Bird Box Barcelona
Bird Box Barcelona
Starring Mario Casas, Alejandra Howard, Georgina Campbell, Naila Schuberth
Directed by Alex Pastor & David Pastor
Sebastian (Mario Casas) and his daughter Anna (Alejandra Howard) are in the middle of an invasion in Barcelona, where creatures cause you to kill yourselves if you look at them. They find, however, that these creatures are the least of their problems. Some people are seers: people who can see the creatures and not kill themselves, but rather turn into religious zealots who want everyone to see the creatures so they can be freed from this mortal coil. Sebastian finds a group led by Claire (Georgina Campbell) who plans on fleeing to the sanctuary that is Montjuic Castle, but to get there they have to traverse the outside world where not just the creatures - but the living - are hunting them down.
The Good:
"Bird Box Barcelona" does a decent job in setting itself up as something more akin to a sister sequel than a direct one, which aids in the fact that it makes it more enjoyable. You're not trying to remember what happened in the first film and really don't have to, as this stands on its own merit. It utilizes its setting beautifully, with grandiose visuals and drone shots of an abandoned, desolate Barcelona with eerie beauty.
The story is more of the same, except this time it really focuses on the seers as opposed to the original film where they're outliers. The seers here are religious zealots who want everyone to see the creatures because they think of them as angels, coming to set them free from their pain. It's an interesting thought especially considering how religion has become a hot button issue in America with laws being passed based more on morality than anything else, and this film shows to the extreme what would happen if people really became crazy for their religion and the lengths they would go to in order to "save" someone else.
The issue of grief runs rampant throughout the film, as everyone we meet has gone through some sort of trauma. The creatures can sense this and distort voices to make them think that they're hearing their departed loved ones, which honestly I don't remember them doing in the original but it's been awhile since I saw it. If they did it then, it just continues now; if they didn't, it's a new trick to their arsenal to make people want to kill themselves.
It also adds a sense of fear because it's pretty easy to avoid the creatures, because even though there's been two films already, we haven't really seen them in the flesh. They don't seem to be able to physically touch people, so wearing blindfolds is a surefire way to stay alive. Now, however, they have help in the form of seers, who can literally go up to people on the road and remove their blindfolds, which could've been a terrifying aspect if it was done better.
The Bad:
Touching on the last issue, the film could've relied heavily on the aspect that seers could remove blindfolds and force people to kill themselves, but even though they're more front and center, their presence is still somehow set on the backburner in favor of a narrative of Sebastian's tale, which can't be fully discussed here without hitting spoilers. Needless to say, if the film had been more about these seers and the problem they cause, this could've been more intense than it was.
I'm still not sure on the rules of these creatures, as now dogs are also blindfolded when they go outside. Yet birds are seen flying around like its nobody's business, seemingly oblivious to these creatures. Perhaps that's why it's called "Bird Box," but I couldn't help but allow my mind to wander throughout the film. If dogs can succumb to these creatures, can cats? Ants? Flies? Bees? Elephants? We need a "Bird Box Animals" spinoff to find this out because I want answers - and I want to see an elephant try to kill itself.
The performances are rather lackluster, as no one really stands out as anything special. Mario Casas is an unlikable protagonist who they try to personalize with a traumatic past, but it doesn't help due to what he does in the film. "Barbarian" standout Georgina Campbell fares the best, but it's clear that she's supposed to be the Sandra Bullock in this film, and no one can compare to her. Diego Calva, hot on the heels of his breakout performance in last year's "Babylon," gets absolutely nothing to do.
The Verdict:
Although beautiful in its visuals and by really not making something extremely terrible, "Bird Box Barcelona" fails to prove its existence, serving as just a decent film you won't remember watching shortly after it ends.
The Score: C
Comments
Post a Comment