Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Dec 28, 2018
User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 277 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 192 out of 277
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 277
  3. Negative: 39 out of 277

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User Reviews

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  1. JohnBarry
    Dec 29, 2018
    1
    Bandersnatch starts out being somewhat entertaining and slow moving, typical for Netflix. Once the viewer has the ability to change the outcome, the story loses significance. Instead of anticipating one compelling ending, the viewer choses between five uninteresting ones. I've been better entertained watching paint dry.

    I have no patience watching a line cross the screen of my computer    Bandersnatch starts out being somewhat entertaining and slow moving, typical for Netflix. Once the viewer has the ability to change the outcome, the story loses significance. Instead of anticipating one compelling ending, the viewer choses between five uninteresting ones. I've been better entertained watching paint dry.

    I have no patience watching a line cross the screen of my computer as time is running out to do something on it. As a result of this aspect of the program, boredom is mixed with aggravation.

    The one true line in the story is when the main character tells his counsellor he is in a Netflix movie. The counsellor says it cannot be true because the main character and the things he is doing in the story are boring. That part of Bandersnatch was completely true.    … Expand
  2. Jee_
    Jan 1, 2019
    0
    Garbage. There's too much wrong with this film to adequately right down what I think about it, I've tried multiple times...

    So I'm just going to leave this here. It's crap, no actual story whatsoever, the choose your own path thing is irritating and hurts the film more than it helps (seriously, watch one of the ripped versions of it where you don't make the choices, it gets its point    Garbage. There's too much wrong with this film to adequately right down what I think about it, I've tried multiple times...

    So I'm just going to leave this here. It's crap, no actual story whatsoever, the choose your own path thing is irritating and hurts the film more than it helps (seriously, watch one of the ripped versions of it where you don't make the choices, it gets its point across far better, although its still crap).

    The creator is clearly far more interested in getting a "message" across to the audience than actually writing a story so you don't get one. Piss poor    … Expand
  3. Rattazustra
    Dec 31, 2018
    0
    25 years ago they tried to sell things like this as PC games. Stuff like *Critical Path*. Back then, pretty much everyone agreed that this was not enjoyable and the concept fell into a coma. I actually assumed it to have died, but now here we go again.

    The problem with choose your own adventure books, games and movies, is that they tell weak stories and they are inferior to other    25 years ago they tried to sell things like this as PC games. Stuff like *Critical Path*. Back then, pretty much everyone agreed that this was not enjoyable and the concept fell into a coma. I actually assumed it to have died, but now here we go again.

    The problem with choose your own adventure books, games and movies, is that they tell weak stories and they are inferior to other mediums that do a far better job at the same thing. Roleplaying games, be it computer based or pen and paper, are far better in the actual choice department, while choose your own adventure books beat things like Bandersnatch with the number of prefabricated options.

    Worst thing though is that Bandersnatch is lying right off the start. The first two choices are meaningless, but the very third choice already is a binary right/wrong choice. If you do not choose what the creaters want you to choose, it is over and you can try again. This time you may "decide" to choose the other option. In behavioral studies, this is called conditioning and it has nothing to do with choice or free will, let alone with excitement.    … Expand
  4. zoeadvance
    Dec 28, 2018
    2
    A confusing mess of ideas that don't add up to a solid point. A real shame considering it's source material. Fans will eat it up because of the name attached, but it pales in comparison to the rest of the black mirror line up. Hopefully a full season with better, more cohesive stories will turn up at some point. Until then, I am disappointed and disgruntled at the decision to put so muchA confusing mess of ideas that don't add up to a solid point. A real shame considering it's source material. Fans will eat it up because of the name attached, but it pales in comparison to the rest of the black mirror line up. Hopefully a full season with better, more cohesive stories will turn up at some point. Until then, I am disappointed and disgruntled at the decision to put so much effort into something that didn't hit the mark.… Expand
  5. hugoreal10
    Dec 28, 2018
    2
    Meh, such a disaster. I was expecting much more from a Black Mirror episode.
  6. TheCitCatGod
    Dec 28, 2018
    2
    I've played a lot of interactive stories over the last 10 years, bandersnatch manages to feel as a proper black mirror episode but it's one of the worst interactive story structures I've seen. Apart from the Stanley Parable.

