'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' Is Here & It's An Interactive Film Where You Control The Ending
The week between Christmas and New Year's is always a blur, and if you've already discovered Black Mirror: Bandersnatch on Netflix after it dropped on Dec. 28, things are about to get even foggier. The new movie is Netflix's first interactive title geared toward adults, allowing individual viewers to decide how the film plays out. Just as you powered through a stack of Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid, you should prepare to zoom through all of Bandersnatch's possible outcomes this weekend. How many endings does Black Mirror: Bandersnatch have? Netflix has revealed that there are at least five main endings of the film.
The streaming service confirmed that Black Mirror: Bandersnatch has "five main endings with multiple variants of each." While you may come across the same ending more than once, there are tons of possible paths to take in order to reach a certain conclusion. In case you haven't delved into this interactive world yet, Netflix's official logline for the movie reads:
In 1984, a young programmer begins to question reality as he adapts a sprawling fantasy novel into a video game and soon faces a mind-mangling challenge. Welcome back.
As per Black Mirror norms, the movie tackles what happens when technology becomes a little too embedded into human lives. By incorporating an interactive element, the show is definitely taking its typical message to a unique extreme. Dunkirk actor Fionn Whitehead stars in the new film as programmer Stefan, who is introduced to his task of adapting the famed Bandersnatch novel into a video game. A colleague gives him pills to deal with the exposure to the Bandersnatch author's seemingly unstable mind, but Stefan still appears to lose control as he continues his job.
Of course, on the other hand, the viewer gains plenty of control over what happens to Stefan. I was totally guilty of reviving my Nancy Drew computer game if I accidentally led the teen detective to her death, and according to a recent statement, Netflix encourages starting over if your Bandersnatch decisions fail you. The company said:
There are choices to be made, challenges to overcome, dangers to encounter and, as always in life (and Black Mirror), consequences to be had. Choosing wisely could lead to triumph while taking the wrong path could end in disaster — but who’s to say what’s ‘right’ and ‘wrong,’ anyway? And fret not because once one experience comes to a close, you can — and should! — go back and make a new choice, alter the path of your story and maybe even change its outcome.
Bandersnatch's multiple endings have also sent Twitter into a frenzy, inspiring fans' existential questioning of the plot, hidden messages, and even themselves. After all, what else does technology do nowadays besides send us into a panic?
As the trailer reminds us, not even the viewer is in as much control over the Black Mirror movie as Netflix ultimately is. If the service's goal was to trap people in an endless loop of Bandersnatch, Netflix has definitely succeeded. What will Black Mirror come up with next?
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is currently streaming on Netflix.
