This winter’s newest Netflix hit , without a doubt, has been the movie Bird Box. Based off the 2014 post-apoplectic horror novel with the same name by Josh Malerman, the film spread like wildfire across social media platforms, garnering a lot of attention from the general public. Within the first days of its release, memes were already being made, as well as the “Bird Box challenge”, wherein people blindfold themselves and attempt to do everyday tasks. The fact that the movie gained popularity and attention is undeniable, but the question of whether or not the movie deserves the amount of attention it received is a topic of debate.

The film is a sci-fi thriller in which unknown creatures have managed to wipe out the majority of humanity, as looking at these creatures at all will cause a person to persistently try to kill themselves until they succeed. This is where the unique concept of the main characters being in blindfolds for a large portion of the movie comes into play. At times it shows the view from characters who are wearing blindfolds, which succeeds in adding suspense as the audience can’t see what’s happening around them just as the main character can’t. The movie jumps from the current moment to the events leading up to it, which is a very cool way of storytelling. In terms of characters, there’s a pretty solid cast with Sandra Bullock playing main character Malorie and Trevante Rhodes playing Tom. The characters are all likeable enough, and there’s a good balance between comic relief type characters and serious characters. The movie did a very good job at building suspense, and it was interesting how complex the main character, Malorie, was.

Some people have criticized the movie for countless plot holes and an unsatisfying ending, but I don’t hold such grievances. It would be nice to have more closure in the ending, but I can appreciate open-ended endings so it wasn’t a problem. Watching the relationship Malorie had with her children throughout the movie was one of best parts about the movie, it was interesting to see how even though she cares greatly for them, she’s afraid of getting attached. I found Bird Box worth the hype, and I finished it satisfied. It’s not a movie that will be hailed as a game changer, but I think it’s worthy of the bit of fame it’s received.