Bird Box Barcelona – Creating More Runway (Early Review)

2018’s Bird Box offered viewers some tense psychological horror, however, couldn’t quite put it all together. That being said, not many would have guessed it to spawn the nest big Netflix film franchise though nowadays, anything can. Five years following the release of the original film is Bird Box Barcelona, a spinoff set around the time of the original that takes place in the titular Spanish town. When it comes to this film, the next logical question revolves on how it could build on the film that preceded it without being a complete retread. The same general premise returns but for the most part, this film takes it in another direction by offering a different perspective. In spite of it not all working, it delivers a more captivating central story with a real sense of stakes on top of plenty of thrills and tension fans have come to expect. While a messy third act slightly derails the film as a whole, that emotional connection it creates between viewers and its characters prior sells its tense set pieces throughout and helps to somewhat alleviate its flaws. Ultimately, its strong performances across the board go a long way in doing that.

As mentioned, Bird Box Barcelona takes place in a world where mysterious creatures lead humans to take their own lives upon seeing them. The main focus this time is a man named Sebastián (Casas) who is merely trying to survive the ravaged streets of Barcelona, Spain. Just like the original, the story occurs over multiple timelines, slowly revealing his heartbreaking arc from the beginning of the crisis to now. That beginning was just as crazy and brutal as the original film, if not more, and came at a tragic cost for Sebastian. Nevertheless, his subsequent fight for survival was not easy as he often found himself a punching bag. Meanwhile, unlike the original film, this spinoff expands on the relationship between humans and the creatures and how it has created a large ideological divide between those who do or do not choose to see. Expanding on the film world, they posed yet another threat. Moving from group to group, Sebastian had to do whatever he had to survive but there was clearly more going on. His actions suggested that he was under the influence of something manipulating him and making him into a different person.

In the end, things seemed to change as Sebastian found his latest group. Initially untrusting of him, as anyone at the time would be, he managed to make himself useful. While the push-and-pull within him was there, what was different about this group was how a young German girl named Sofia (Naila Schuberth) reminded him of his daughter Anna (Alejandra Howard) for whom he lost in the early days of the crisis. The only one in the group who could speak German, he finally helped the others understand her and her knowledge of a potential refuge for the group as they were unlikely to survive where they were held up for much longer. Though Sebastian looked to be reforming his ways, there was still part of him that could not be trusted. As that factor loomed over the film’s messy final act, it faltered in using that angle to set up the final act and as a means to differentiate itself from the original film and create more runway in the hopes of setting up a franchise. Aside from some thrilling and emotional moments, it doesn’t come together as well as it could have as it only kicks the character development can further down the road with a cliffhanger ending.

The best part of Bird Box Barcelona was its aforementioned strong performances. The material wasn’t always necessarily there but Casas elevated it with his effortless charm and charisma. He was compelling to watch as a complex character whose complexities could admittedly have been explored further. Nevertheless, his complicated arc over the course of the film was a real showcase of his range. Campbell made for a nice counterbalance as Claire, a woman in Sebastian’s newfound group who developed a connection with him. While he perhaps didn’t deserve it, Claire cared about him and their chemistry created a riveting dynamic. Calva was a scene-stealer as Octavio, another member of the group.

At the end of the day, Bird Box Barcelona improves on the original by taking some big swings in trying to revitalize the franchise and create a path moving forward. It is definitely brutal and while it may not all work, its character centric approach creates a captivating watch that helps make up for many of its flaws. There’s a franchise here.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.