Well, sure. My family may have a different take on it.
We finally watched this and ended up rebranching down multiple paths as it gave us the option to step back multiple times. This was done via the Netflix app on a Roku 3 for what it’s worth but it was so flawlessly interactive that I was a bit dumbstruck. No flickering, no buffering, nothing. It was seamless.
At first the choices were funny, then there were a few, “what the hell,” selections, and then it went sideways where you dove down the path of mental illness and personal choice. It was crazy and I immediately came here to see that yep, we’re late to the party seeing this.
Enjoyable and fun, if a bit intense.
I was impressed how seamless the choices were integrated, no buffering nothing, technically, it was brilliant. I did not asked for it, but I am glad that they did it …
Yes, it’s a very good technical implementation, Netflix clearly invested resources into getting this working right. I loved that you could immediately go back to a particular fork in the road and try a different option after the first run through was over. I also loved the big Easter egg in there.
In regards to the narrative, I liked the meta aspect of the whole thing (at least in the run-through I tried), and I also liked that it was reasonably short yet dense. Otherwise, I still thought the story was like a below average black mirror episode. Will be interesting to see if someone will do better in future, or if these are inherent weaknesses in the choose-ur-own format.
Hah that was enjoyable. I went through quite a few paths before it made me see the credits. Unfortunately, it’s too much of a pain to fast forward on a Fire TV (can only do 10 seconds at a time and you can’t just hold it down) so I gave up trying a few other other paths. Judging from the maps I’m seeing I got most of the endings except for 2, maybe 3, with some intermediary stuff I’m missing (like I never got the white bear).
Did you go the “Netflix” route? Because if you didn’t - you should.
Fuck yeah!
I guess I’ll take the contrarian route here and say that I did not like it. When I watch TV/movies, I want to be entertained by someone who has a vision for a narrative and a cohesive story. I’m in a different mode than when I play games and I don’t want to be in charge of the story.
I don’t like the idea that there might be interesting things that I might have missed because of the choices, which were all completely opaque. There was no way to know what the results would be for any of them.
And I hate, hate, hate repeating content, so I really don’t want to go through that again just to pick different things and see if they were really meaningful or not.
I love the idea of Black Mirror and think Charlie Booker is an extremely talented storyteller. I just want a real story from him and not a toy.
Edit: this is what I mean. Why is there a secret hidden ending?
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/netflix-just-revealed-secret-bandersnatch-162700718.html
If you think this lawsuit is meritless drek: Turn to page 100
If you hope Netflix should be forced to pay out $25,000,000 to these jackals: Turn to page 108
If shitbonerz: The End
One of the characters in Bandersnatch even name-drops Choose Your Own Adventure by describing the fictional book in the story as being one. I remember thinking “Oh I wonder if those guys will sue?” since Chooseco is pretty infamously litigious about the brand.
Okay, but what if I buy the “Choose Your Own Adventure” trademark in a fire sale and then develop a spiritual successor to “Bandersnatch” that features something that looks a lot like the Pax demon to prove a point?
The unfortunate bit here is that Netflix went to Chooseco first to ask about using the name. They were denied, but used it anyway. I think it is a stupid lawsuit, but I suspect Netflix will be forced to settle.
The beginning of San Junipero was pretty hard to get through. A young lady going to a night club in the 80s. Snore. I was determined to get through it though, so every time I subscribed to Netflix, I’d try to watch the episode at least once. Cut to a year or two later, and I finally got to the part of the episode where she can’t stand to dance for some reason and runs out into the rain. From there I was hooked.
Man, what a great movie this was. Unlike most Black Mirror episodes, it was actually optimistic! But wait, the episode is surely finishing now on a happy ending, right? Nope, there’s still over 12 minutes left. Uh oh. I figured there was still time for a traditional negative slant that Black Mirror always shows.
Overall, such a well made episode. I loved the scene where the woman was trying to dress up for her second meeting, putting in different cassettes from the 80s, dressing up in different fashions, all so different from each other but all quintessential 80s fashion that fit well with each song.
Wow, tough crowd.
I cannot understate how hard it was to get through the beginning of this episode. It’s just the appearance of this woman, with her tan bermuda shorts, and the shirt she was wearing, and just the absolutely boring decor of this nightclub she was in. Every time I started watching this movie, I’d watch a few seconds and then … Nope, I can’t do it.
I’m glad it turned out to be one of the best movies of Black Mirror I’ve seen. Probably my favorite after Nosedive. Or maybe third favorite, after The Entire History of You as well.
And for me, the opening was intriguing. First the nightclub that was so '80s. Then wait, what? The next scene is clearly '90s (music, style, etc), but they all look the same- they haven’t aged! There’s no way the showrunners would have made that mistake. Clearly, something is strange. And I was glad of the more optimistic ending, too. As much as I love BM for its cynical negative view of technology, it’s nice to have a ray of sunshine every now and again.
I find that if I book doesn’t hook me on the first paragraph, I just throw the fucker in the fire.
WELL, PRINCE, Genoa and Lucca are now no more than private estates of the Bonaparte family. No, I warn you, that if you do not tell me we are at war, if you again allow yourself to palliate all the infamies and atrocities of this Antichrist (upon my word, I believe he is), I don’t know you in future, you are no longer my friend, no longer my faithful slave, as you say. There, how do you do, how do you do? I see I’m scaring you, sit down and talk to me."
SNORE!
No reason to pile on. Most Black Mirror episodes start off slow, but I suppose for some that doesn’t work. For me it’s the mystery of the setting that slowly gets revealed that I actually like. I would get bored of it if every show did it, but I can live with it being a hook for one.
I’m just glad Rock8man made it through, because San Junipero is my favorite episode of the series.
Not me. I usually keep trying to get through it for a few months at least, sometimes years. Just like I did with San Junipero.
It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair,we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way— in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
FUCK OFF CHARLIE!