decisions where a character actually takes an action that can lead to different plot/story would have been better. And instead of “choosing” and following that story instead you were made to feel like it wasn’t choosing for yourself but trying to choose the right answer which is not the same. If it’s just going to circle back around till you make the right choice then what is the point of having the choice...?
I think it was good once but would hope in the future that decisions actually had an impact.
At one point in this "movie", a character asks:
""Why aren't you in a more entertaining scenario?"
Exactly.
Rating: 4 out of 10
Now besides fucking with my life, i fuck with the life of another person. Genious.
Well that was awful and a complete waste of time, extremely disappointed in this to be honest.
This is the hardest film to rate objectively as I absolutely loved MY version of the film. I explored most of the dead ends and had a gratifying end since I experienced so many of the false endings. Gimmicky, but I absolutely loved my experience.
It might be an unpopular opinion but the idea was poorly executed, like the writers were lazy and just wanted to get something out.
I didn't feel anything that I'm used to from the previous episodes of Black Mirror and I don't feel like there was really any point to the movie, or maybe I just missed it. No matter what I choose the movie always reverted and moved to the direction the writers intended to.
I hope Netflix will make better use of the concept in the future. I expected something similar to Tellatale games, they have a lot to learn from them
I watched this online before I watched It on netflix after knowing that you can have a choice, play god/satan for how the film ends so I've seen two endings of the 10 endings, there's also a secret ending i've heard about too and prob many more. I've got to say It's a great idea and love how they've done it, really brings you into the film puts you in control, make it has long has you like, choose the characters actions and it made it funner to first time around when i didn't have any choices. The films message is very true to the real world today. So yeah good film, fucked up at times but worth your time..
My ratings are not just about entertainment value, but also replayability. This is one I will probably not watch again, so I knocked it down 2 points. In the spirit of Black Mirror this was spot on for it's uniqueness, and a hit for making a show that makes you want to see what's at the end of that rabbit hole. Once again a thoroughly entertaining story. The only downside is Colin which could of been a better story.
I don't see this genre continuing into the mainstream. If you've ever done a choose-your-own-adventure in the past you will know why this story excels but also know why it's not for the majority.
Bandersnatch stands out as the most Twilight Zone-esque and perhaps the best episode of Black Mirror to date, thanks not only to its innovative and gimmicky presentation, but also its ultimate secret ending.
A slight nod to other comments: when following a straightforward path, Bandersnatch can feel somewhat bland and slightly uninteresting. Even though the various choices may lead to very meta and/or interesting schizophrenic endings, this isn't the main appeal of the episode.
The true gem of Bandersnatch lies in the culmination of all choices you make and the different endings or dead-ends you encounter. As Colin Ritman puts it, what matters is the choices that led you to a particular path, rather than the specific fate you experience in one lifetime.
Here's a hint: when faced with a dead-end, don't hit rewind and choose another option; instead, select from the options the episode provides. It remembers your choices and will open up alternative routes you can explore.
Only after going through those multiple dreaming sequences, RPG/visual novel playthroughs, and exhaustively exploring Bandersnatch's depth, do you truly appreciate its richness. Just like Stefan, who finally exhausts his options through the experiences of hallucinogens and brutal murders, you'll encounter a bittersweet moment when the episode reveals a secret ending that, to me, feels like the canon conclusion.
At the core of Stefan's obsession with "multiple choices" adventures is one pivotal moment when he wishes he could revert to be with his mom, accompanying her through her eventual demise, regardless of his prior knowledge about it. As "O Superman" by Laurie Anderson plays, the episode takes us back to the first sequence of the episode, and both Stefan and the audience finally find a sense of peace after the Jacob's Ladder-esque nightmare - asking if, after all, it is the lack of acceptance that burdens us when we grieves ourself into the deep hole of what ifs.
Two hours and half have past by the time the credits roll; Bandersnatch asked me if I want to give another go. I closed my eyes and put it to rest.
Watched it online not knowing it was even an interactive movie. Did I miss some viewing options? There seems to be some clips on Youtube that I didn't watch. Anyway the first half was good. Then it became predictable in the unpredictability. Lots of messages about things like media, free will and choice. But honestly they seemed pointless and lost in the mess.I have too much choice and now it's not a story it's basic point and click.
Who is being controlled — Stefan or you?
I got on an eternal loop until i got to the credits so 5/5.
SPOILERS
I see people giving bad scores. It is a good movie if you KNOW how to understand it, if you haven't play a game with options this movies is not for you.
