You’ve probably seen pictures of a blindfolded Sandra Bullock doing all sorts of things – looking after two kids, rowing a boat down the river, avoiding looking evil in the eye. Those photos are from Netflix’s latest thriller, Bird Box, a post-apocalyptic tale with a high body count and a pretty A-list cast that also includes Jacki Weaver, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson and Dumplin’ star Danielle Macdonald.
In this story, the deadly force that has killed millions is an invisible entity that takes the form of people’s worst fears – which also go unseen on screen – prompting them to suicide. Although the movie does its best to depict the deadly fear, it’s hard to be afraid of what you can’t see.
Bullock and a star-packed cast stagger around hysterically with their eyes covered much of the time, which becomes a bit tired. But some of Bird Box works very well. A couple of key scenes, including a drive for supplies in a car with covered-over windows that relies purely on the vehicle’s guidance system, for example, make it all worth it. (On Netflix from Fri., Dec. 21) 3 stars
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