Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
Plot: After entities of mysterious origin annihilate the world's population causing those who observe it them to take their lives, Sebastián and his daughter begin their own great adventure of survival in Barcelona.
Review: Bird Box came out in 2018 and starred Sandra Bullock in one of her rare appearances in the horror/thriller genre (see The Premonition and The Vanishing). With the movie going on to be one of Netflix's biggest hits ever a sequel was inevitable. What we weren't sure about though was what kind of sequel we would get and I'm happy to report Bird Box Barcelona is not just a good sequel; it made me excited for another one.
SEBASTIAN INNER MONOLOGUE: I will not admit it, but this rat soup es delicioso
Now I already know I'm in the minority with this one; the reviews have not been good, and I do see why some people thought this wasn't worth it. I'll try not to spoil things too much, but the issue might have to do with the twist that's revealed about fifteen minutes into the story, a twist that may affect your ability to sympathise with the main "hero". Fans of Netflix Spanish language movies and series will recognize lead Mario Casas (The Innocent, The Paramedic) who plays Sebastian. Along with his daughter Sofia (Naila Schuberth) they wander through Barcelona trying to survive the same event Sandy Bullock did in the United States, which is of course was an attack by an unseen force that once gazed upon causes the viewer to commit suicide. Sebastian comes upon a group of survivors and joins them as they hope to find shelter in the hills where a castle is used to keep out the entities. Easier said than done when you can't use your eyes to navigate the vast city that includes people who have seen the "creatures" but due to an anomaly they survived and have now made it their mission to locate everyone they can find and make them look, whether they want to or not.
So, one of the key issues people seem to have with this movie is with the lead character Sebastian. I've seen reviews that say this movie has no one to root for and I can totally see what they're referring to after a major secret is revealed about his character. But here's the thing, it totally works within this narrative not just as an interesting twist but as a way of exploring the story from a wholly different and, dare I say, refreshing angle.
Dude. I told you not to binge Black Mirror in one night
Instead of retreading old ground in a new location, directors Alex and David Pastor chose to explore why the "seers" (what they call people who survive encounters with the creatures) do what they do. Are they evil? Or are they just as much victims as the people forced to take their own lives? I absolutely enjoyed this take as it's kind of like when you get to watch a movie from the point of view of The Joker instead of Batman. We've all seen that movie and it was a banger, so why not do the same in a horror movie?
The action like the first movie is sporadic but when it unfolded it was intense and dramatic in the best ways and the conclusion was better than the first, leaving us with not just a sense of hope but also an intriguing cliffhanger.
When you had one too many chimichangas
Bird Box Barcelona made the smart choice to do things differently instead of just retreading old ground. It may not be perfect but personally I thought it was better than the first with Casas delivering a layered performance as Sebastian. The effects which I didn't mention before were also decent. Considering these antagonists can't be seen, the use of sound was equally important and another element they elevated here. It might not be as good as A Quite Place but if you enjoyed the first movie I don't' see any reason why you won't enjoy this one.
Sommer's Score: 6.5 out of 10
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Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I'll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More
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