    It's a good attempt, but I have to say I was disappointed. Some parts of the story were completely detached from the main story and certain characters disappeared    I've played a lot of interactive stories over the last 10 years, bandersnatch manages to feel as a proper black mirror episode but it's one of the worst interactive story structures I've seen. Apart from the Stanley Parable.

    It's a good attempt, but I have to say I was disappointed. Some parts of the story were completely detached from the main story and certain characters disappeared and came back to life depending on completely unrelated decisions.

    It seems like the writers did not get enough time.    … Expand
  7. saitama-man
    Dec 28, 2018
    0
    Ok Netflix, you tried.
    If it is an interactive product, the least you can expect is that each path has some kind of connection between your decisions and something makes sense. Bandersnatch fails (and a lot) in that.
    Several endings that leave the viewer simply not understanding anything about what happened, much less how their decisions affected the story, aside from several holes in    Ok Netflix, you tried.
    If it is an interactive product, the least you can expect is that each path has some kind of connection between your decisions and something makes sense. Bandersnatch fails (and a lot) in that.
    Several endings that leave the viewer simply not understanding anything about what happened, much less how their decisions affected the story, aside from several holes in the script (which become so obvious that they do not even have to be listed). Bandersnatch seems much more an incomplete work and a film that was "extended" to become interactive than a really "special episode" Black Mirror. For example, one of the first decisions you make is simply not planned and takes you to an immediate end, that's not how you make an interactive product. Maybe if the project was better planned at the end the result would be better. The only positive point is the acting of the actors, but the poor execution of the plot can throw all this down the drain.
    Black Mirror deserved much more than that, unfortunately the result is totally disappointing.    … Expand
  8. PSYTURKEY
    Dec 28, 2018
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A barely coherent narrative that forgets to actually make sense in pursuit of allowing watchers to decide what it was about.

    The team behind this clearly wanted this to be a case where the watcher could decide what was really happening in their own head-cannon. The problem here is that instead of leaning into ambiguous themes and endings the show decided to force the viewer to do the work of making sense of the show altogether. This might have worked had the show not contradicted itself at nearly every ending. Some endings play it straight with the main character jailed for committing crimes, others end abruptly with the main character implied to have been killed by a literal demon, others end with the main character in a karate fight with his therapist who suddenly produces a pair of battons with which to fight it out martial arts style. And that's to say nothing of the ending where the main character ends up in the real world amidst filming of the aforementioned fight scene very much in character while his director berates him for deviating from the script.

    At times the show appears to be commenting on the nature of free will, others it waxes on about the permanence of reality amid a not so theoretical set of alternate timelines. Sometimes we appear to be watching the hallucinations of a rapidly deteriorating mind, others we appear to be watching someone struggle as some mysterious technology from the distant year of 2018 forces them to make bad decisions and others the show seems to just shrug and a literal demon kills the main character.

    At it's best it's an ambitious project that forgot it actually had to be internally consistent, at it's worst it's an enormous meta wink at the audience that feels not just out of place but down right confusing.

    Black mirror is often thought provoking, but this particular episode just didn't make enough sense - I found myself asking a lot of questions, not because the episode had anything profound to say but because it simply wasn't coherent one ending to the next.

