Bird Box: Barcelona (2023) User Reviews

WTF

[Otte1 · 4/10 · 15 July 2023]

Not sure what I watched or why.

1. There is no one to root for. It is hard to have a movie where there is no one to care about or root for. It removes all the stakes. There is no true protagnoist and you spend the movie watching random characters appear on screen then die.

2. The 'twist' does not help the movie but starts it down the frustrating path.

3. Stupidity. All you need to to to survive is close your eyes, that simple. You could VERY EASILY open your eyes for a split second to see where you are going and close them again. Just because you open your eyes does not mean you have to keep them open, looking around, and do not react when the 'creature' is near. These are experienced survivors yet they are making first day mistakes for no reason at all outside of this being a bad movie.

4. The acting is surprisingly good.

5. The storyline/plot is stupid, not really explained ,with story being borderline criminal.

Lacking

[milyrouge · 5/10 · 22 July 2023]

Overall, it's well acted, but Birdbox: Barcelona is lacking the spark to make it interesting. There are a few highlights, but the majority is rather plodding and lacks the tension that should keep the audience engaged. The sets are well put together and Barcelona is convincingly transformed into a post-apocalyptic shadow of itself. The lack of plot elements to keep the pace results in this being more Boredbox than Birdbox, just a shadow of the gripping original.

Such a shame. I enjoyed the original Birdbox and loved the idea of seeing it played out from another angle, in a city I know so well.

Not a full product.

[TheKiteReviewer · 4/10 · 15 July 2023]

The problem with this movie is that it shouldn't be a movie. If this was a show with a proper start (like the first movie), an interesting twist with character development (like the 2nd movie) and a finale (a potential 3rd movie) it would've been a straightup banger. But because it's not a complete story, leaves too much story out and has no proper direction to go in other than the characters in both movies sharing the same goal of reaching a safe location.

Things they could've done to make it better:

• Made a 12 episode show out of it instead with a start and ending;
• More interesting character progression;
• More backstory;
• More interesting villain(s).

What I liked about the movie:

• Concept is good;
• Lots of suspension;
• Great locations;
• Good videography.

I feel like it had a lot of potential and hype but didn't deliver since both movies were extremely mediocre in the end.

Pale

[Tweetienator · 3/10 · 16 July 2023]

The production and acting are not that bad, that's the good news, the bad: the story unfolding is a total bore besides some action sequences here and there, which are okay but nothing remarkable. Somewhat the whole affair reminds me of a mediocre episode of The Walking Dead, one of those last few seasons. In short: Bird Box: Barcelona is no match for the original starring Sandra Bullock, which is a very suspenseful movie with some strong emotional scenes. But this one is simply one of those fast produced mass products that will be forgotten fast and fall (rightfully) into the void of all those trash movies produced for streaming services these days. A legit sequel to the original one? No. Just a cash grabber aiming at the Spanish speaking audience. Final verdict: solid produced boredom.

Who are we rooting for here?

[realduckofdeath · 15 July 2023]

This is a terrible example of how not to write a story. Are we supposed to feel sorry for, or root for, a mental person on a mass murder spree, because of his "motivation"? It might have worked as a movie if the lead focus had shifted once the "big reveal" had played out. But, it didn't. We kept following him trying to murder as many people as possible. Justifying it with him talking to his own imagination. The ending felt tacked on to try save some sort of "happy ending" for a couple of the "supporting actors". I had high hopes for this movie. The premises of a world where your only way to survive is to stay "blind" is great. This movie kind of just ruined it all.

Decent follow up, slightly underrated

[markwha · 7/10 · 15 July 2023]

So while this film isn't quite as good as the first, its not a bad follow up from Spain to the 2018 original US film by any stretch.

There are some instances of bad CGI and the story progression to the overall universe was quite minimal and these two factors certainly explain some of the lower reviews by critics and viewers alike, but overall I'd award this film a solid 65.

It does drag on a little and the conclusion was a bit predictable but overall I was satisfied by how they deepened the lore and story with the additions they made. I won't get into spoiler territory here but I liked how they told another story which coincided with the events from the first film and told from another part of the world. I'll certainly be in the circle of people interested to see what the next addition to this franchise will be - I think there's a solid cult classic in the making here.

65/100, would recommend.

