Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is an interactive movie that controls the player

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is Netflix’s first interactive film. The movie claims to allow viewers to make all the decisions, but who’s truly controlling who?

Black Mirror‘s highly anticipated standalone film, Bandersnatch, kept Netflix subscribers busy all weekend. The interactive films offers several paths and outcomes for the viewer (or player, in this case) to choose from. Participants took over Twitter Friday and Saturday to share their frustration with the inability to select a happy conclusion for the main character Stefan Butler, portrayed by Fionn Whitehead.

As players continue to try out new options and test out everything Black Mirror: Bandersnatch has to offer, however, they soon began to realize they are not in control at all.

Please note: Huge spoilers ahead if you have yet to check out the movie!

Bandersnatch starts off easy enough. The first choice you have to make is which cereal to have for breakfast. On my first try, I went with Frosties. For the second go, I selected Sugar Puffs and discovered that the story is the same no matter what Stefan has to eat.

The second set of options are tougher and really get you thinking. It’s a huge jump from simply getting to pick a cereal. Stefan is offered a place to work on his computer game, Bandersnatch, with a staff and everything he needs: Accept or Refuse?

Stefan’s face lights up in disbelief. It’s obvious that he would love to take this awesome opportunity. From the start of the film, Stefan seems insecure about himself and depressed. Seeing him so happy when presented by this job offer made me want to keep him content. So, I accept. That decision quickly sinks. Stefan’s game is unsuccessful. The movie restarts and I have no choice but to hit “Refuse.”

As the movie/game goes on, you find a lot of Easter eggs, such as titles to popular Black Mirror episodes. The most noteworthy are “Nosedive” and “Metalhead.”

Right before the middle of the film (or halfway through, depending on how quickly you go move along), Stefan catches on that someone is making his decisions for him. It’s very cool for the movie to include “Netflix” as a reply option to Stefan when he asks who’s controlling him. It gives viewers/players a sense of control. I know I sure felt that way, up until towards the final act.

One of the endings has Stefan reveal how he managed to successfully create his game and make it a player favorite. He tells the audience that he decided he was giving players too much control. Stefan goes on to say he trimmed down some of the options and only made it seem as if the player had a choice, but that, in reality, they didn’t. The ending was always decided from the start.

As soon as Stefan says those words, I realize I’m the one being played. The movie does restart several times, forcing me to select another answer, the one Bandersnatch wants me to choose. Mind blown.

There are a couple of different final outcomes, all of them, unfortunately, bad for Stefan, but the variety is still there. However, are we truly in charge or is it Netflix?

If you ask me, this is a unique and fun experience. It’s engrossing, engaging, and with so many options, it’s sure to keep you entertained longer than any regular movie can. However, there are a few viewers who didn’t enjoy the encounter with Bandersnatch.

While most memes and comments on Twitter are amusing and in favor of the film, others weren’t happy about the movie turning out to feel more like a game. They also didn’t enjoy the depressing outcomes. But what were they expecting? This IS Black Mirror, after all.

Other than the sad finales, there’s a lot of fun to be had watching (and playing) Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. The movie includes a few loopy scenes, such as Stefan and Dr. Haynes’ (Alice Lowe) big, dramatic fight and Stefan taking out his dad. But as unhinged as those sequences may be, they help provide a lot of surprise for the audience.

The acting is also brilliant, Will Poulter and Fionn Whitehead are particularly great. If you’ve only played the movie once and missed the scenes with Poulter’s Colin Ritman, you definitely need to give it another try to include Ritman in the story as much as you can.

There’s also a little plot twist (or two) concerning who Stefan’s parents truly are. I won’t go into any details in case you haven’t seen the scenes!

What did you think of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch? How many times have you played it? Share your experience with us in the comments!

Four seasons of Black Mirror and this standalone film are streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned for news on season 5!