This was a great first attempt at a experiment. This first try was limited by the need for a beginning, middle and end, otherwise, packing multiple outcomes would have compounded the production parameters and ultimately the cost. The cost/vision of multiple episodes for the sake of one would have been a rather extravagant experiment. I think this episode launched the concept within acceptable limits. My other thought was that to have real choices, that change the outcome, would also demand a moral framework that would be very much at odds with the pervasive nihilism of this genre. It was very BLACK MIRROR in that all choices lead to a foreshadowed doomed ending. (As a side note, I appreciated the self-depreciating humour of the Netflix option.) I enjoyed the interactive adventure of it, even though my choices were as irrelevant as those of the protagonist. I give this film/experiment an 8 (great) out of 10. [Interactive Dark Adventure]
A new way, but not now. It's ok, a bit overvalue by critics. The movie itself is 5/10, same Netflix normal content. The "visionary" way of seeing movies its pretty cheap, and you only get one end. If you choose wrong its a death end, going to see more 5/10 min and it start again "the story", so the "you choose" end, its not like that. But great marketing from Netflix.
For me, if they create a database (probably already made it) of choices, can create a good script for new movie.
The story in itself is not that good, and it doesn't even really fit for a Black Mirror episode. But the experience is pretty good. It's fun, well, if you like the choose your own adventure style of course.
The whole concept is really well thought. I like that it was extremely meta, it's a cyoa show about a cyoa game about a cyoa book, it references itself in one of the endings, and Colin is very conscious that there are this paths, and repeated views of the same scenes. So the small remarks like "Wrong path" from Colin or "Even if you've already been there, you might learn something new" from Dr Haynes were really enjoyable. Also towards the end, Stefan begins to try to resist your choices or even to talk to you.
Also technically well done. The choices, and how they're presented, the summary when you go back, the small things that change when you repeat, etc. You start by meaningless choices, can even choose the music, it's nice. A little thing: sometimes I didn't want to go back to the choices it gave me after a dead end, it would have been nice to be able to choose which decision you want to change. Also a fast forward to choice button would have been a great thing when trying to find different endings.
Small defect, I don't know if it was intended or not but the fact that Colin resurects when you go back (even if you go back to a time after his death) is pretty annoying.
There are four kinds of decisions.
The meaningless ones. Like picking cereals or music. This will give a different next sequence, may come back later (the cereal ad), but changes nothing storywise, neither on long or short term.
The branch ones. You clearly see that it's a decision, not really subtle. For instance the answer to "Who is there ?" on the computer, or the safe passwords (though some are meaningless). It's a little lazy but at least, it allows you to know when something is going to change.
The regular ones. Offer changes inside a given branch, you will get to basiaclly the same ending but with somedifferences in between.
The important ones. They have a real impact on the story, not only immediately but later too, and they're story choices, not like the not even hidden branch ones. They will just offer more possibility later (typically different possibilities on the branch choices). My main complaint would be that there only seems to be two of them (following Colin, and talking about the mother) whereas those should be the heart of a great cyoa game.
As for the different branches of the story, well I guess the main branches would be the releases of the game with Stefan killing more or less people and ending in jail and the game geting different ratings. It's interesting to try to get the several versions.
The PACS subsequence where his father and the Dr are part of a conspiracy also ends here, but it doesn't really fit with the rest and is not really developped. It might have deserved its specific story and ending.
The Netflix branch is amazing. It's unexpected and really fun, and even comes with an extra meta layer.
The go back in time branch adds a alternate, more supernatural version, but it's definitely not as well integrated as the rest.
I've seen there is also at least one more hidden ending. I was not really in the mood to look for it, but it would have been pretty disappointing if it didn't exist. There are a lot of meaningless choices in the course of the story, so there must be a path where you need to pick the right one for all of those choices. Add to that the possibility offered by the go back options, and you can have some very complex paths. Not for everybody, but it's nice that it exists.
The concept of this movie is so cool. I kept watching until I saw every possible outcome and it was such a fun experience. This story is pretty easy to follow but it is exactly right for this movie. It's thrilling.
I have to say that one outcome was my favorite and I already got that first so the rest was just fun to see but a little bit of a downer after my original ending. Loved the cast, loved the story, loved the vibe.
interesting change of pace with the interaction, but the movie itself was pretty boring.
