Film Review: Netflix’s underwhelming ‘Bird Box Barcelona’ trades substance for cheap shocks

Remember the world pre-Covid, back in December 2018, when we all chose to spend our holiday downtime engrossed in Sandra Bullock’s blindfolded struggle to evade a mysterious suicide-inducing force? Preceding viral sensations like “Tiger King” and “Squid Game,” Netflix’s “Bird Box” became an undeniable sensation. Despite Netflix’s metrics remaining largely secretive, it’s hard to deny the movie’s impact, considering the attention it received wasn’t typical even for its star-studded releases.

Was its success due to its quality, or because it became a popular topic of conversation? Was it simply our shared affection for Bullock, or the novelty of a movie that everyone could agree to watch? It’s both fascinating and frustrating to witness the cultural nerve movies from the past three decades touch when they appear on Netflix. “Bird Box” may not be cinematic brilliance, but its perfect timing, talented cast, Hollywood-level production from director Suzanne Bier and an enticing score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, all combined with an “edgy” appeal, made it a hit.

It’s no shock that Netflix aimed to leverage this popularity, even half a decade later, but the result, “Bird Box Barcelona,” misses the mark. Premiering this Friday, the film includes commendable action scenes, but the repetitive reliance on the shock factor of the suicides soon grows monotonous and unnecessarily graphic, causing the movie to drag.

In a world devoid of humanity post-apocalypse, particularly with city-dwellers led by a priest (Leonardo Sbaraglia) advocating suicide as a path to salvation, the film’s sole saving grace is the character of an English psychiatrist Claire (Georgina Campbell). She seems to be the only person retaining her humanity. Yet, she is burdened with a predictable surrogate-mother narrative, caring for a poorly characterized young German girl, Sofia (Naila Schuberth), who has lost her mother.

Anyone tuning into “Bird Box Barcelona” likely isn’t offended by its suicide element, but the execution is lackluster at best. There’s no thrill, entertainment, or insight offered in observing the numerous self-inflicted deaths. It’s a terrible spectacle, and the film does not address this trauma in any compelling or beneficial manner. Rather, it’s a two-hour slog of distressing content.

Regrettably, like many horror films before it, further revelations about the enigmatic forces inducing suicide fail to heighten the tension for viewers. Instead, it just dumbens the entire plot.

“Bird Box Barcelona,” streaming this Friday on Netflix, remains unrated by the Motion Picture Association. It has a running time of 110 minutes, earning a mere one-star rating out of four.

Stay updated with AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.

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• Bird Box on Netflix
• Sandra Bullock’s filmography
• Director Suzanne Bier’s work
• Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s scores
• The phenomenon of “Squid Game”
• The sensation of “Tiger King”
• Lindsey Bahr’s Twitter