Alejos, Paredes, and Serdoncillo 1

Ivan Ysabelle A. Alejos, Kathleen L. Paredes, Joseph James S. Serdoncillo

Ms. Judith Daguman

Reading and Writing

April 23 2019

Movie Review: Bird Box

Bird Box is a thriller movie directed by Susanne Bier from a screenplay written by

Eric Heisserer and based on the novel written by Josh Malerman. It is a film with an

uncommon storyline that revolves around a woman who constantly tries to save two

children, including herself, from supernatural entities, with the help of the birds. The

astounding actors and cinematography of this film made it spectacular as it stood out from

the other movies of the same genre.

Bird Box undeniably has a marvelous cast wherein each of them portrayed their

characters effectively through their superb acting skills. Along with an all-star cast

composed of Trevante Rhodes (Tom), Julian Edwards (Boy), and Vivien Lyra Blair (Girl),

Sandra Bullock (Malorie Hayes) leads the movie, standing as the mother of two children,

taking them to their own safety. Bullock’s characterization had remarkably captured the

emotions of the audience as her acting brought the people to her world, allowing them to

discern and feel Malorie’s tension, courage, and the unconditional love that she has

developed for the children. With this, Blair and Edwards delivered an outstanding

performance at a very young age, who both caught the hearts of the people as their purity

and innocence were directly felt in the movie. Rhodes had also enacted his character

rightfully as his character appealed to the viewers’ emotions. A strong-willed man who

courageously sacrificed himself was Rhode’s role and it was brought to life with complete
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justice through his magnificent portrayal. Truly, the film’s cast portrayed their roles

outstandingly with the emotions appropriate to the story.

Another strong point, which also received incredible feedback, is its great

cinematography. Salvatore Totino, the film’s cinematographer, made the film more

profound and dynamic as he had shown parallelism between the emotions of the

characters and the scenes. In the entry of the unknown entity, causing the unexplainable

mass suicide in Malorie’s country, dimness of the movie was shown to depict fear and

tragedy among the characters. The camerawork also gave emphasis to scenes relevant

to the movie which helped its viewers understand the plot. In one scene, the camera was

panned at a random girl on her phone which later on tried to commit suicide by

continuously hitting her head on the glass. This incident gave an eerie vibe and hinted

that the movie will be revolving around the reason behind it. The editing also matched the

aura of the movie as it corresponds with its genre and the switch of timeline left the

viewers guessing what had previously happened and what would occur next. In general,

the whole cinematography is lined with the plot which made it exceptional as it

successfully delivered its chills as a thriller movie.

When it comes to the content, it is indisputably unique and witty, however, the plot

had some gaps and flaws. For instance, the reason behind why the people would commit

suicide whenever they see the unknown entity left the audience questioning, making it

undefined. The movie had also failed to include a trigger warning as it contained sensitive

content which included self-harm, suicide, and gory scenes which can possibly trigger the

illnesses of viewers who are dealing with mental health issues. Although the plot was

extraordinary, the movie ended with a cliffhanger. It wasn’t satisfactory for the viewers to
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have the movie end with just the characters staying at a safe haven, undisclosed if they

would live a long journey just for survival or they would have the courage to do something

to fight the entity and save other people from the catastrophic events.

Bird Box is effective as a thriller movie for it succeeded getting the audience

attached to its breathtaking storyline which resulted to the viewers’ admiration. A trigger

warning and a more defined plot are the only things that the movie lacked. Overall, the

film is a 4.21 out of 5 mainly because of its exceptional cast, amazing cinematography,

and its uniqueness.

Work Cited

IMDb. 2018. 17 April 2019. <https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2737304/fullcredits>.

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