At first playthrough I went pretty deep in the choices but got an unsatisfying ending to my taste. dead-end > toggle for other choice in splitscreen > automatic kill and bury dad > call psych > jail
Went back changed some choices and got a better ending but boy, was it sad...found bunny > choose to die with mum
After that I stumbled upon a very complete flowchart someone had made and I was amazed by the complexity of choice and consequences for a video format. Used it to see the "Netflix action scene" ending and that was as amazing as it was meta
All in all some good fun, but don't expect too much story and character development else you could be in trouble.
Fat L bro this was disappointing as hell
The interactive aspect of this is nice; however, the story's a bit dull.
This is a movie that requires multiple viewings. I don't feel comfortable marking the movie as viewed since I have only explored on path with a couple of dead ends.
I love the introduction of a branching narrative in movie form. I hope this is the start of a new trend, not a blip on the radar.
While this movie got a lot of press for being a kind of "choose your own adventure" the reality is that the gimmick was really used to drive home the main story line. The viewer was made to feel like they have some kind of control over the story, but do they really? Do we have any kind of control over anything? The film really challenges the user to think about so many different ideas - I really enjoyed that part of it. Overall I think it was a fine entry into the fantastic Black Mirror catalog. If you're not familiar with Black Mirror I recommend that you read this primer: http://grantland.com/features/the-remarkable-black-mirror/ (tip: whatever you do, do NOT watch Season 1 episode 1 first).
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How do you rate a show that is different for each viewer? This makes Bandersnatch an interesting proposition.
Technically it was very well done, the direction was good so hard cuts weren't always needed when choices where made. It all flowed very smoothly, so as a peice of technology it's hard to give it anything but 10/10.
The storyline though didn't quite flow as well as it could have due to the dead ends, it is hard to see how this could have been avoided and for the most point it was good with lots of Black Mirror references in various places. It was also self aware especially in the latter stages, even if it did jump the shark in places (The F*** Yeah option in particular).
It may be a coincidence but the story suffered from the same problems as the game depicted. Too many story branches leading to many dead ends meaning a lot of rewatching. At one point I did think I just want this to end, which is unfortunate. I'm sure on the internet there'll be many 'walkthroughs' (ironically a gaming term applied to a movie about games) to allow you to see everything. Hopefully Charlie Brooker will post his walkthough, if he hasn't already, to show what his vision of the story was.
I expect we will see more of this type of show, and when done this well I'll be happy to watch. This in the cinema with majority votes determining the story would be a very interesting thing to be see.
So a very good first attempt at taking an old idea (I remember the books back in the day) and making it new, on this occasion though maybe a little too optimistic on the content itself.
Has shock value and potential. It just needs more decisions and paths leading to different endings.
Great idea, terrible execution. It did have a Black Mirror vibe to it from time to time, but the story in general wasn't too great. I get the whole meta thing, which is a nice touch, but you don't have much of a choice in the end as it keeps circling back whenever you reach a dead end. It was just tiring to watch some scenes over and over again.
With all the hype, I really expected it to be better.
I lol-ed so hard when I chose to show the Netflix sign to the poor guy and felt bad at the same time. And the guy playing the blond sophisticated coder was also playing a dumb virgin in The Millers so I couldn't keep myself from laughing in each of his scenes.
Fantastic idea, something I've not seen done before in a TV show with this kind of budget. I think the narrative was slightly lacking however, it just wasn't quite up to scratch with some of the best Black Mirror episodes. But really fun and wasn't bored at any point.
8/10
Good, but not quite there, i think it could had a little more thought making this to fit what the viewer wants and expand the choices to not be a dead end and have to go back.
This show/movie marks the beginning of a whole new way of watching shows and I'm really excited about it! They dabbled in this style with kid's shows prior, but this is the first aimed at adults... and I hope we see this style of show explode moving forward. My only complaint was that I hit a dead end several times and it had to circle back and forced me to re-watch portions which took away from the experience. Otherwise, I absolutely loved it!
Outdated and massively dumbed execution of a interesting concept worth exploring. Gimmicky at best, including the metaphorical meta quasi philosophical pile of crap. Waited for a year to see this letdown Black Mirror branded waste of time.
I like the experiment, but sadly not what I was hoping for. I did have a feeling that it was one big story (Because going back to some moment gave me different options, like getting the toy rabbit from Dad), but it would be better if this would be like a Telltale game. Just 1 story where your actions actually make a different ending.
I have to say it did have some Black Mirror special sauce on it, which I like. Story was good and had some really "Black Mirror" moments.
Better luck next try. Looking forward to the normal Black Mirror episodes next year.
Some choices are annoying and limited. It kept repeating sequences which was boring.
Pretty disappointed by this! Obviously it was really fun to have the interactive mode, but I just wish there was more to it. The story felt rushed. Still recommend though. I went back and played through multiple scenarios.
