April 10, 2019
By Alicia Henrichsen
Editor
Netflix revolutionized the film genre forever when it released the choose-your-own-adventure movie “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” on Dec 28. In this science fiction thriller, teenage programmer Stefan starts to question reality after he begins working on a video game based on a novel he read.
Ranging from a decision about what cereal Stefan should consume to whether to murder his father, the audience is put in full control of determining Stefan’s destiny. With viewers directing Stefan’s actions, the antisocial protagonist slowly goes insane.
The interactive special sends viewers back to different moments in time when Stefan has to make choices that lead him down a variety of paths. Sometimes, these paths converge or prolong the plot, and other times they move Stefan closer to one of five possible endings. Therefore, depending on what selections the viewer makes, the movie can take anywhere from one hour to two-and-a-half hours to complete.
Senior Jillian Tkaczyk said it took her about an hour to reach the ending in which Colin’s adult daughter Pearl is creating the “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” movie for Netflix.
“I did enjoy the choose-your-own-path style, although I started getting impatient having to go back and redo my choices if they [led to a dead end],” Tkaczyk said.
After she got to an ending, Tkaczyk said she rewatched the movie several times in order to reach two additional outcomes.
“I then Googled all endings and attempted to get them,” Tkaczyk said.
Unlike Tkaczyk, Sophomore Ally Giaimis said she would not want to view the interactive special more than once.
“It isn’t worth it to watch the movie again to get a separate ending because either way, the main character is not getting a happy ending,” Giaimis said.
She said it took her about an hour to receive the outcome in which Stefan realizes he is on a movie set.
Giaimis said she enjoyed the movie’s unique approach and would like to see shows including “Gossip Girl” and “Pretty Little Liars” adopt a choose-your-own-adventure storyline.
“I personally want Netflix to make more movies like this because it keeps you paying attention and invested into what path you are going to choose for your character,” Giaimis said.
Senior Jose Acta, who received the same ending as Tkaczyk, said he enjoyed the movie and concept of controlling another person’s fate.
“I think the theme of the movie is creative and can really make the people watching it think,” Acta said.
He said “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” reminds him of the video game “The Last of Us.”
“You make decisions for the main character, and if you make a mistake, you can’t [loop] back,” Acta said. “I like being able to mess around with different consequences and outcomes [to determine] the fate of my character.”
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