Not Scary, Hard to Like, Very Disappointing

[Pigeon_down · 2/10 · 14 July 2023]

For clarity, I liked the first Bird Box movie. Yes, it didn't give you closure. You never found out what the 'creatures' were. But, it had enough in it that gave a sense of tension and intrigue to draw you in and keep you with it. Bird Box '1' wasn't amazing, but it was ok.

So, on to Bird Box Barcelona...

Set wise, really good. Scores well on costume, FX, locations. But pretty much that's it.

On the downside, the lead character is very unlikeable by nature of his choices in the first 2/3rds of the movie. As a result you can empathise with him or feel anything for him other than hoping he dies soon.

The movie potters on and provides slightly more reveals demonstrating a link between whatever the creatures are, and some humans that see them. It also reveals more about why some people appear crazy and intent on harming others and getting them to see the creatures and die.

However, it doesn't explain what the creatures are, where they're from, or how they're doing any of this - which is ok, it's not essential. But, what is essential is a lead that we can relate to, that we feel aligned with on his journey, and that person doesn't really emerge until the very end of the movie. By then you're past caring. The rest of the movie doesn't make of for the lack of a lead and a story you can relate to. Thus by the end I stayed with it just to cross the finish line but no because I cared at all about the characters.

Basically, it's the story that lets this film down. They execute it well, the acting is pretty good from everyone. But, because you can't care for the lead and find him dislikable, it kind of kills the movie journey.

More entertaining than the original

[akshatmahajan · 7/10 · 14 July 2023]

Bird Box (2018) was mysterious as we didn't know what is happening and it was also more thrilling and dark in nature as compared to this spin-off.

This one was entertaining to watch as it was fast paced as compared to the previous one. The direction was good, the performances were normal, the screenplay was good and pacing was also good. On thing this movie was missing was the depth that the original had. You will enjoy watching this one but there was lack of depth in the main character and the plot of the movie. Other than that, it was good.

Overall, I would recommend everyone to give it a try.

HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!!

[JJett131313 · 2/10 · 14 July 2023]

I was excited for this Bird Box sequel but it just pissed me off BIG TIME. The movie starts off decently but then reveals something about the lead "protagonist" guy that derails the whole movie imo (SPOILER....he's already "infected" by the creatures and starts the film out by killing a bunch of people!!! WTF?!). Then after that reveal the film does the god awful, moronic "4 months earlier" bull crap gig. The initial protag reveal made me not care about him and made me not care to watch his "4 months earlier" story. !!!!!!!!!

Again, i was excited for this movie but it was a huge disappointment imo.

Why so underrated

[jackflowers-61376 · 7/10 · 4 December 2023]

Okay, not a groundbreaking watch, but certainly not deserving of close to 5.

If you like the birdbox idea and enjoyed the first then you'll enjoy this. Don't be put off by the score because it's way overly harsh! The comments regarding the CGI again I think aren't fair, I can't say having watched it I noticed anything off about them.

The plot is decent, acting good, I think the ending does let it down a little in reality.

Overall it was better than I expected it to be given the other harsh reviews. The scales certainly less than the original but definitely give it a go. Hope more from this series to follow.

The Spanish word for 'garbage'' is 'basura'.

[Victor_Fallon · 2/10 · 17 July 2023]

The first movie was insultingly stupid filler, made watchable by Sandy Bullock. But Georgina Campbell is in this one and I thought she might bring something fresh to the screen. I was wrong. It's a basic retread, with all the same logical brain-hurts of the first movie, only brain-hurtier.

Mario Casas, a good actor, plays a boring man who is boring. He is escorting a kid through the post-apocalyptic streetssjc#'gch... sorry, I got bored of typing. You know the plot. It's Plot Number 1 from the Big Book of Plots - a bunch of generic humans stumble through derivative scenes until one of them gets yeeted in a flourish of Adobe After Effects plugins.

Do not expect suspense or horror. The director does not know what these things are. The sci-fi elements are completely ignored, so if you've seen the first one, there's nothing new here.

The score is shockingly bad, ever-present and thematically stagnant throughout the entire runtime. The dual-language Spanish setting could have worked well, but they do absolutely nothing with it.

The whole thing reeks of tax breaks. Somewhere, in a Netflix boardroom, people with expensive habits are very pleased with themselves.