This interactive feature turns from fun to annoying and as I made choices, I lost the plot. It's interesting at first, but it ultimately showed me that I like to be TOLD a story, not take part in writing one.
Outdated and massively dumbed execution of a interesting concept worth exploring. Gimmicky at best, including the metaphorical meta quasi philosophical pile of crap. Waited for a year to see this letdown Black Mirror branded waste of time.
Outdated and massively dumbed execution of a interesting concept worth exploring. Gimmicky at best, including the metaphorical meta quasi philosophical pile of crap. Waited for a year to see this letdown Black Mirror branded waste of time.
This feels historical. Netflix just reinvented how we will watch shows and movies in the future. The story is not really that interesting/compelling but it is worth to watch just for the concept alone.
I think by now I went trough all possible endings. Still want to see a chart with all possibilities tough.
Very minor spoilers: And I absolutely loved the 4th wall break when you pick Netflix in that one scene. And did anybody else think that one scene with the therapist where you choose 'Fuck yeah' was gonna lead to a sex scene?
absolutely loved it, i explored every possible choice, and spent hours with this 'episode', they pulled it off so well
When it came out I loved it, mainly because of the novelty of an interactive movie. Today I mainly saw how little influences those choices really have. Choosing your cereals, picking a song, having only one option, being forced to choose a different answer,... By the time I got to the end, where he is in prison for killing his father, I couldn't be bothered to go back and choose the other option. It would have worked better for me if there was less interactive moments, but them being more meaningful.
I still liked it, the story was quite interesting and it was the perfect story for an interactive episode/movie.
The music was great, Will Poulter was amazing, all in all I really had fun with this one but I'm happy that Black Mirror didn't do more of these episodes.
It was boring, random, confusing, uninteresting plot, dragged on and absurd. It was torture tryna complete this.
The interactive element and the movie continously retracing its steps through time and then finishing off in multiple diferent ways somehow all works with this story since it's about a guy losing his mind and obsessiving over free will.
Not sure where this style of film would work anywhere else (other than kids films for entertainment) but hats off to Black Mirror for completely going all out and nailing it for just one eventful special episode.
Also, I actually didn't interact at all this time - only left it to make the choice for me - which made the whole 'is free will real?' question even more of a trip!
As a big fan of Black Mirror, a big fan of video games, and a big fan of the old school Goosebumps choose your own adventures, this film is right up my alley. It surely shows some promise for being a first of its kind (at least that I know of), but it struggles with some choices and pacing. I don’t really feel the need to dive in again for another story. It also didn’t have the signature Black Mirror twist that we’ve come to know and love. I’m curious what they change in their inevitable second attempt.
Rating: 3/5 - 7.5/10 - Worth Watching
The movie's premise is intriguing, and the interactive format is innovative and engaging, making the viewer feel like they are a part of the story. The lead actor, Fionn Whitehead, delivers a compelling performance, and the film's production design and soundtrack do an excellent job of immersing the viewer in the 80s setting. However, the film's nonlinear structure and multiple possible endings can make the plot feel disjointed and lacking in cohesion at times. Overall, "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" is a fascinating and immersive film that's worth watching for its unique format and engaging story.
Very interesting the idea of the movie, the plot did not get though. I just imagined how crazy should have been being the editor of this film. And defintely I want to watch it again to chose different paths.
It's only for Black Mirror fans.
More than half of the movie comprises of repeated clips and in the middle they started promoting Netflix.
I lost interest in the story and it was a waste of time.
the black mirror 'footprint' is there, but a bit boring because imho they lacked ideas. I found realistic the insane behaviour acts. Decent, but (regret to say) skippable
ONe of the best thing ever seen. I don't know why a lot of people are not happy with it
It's a completely new experience for a watcher. Mind bending! You feel that you are controlling the character and the character at some point feels it too. Definitely a watch! I think it might never be a boring episode.
interesting but it gets boring as time goes by
Probably was just me but i give it a 1/10. Very confusing... Okay i like the idea to interact with the movie, but this movie was kind weird
I would’ve rather put salt in my eyes for two hours then watch this movie
eu simplesmente amei haaahahaaha
é mesmo muito bom, não sabia que era uma espécie de jogo
foi bem surpreendente mas bom
Overall I think I enjoyed it, but it feels like you don't actually make choices about where the movie goes since the 'wrong' ending makes you go back and make a different choice.
And the final ending with the train feels way too similar to Donnie Darko.
