The story in itself is not that good, and it doesn't even really fit for a Black Mirror episode. But the experience is pretty good. It's fun, well, if you like the choose your own adventure style of course.
The whole concept is really well thought. I like that it was extremely meta, it's a cyoa show about a cyoa game about a cyoa book, it references itself in one of the endings, and Colin is very conscious that there are this paths, and repeated views of the same scenes. So the small remarks like "Wrong path" from Colin or "Even if you've already been there, you might learn something new" from Dr Haynes were really enjoyable. Also towards the end, Stefan begins to try to resist your choices or even to talk to you.
Also technically well done. The choices, and how they're presented, the summary when you go back, the small things that change when you repeat, etc. You start by meaningless choices, can even choose the music, it's nice. A little thing: sometimes I didn't want to go back to the choices it gave me after a dead end, it would have been nice to be able to choose which decision you want to change. Also a fast forward to choice button would have been a great thing when trying to find different endings.
Small defect, I don't know if it was intended or not but the fact that Colin resurects when you go back (even if you go back to a time after his death) is pretty annoying.
There are four kinds of decisions.
The meaningless ones. Like picking cereals or music. This will give a different next sequence, may come back later (the cereal ad), but changes nothing storywise, neither on long or short term.
The branch ones. You clearly see that it's a decision, not really subtle. For instance the answer to "Who is there ?" on the computer, or the safe passwords (though some are meaningless). It's a little lazy but at least, it allows you to know when something is going to change.
The regular ones. Offer changes inside a given branch, you will get to basiaclly the same ending but with somedifferences in between.
The important ones. They have a real impact on the story, not only immediately but later too, and they're story choices, not like the not even hidden branch ones. They will just offer more possibility later (typically different possibilities on the branch choices). My main complaint would be that there only seems to be two of them (following Colin, and talking about the mother) whereas those should be the heart of a great cyoa game.
As for the different branches of the story, well I guess the main branches would be the releases of the game with Stefan killing more or less people and ending in jail and the game geting different ratings. It's interesting to try to get the several versions.
The PACS subsequence where his father and the Dr are part of a conspiracy also ends here, but it doesn't really fit with the rest and is not really developped. It might have deserved its specific story and ending.
The Netflix branch is amazing. It's unexpected and really fun, and even comes with an extra meta layer.
The go back in time branch adds a alternate, more supernatural version, but it's definitely not as well integrated as the rest.
I've seen there is also at least one more hidden ending. I was not really in the mood to look for it, but it would have been pretty disappointing if it didn't exist. There are a lot of meaningless choices in the course of the story, so there must be a path where you need to pick the right one for all of those choices. Add to that the possibility offered by the go back options, and you can have some very complex paths. Not for everybody, but it's nice that it exists.
I liked the story and loved the style, but felt like I wasn't allowed to fail. I Googled the show afterward, and read an article about what someone considered the perfect ending. I got that ending, but I made a lot of mistakes along the way, and was allowed to course correct. I'm not sure I got all the endings. I feel like some of the choices were trivial and only flavoured the scenes (cereal, Thompson Twins vs Now 2, the two records) but many led to dead ends, and there were at least two choices where you were given two, but if you made a wrong choice and went back, the choice you made was removed, and replaced with another. Netflix was replaced with P.A.C.S. and JFD (the initials of the author of the 'Bandersnatch' book) was replaced with PAC (as opposed to PAX). That said, some choices I wasn't allowed to take back, such as the death of Colin.
It's definitely an interesting film, and there are probably secrets I missed, but after about half an hour, the choices didn't feel honest and it was more like, "okay, what's going to be funnier?" And after an hour I kind of just wanted it to be over and done with. Still, the setting, the music, the game stuff, it was all spot on for the period. I'd like to think I caught all the references to previous Black Mirror episodes and whatnot, but probably missed a bunch. At least I've solved the problem of who makes the choices when I watch with my wife.
How do you rate a show that is different for each viewer? This makes Bandersnatch an interesting proposition.
Technically it was very well done, the direction was good so hard cuts weren't always needed when choices where made. It all flowed very smoothly, so as a peice of technology it's hard to give it anything but 10/10.
The storyline though didn't quite flow as well as it could have due to the dead ends, it is hard to see how this could have been avoided and for the most point it was good with lots of Black Mirror references in various places. It was also self aware especially in the latter stages, even if it did jump the shark in places (The F*** Yeah option in particular).
It may be a coincidence but the story suffered from the same problems as the game depicted. Too many story branches leading to many dead ends meaning a lot of rewatching. At one point I did think I just want this to end, which is unfortunate. I'm sure on the internet there'll be many 'walkthroughs' (ironically a gaming term applied to a movie about games) to allow you to see everything. Hopefully Charlie Brooker will post his walkthough, if he hasn't already, to show what his vision of the story was.
I expect we will see more of this type of show, and when done this well I'll be happy to watch. This in the cinema with majority votes determining the story would be a very interesting thing to be see.
So a very good first attempt at taking an old idea (I remember the books back in the day) and making it new, on this occasion though maybe a little too optimistic on the content itself.
Review by Pradipa PRBlockedParent2023-07-30T18:10:18Z
Bandersnatch stands out as the most Twilight Zone-esque and perhaps the best episode of Black Mirror to date, thanks not only to its innovative and gimmicky presentation, but also its ultimate secret ending.
A slight nod to other comments: when following a straightforward path, Bandersnatch can feel somewhat bland and slightly uninteresting. Even though the various choices may lead to very meta and/or interesting schizophrenic endings, this isn't the main appeal of the episode.
The true gem of Bandersnatch lies in the culmination of all choices you make and the different endings or dead-ends you encounter. As Colin Ritman puts it, what matters is the choices that led you to a particular path, rather than the specific fate you experience in one lifetime.
Here's a hint: when faced with a dead-end, don't hit rewind and choose another option; instead, select from the options the episode provides. It remembers your choices and will open up alternative routes you can explore.
Only after going through those multiple dreaming sequences, RPG/visual novel playthroughs, and exhaustively exploring Bandersnatch's depth, do you truly appreciate its richness. Just like Stefan, who finally exhausts his options through the experiences of hallucinogens and brutal murders, you'll encounter a bittersweet moment when the episode reveals a secret ending that, to me, feels like the canon conclusion.
At the core of Stefan's obsession with "multiple choices" adventures is one pivotal moment when he wishes he could revert to be with his mom, accompanying her through her eventual demise, regardless of his prior knowledge about it. As "O Superman" by Laurie Anderson plays, the episode takes us back to the first sequence of the episode, and both Stefan and the audience finally find a sense of peace after the Jacob's Ladder-esque nightmare - asking if, after all, it is the lack of acceptance that burdens us when we grieves ourself into the deep hole of what ifs.
Two hours and half have past by the time the credits roll; Bandersnatch asked me if I want to give another go. I closed my eyes and put it to rest.