The new film "Bandersnatch" from the creators of "Black Mirror" is a revolution in at home entertainment due to its ability to bridge the gap between movies and games. As an interactive film, "Bandersnatch" allows the viewer to make decisions on behalf of the main character as the movie progresses. These decisions begin with simply choosing a breakfast cereal, but the quickly escalate and become much, much darker. Once you start "playing the movie," it is insanely difficult to stop without finishing it. There are over a trillion permutations of the decisions made by the main character in the film, but ultimately the viewer will find themselves at one of five endings.
Warning: There are some serious spoilers in this article. If you haven't seen "Bandersnatch," it's an amazing movie and I highly recommend watching it before reading this.
1. Stefan, his father, and Dr. Haynes get into an epic fight
https://giphy.com/gifs/netflix-6wp2KDY8XJFlFHazJj
In this ending, based on the decisions that the viewer made Stefan has become aware that he is being controlled by a 21st century Netflix user. Dr. Haynes points out that nearly all movies are more dramatic that Stefan's life, and when Stefan chooses to fight Dr. Haynes in response to this, and epic MMA fight breaks out between the two of them, and it is quickly interrupted by Stefan's father who joins the frenzy.
2. Dr. Haynes' office is revealed as the set of a movie
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/01/black-mirror-bandersnatch-netflix-grief-essay.html
Following nearly the same path as the last ending, if you tell Stefan to climb out the window instead of fight Dr. Haynes, the camera pans out to reveal that Dr. Haynes office is actually the set of a movie and every actor in the film is actually playing the role of an actor playing their character. This ending is pretty trippy.
3. Stefan ends up in prison
https://giphy.com/gifs/netflix-colin-black-mirror-bandersnatch-9x8FX5bb2XuebzWrVN
Whether the user decides to kill Colin or Stefan's father, the following decisions will most likely end with Stefan being caught and arrested before "Bandersnatch" is ever released to the public. Tuckersoft ends up going bankrupt, and the movie ends with Stefan scratching the white bear symbol onto the wall of his prison cell.
4. Stefan dies on the train with his mother
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If Stefan enters the code "TOY" when he finds his father's safe, the rabbit from his childhood can be found inside. The movie then cuts to Stefan's childhood, only this time he finds his rabbit and agrees to leave with his mother before she heads out for her train ride. Both of them die in the train crash.
5. The legacy of Pearl Ritman
http://whatculture.com/film/black-mirror-bandersnatch-every-ending-explained-ranked?page=8
This is by far my favorite ending and what I believe should be the "true" ending to "Bandersnatch." Following Stefan's decision to chop up his father's body, he is able to focus on finishing the code for his game (which ultimately earns a perfect rating from the game critic). The movie fasts forwards to present day in which a game designer by the name of Pearl Ritman has recreated the game "Bandersnatch." As Pearl is working at her desk, she begins to notice a daunting overlap between the game she is writing and the life of Stefan. After the white bear symbol appears on her screen, a decision is given to either destroy her computer or spill tea on it, both of which end the movie.