1 / 2 directing & technical aspect
0 / 1 story
.5 / 1 act I
1 / 1 act II
1 / 1 act III
1 / 1 acting
.5 / 1 writing
1 / 1 originality
0 / 1 stays with you
0 / 1 misc
6 out of 10
How many ends does it have?
It's hard to decide what merits to judge Netflix's newest Black Mirror experience. Is it an interesting experiment? Is it a good episode of Black Mirror? Was this the best way to tell this story? And ultimately, as the viewer, do we learn more or are we more engaged because we get to influence events?
From my perspective, it was ultimately a mediocre storytelling experience that wasn't improved by the interactivity, which turned out to be mediocre too.
Weirdly enough, this story likely would have made for a significantly more interesting traditional style Black Mirror episode.
This format is ultimately pretty disengaging, because we have no idea what choices matter and which ones don't, and the show simply falls back on a "fail" state when you make the wrong choice. Because of the focus on the interactivity, you never really end up building real empathy for any of the characters.
There are moments of brilliance in this - just like there are in even the weaker Black Mirror episodes - but the choose your own adventure book style gimmick of Bandersnatch ultimately detracts from the story, rather than enhancing it.
I enjoy the concept however the story was lame. I enjoyed watching nostalgic technology of the past but the story was lacking. I expected more from Black Mirror. After all the hype I was left disappointed. Luckily I know that the show is capable of offering much more.
What's the point of letting me choose if my choices can be wrong?
Surprising! I'm not usually a fan of sci-fi, but I liked it. It was fun, but I probably won't watch/play it again. It also got a bit boring and repetitive.
I don’t know what to say about the storyline but i thought it was fun choosing what he does next and all that .
I liked the story and loved the style, but felt like I wasn't allowed to fail. I Googled the show afterward, and read an article about what someone considered the perfect ending. I got that ending, but I made a lot of mistakes along the way, and was allowed to course correct. I'm not sure I got all the endings. I feel like some of the choices were trivial and only flavoured the scenes (cereal, Thompson Twins vs Now 2, the two records) but many led to dead ends, and there were at least two choices where you were given two, but if you made a wrong choice and went back, the choice you made was removed, and replaced with another. Netflix was replaced with P.A.C.S. and JFD (the initials of the author of the 'Bandersnatch' book) was replaced with PAC (as opposed to PAX). That said, some choices I wasn't allowed to take back, such as the death of Colin.
It's definitely an interesting film, and there are probably secrets I missed, but after about half an hour, the choices didn't feel honest and it was more like, "okay, what's going to be funnier?" And after an hour I kind of just wanted it to be over and done with. Still, the setting, the music, the game stuff, it was all spot on for the period. I'd like to think I caught all the references to previous Black Mirror episodes and whatnot, but probably missed a bunch. At least I've solved the problem of who makes the choices when I watch with my wife.
Kudos for taking a chance on the concept, which I'm sure we'll see more of, but I hope that in the future there's a bit more effort put into the other elements of the production aside from the gimmick.
Good idea but it could have been a lot better, too much complication that got me bored, it's one of very few black mirror episodes that i didn't like!
Meh
The "Trauma Inception" is great though, even if you only just watch the first 15 minutes from the start, and that's about it.
Disappointing for all the praise.
I enjoyed it but it enforces the idea that choices dont matter recognisable in every modern choices matter video game.
If you are expecting the usual Black Mirror, quirky, surreal etc. Don’t bother. This is too much effort to be enjoyed. I thought the whole concept did not work and spoiled the show. They would have been better waiting until April 1st 2019 and releasing it then.
Wow this was refreshing movie something ive never see before and built in a mysterious way thay hooked me up in a way i hadnt been hooked in a long time. From what ive see in the comments i believe most people are concetrated in the interaction it self, the choice making, and thats no it,its how you fit into to story how at the same time it fits in you. Its really hard to put in words what im experiencing now but i just loved it and will most certainly will show it to a lot of my friends and just standby and watch them get totally confused! The only that was no on point was the cast for Colin and some of the acting(not by the main caracter).
Extremely tiring. The film does not bother to tell a story, which by the way is without a link. Earn points for performances and ambiance, and of course, for innovation and creativity in bringing this interaction.
several boring or dumb endings are not better than one great ending.
Boring af
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That was a wild ride – loved it! I'm just not sure how this format could work for other movies.
Shout by lovebrunoBlockedParent2018-12-29T17:38:03Z
the ideia was great but my first end was so boring. and at the last, netflix control some acts even you dont want them haha