The latest release from Netflix in the Black Mirror series is the new interactive film, "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch." The premise is you, the viewer, get to make choices for protagonist Stefan Butler.
From picking what music he buys to some more daring choices, we get to see it play out on the screen. We see a direct correlation between what choices we make and what happens to Stefan. Truth be told, it's absolutely intoxicating. You sit there, staring at the screen and wondering if the choices you make are the right ones. With so many endings, the show sends you into what seems like endless loops until you finally complete it.
I sat for a little over an hour with my boyfriend as we watched the show together, and we couldn't tear our eyes away from the screen. Remote in hand, we made the choices we wanted, whether we killed Stefan by telling him to jump, or whether it was chopping up his father's body.
Graphic, I know, but at the same time it was hard to look away. What Netflix has achieved with this show is something you don't see very often. The idea that something like that could be so largely interactive is a novelty.
Imagine how many other shows could potentially try out a feature like this. I would sell HBO my liver, kidneys and my right leg if they made an interactive version of "Game of Thrones."
But we have to remember the type of show that "Black Mirror" is when we break it down. The whole theme of the show revolves around technology and our dependence on it. A show like that is the perfect vessel to release something like "Bandersnatch." It shows the terrible things humans do when technology is involved. I shocked myself when at one point during the game, my first instinct was to kill Stefan's father. I didn't even get the chance to blink twice before I selected the option.
Everything is a maze in the show, and you never seem to know where you're turning next. The answers are constantly shifting and changing, and you need to do your best to find your way out.
One of the things I found the most interesting about "Bandersnatch" is how some of the characters seem to be self aware. All throughout the series, Stefan can tell that he isn't in charge of his own decisions, and that's when he realizes that he doesn't have control anymore. He actually says out loud that he knows someone else is making those choices.
Another interesting character to be looked at is Colin. The entire time we see him, he knows that there are multiple realities out there. It genuinely felt odd making the choices for someone else and seeing how things played out.
But Stefan, I tried my best. I know I got you killed a time or two, and I'm sorry that I murdered your father at least 20 times, but we made it to the end.
To the writers of "Black Mirror," you did something incredible. What you've started is going to open so many doors to new interactive experiences just like this one. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with next.