    I'm baffled to see so many positive reviews for this poorly executed gimmick, don't waste your time - Bandersnatch isn't coherent, much less an enjoyable viewing experience.    … Expand
  9. AutumnMarie
    Dec 30, 2018
    3
    This does not compare to the series. I loved the seasons but Bandersnatch left me disappointed. I disliked having to rewind and watch the same thing over so that I can pick what I was supposed to pick. It started to get boring.
  10. NikolayG
    Dec 30, 2018
    2
    Because Black Mirror is popular, many people will see Bandersnatch who have never experienced an interactive movie before, but interactive movies have been around since the 1980s. In fact, one was released just a couple of months ago. It's called Late Shift and it's a whole lot better than this tedious Black Mirror episode, clearly the worst of all Black Mirror episodes to date. Several ofBecause Black Mirror is popular, many people will see Bandersnatch who have never experienced an interactive movie before, but interactive movies have been around since the 1980s. In fact, one was released just a couple of months ago. It's called Late Shift and it's a whole lot better than this tedious Black Mirror episode, clearly the worst of all Black Mirror episodes to date. Several of the "choices" lead to the same result regardless of which you choose. This is a pretty awful, snail's paced, way to spend an hour or two. Not recommended.… Expand
  11. Rudyger
    Dec 30, 2018
    2
    Dear hipsters and millenials, did you know that this interactive experience has existed for decades in books? The reason why it didn't really break through the market is the same reason why Bandersnatch is bad: This is too restricted. You feel like you have the choice, but in reality, it's just an illusion of choice. If you go onto a path the author doesn't want you to go, then it's gameDear hipsters and millenials, did you know that this interactive experience has existed for decades in books? The reason why it didn't really break through the market is the same reason why Bandersnatch is bad: This is too restricted. You feel like you have the choice, but in reality, it's just an illusion of choice. If you go onto a path the author doesn't want you to go, then it's game over and you have to rewind. I wish someday, we'll see a fully complete interactive experience, without any gameover, without knowing what you did wrong. This would make an incredible rewatchable potential for the movie. But that means to shoot hundreds of scenes and alternative endings.… Expand
  12. johnfernow
    Jan 3, 2019
    1
    I should start off by saying I really like interactive movies: I greatly enjoyed the interactive movie "Late Shift" and would highly recommend it to other people. Bandersnatch was in no way an enjoyable interactive film for me though. I have not seen all Black Mirror episodes, but I've seen a handful and think they often have great themes. My biggest complaint with this episode has to beI should start off by saying I really like interactive movies: I greatly enjoyed the interactive movie "Late Shift" and would highly recommend it to other people. Bandersnatch was in no way an enjoyable interactive film for me though. I have not seen all Black Mirror episodes, but I've seen a handful and think they often have great themes. My biggest complaint with this episode has to be the theme though, which I won't spoil. Aside from the theme, being given the option to change your decisions makes the decision making pointless: it means there are no consequences for your decisions, as well as no feelings associated with those choices, since you can just change them. In "Late Shift" (at least the PC version), you cannot change your decisions without restarting from the beginning. That can leave you with a bad ending, but it leaves you thinking about your decisions and where you went wrong. I give 1 star for them choosing to experiment, particularly in a manner that has been shown to create enjoyable content, but the implementation was not enjoyable for me.… Expand
  13. BrownCowboy28
    Jan 26, 2019
    1
    This movie was the worst piece of garbage I have ever seen in my entire life, and I work at a landfill. You're constantly brought back to the same scene over and over again and everything seems to be replayed until you can finally just end it. Accidently type in the wrong number? Too bad. There is no way to fix it. The movie started out decent but quickly changed directions to the pointThis movie was the worst piece of garbage I have ever seen in my entire life, and I work at a landfill. You're constantly brought back to the same scene over and over again and everything seems to be replayed until you can finally just end it. Accidently type in the wrong number? Too bad. There is no way to fix it. The movie started out decent but quickly changed directions to the point where you felt like you were being sucked into a black hole of boredom. If you want to use your mouse/controller for something interactive, use it to click on a different movie.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Most Discussed TV Season of 2018
89
#89 Most Shared TV Season of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Simon Parkin
    Jan 4, 2019
    70
    Bandersnatch’s do-overs lighten the weight of our decisions, which in turn lightens the gravity of the whole. It’s an exhilarating experiment, not least because it’s played out on such a major stage, and on one of Netflix’s prestige properties. Much of the episode’s success, however, relies on the clever marriage of theme and mechanism. Without this, the flimsiness of the supporting framework, more gimmick than revolution, would be exposed.
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  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    Jan 4, 2019
    60
    Bandersnatch can be fun, if you’re entranced by its puzzle structure, or if you’ve always believed TV episodes would be better if only you could spend hours grinding through them again in order to watch 45 seconds of new footage. But it doesn’t make for much of a story. This is partly because the core plot is uninspired. ... It’s occasionally genuinely moving. But it’s not haunting in the way that comes from reaching the end of a story and realizing that the only “What now?” answer you get will have to come from you.
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  3. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Pat Brown
    Jan 2, 2019
    63
    Black Mirror‘s stories are often effective without being subtle. At their worst, they merely recapitulate omnipresent popular anxieties, but at their best they compel critical reflection on the technologies that structure our lives. Whatever assemblage of parts make up an individual viewer’s experience of Bandersnatch, it will likely be a mixture of both.
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