Darker than the original

[Pairic · 8/10 · 15 July 2023]

Bird Box Barcelona: An interesting sequel set in Post-Apocalypse Barcelona, 9 months after the event. Groups of survivors struggle to eke out an existence, some groups of blind people become predators, being better adapted to the new reality. But the real predators are the Seers, those who have observed the alien creatures but have not been driven to suicide, their brains are altered, they now work on behalf of the aliens. They infiltrate survivors strongholds, expose the people to the light, make them victims of creatures. The timeline moves back and forth between the start of the invasion and the months afterwards to the film's present. More horrifying than the original because of the number and nature of suicides and killings. Some jump scares but the constant fear of light and where and when the creatures might appear injects a nice modicum of existential terror. Still with with all of the gore this is not a film for the squeamish. One group of Seers is led by a priest who has convinced himself that the aliens are angels and he is therefore doing the Lord's Work by forcing people to open their eyes to the creatures. Some scenes in the film reminded me of the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it's not betrayal when you can't help what you're doing. We still don't see the aliens but their presence is better portrayed with rising leaves and detritus. Bright lights and misleading voices. A tale of a quest for safety as groups make their way across a devastated city, seeking a refuge which might not exist. Watch The Skies! (But wear a blindfold.). Directed and written by Álex and David Pastor. On Netflix. 7.5/10.

Not bad, decently entertaining but with plenty of flaws

[namob-43673 · 6/10 · 15 July 2023]

Never saw the first one before seeing this so I have nothing to compare it to. Unless you count about 100 other similar movies and TV shows. This is a mixture of "see", "A Quiet Place" and a few others. Not very original, which is the first issue with the movie.

The other issues are some of the characters which are not sold so well, acting need some work. The CGi/FX is not good, and I think the music score could have been a lot better to sell several scenes. I also think this is not creepy enough i.e. The directing is not on point.

With those negatives out of the way this is still a decent watch. The Spanish is fairly easy to understand and they speak English in many scenes so language is not an issue. Not that this movie really need you to understand everything language-wise but just so you know. The storyline is interesting enough, and the pacing is great. I think this can get a cult following and I would not be surprised if they do a few more of these, set in other locations.

I give this a generous 6/10, and I think the movie is worth your time, But don't expect anything great.

Bird Droppings

[akira-hideyo · 1/10 · 17 July 2023]

Whomever tagged this as the sequel to the original Bird Box needs to have their unhatched eggs checked-they are all cracked, rotten! I watched an hour into the show and could no longer stem the irritation and annoyance of watching an ungrateful sinister protagonist curating his penchant for murder of good innocent survivors on whatever spiritual crack he's snorting. The production value was good as per any good hollywood movie but what a serious waste of props and talent. How anyone can equate making someone else commit suicide, the very antithesis of divinity, as a demonstration of angelic persuasion is clearly delusional. Another case of writer's block within the writer's strike? Blind me!

Unpleasant

[johnspringer-95440 · 3/10 · 18 July 2023]

I don't mean scary unpleasant; or thought-provoking unpleasant; or even artsy nihilistic unpleasant. I mean when this movie isn't being dull as dishwater there's a distasteful sort of banal cruelty to the proceedings. Seeing underdeveloped characters get betrayed and brutalized might be dramatic if the villain had a comprehensible motivation; or if the villain was a clear antagonist. But nah. A deranged guy engineers people's deaths and then gets treated like a hero when he belatedly realizes what he's been doing has been very obviously evil from the outset.

Additional demerit for setting up a threequel to a concept that basically exhausted any interesting narrative possibilities in the first movie.

You Get into the movie, but then it kinda falls appart

[arak-96836 · 7/10 · 14 July 2023]

The first 30minutes of this movie is really interesting, and it Gets you sucked right into the storyline & action.

The main characters are played very good, and the actors are doing a 10/10 job I feel. The tension is building up as we approach this New storyline.

The movie has a special twist, that I found very good. There is however a few «missing» holes i feel in the movie, and from time to time a few questionable actions from the main character.

You are left with a very open end, and to be honest you might feel a bit lost or have a few uansweared questions.

If you enjoyed the first movie you will for certain Enjoy this movie, It felt a bit long, and in my opinion they could have easy cut 20minutes.

Unique and fun to watch.

Unappealing and nonsensical

[decspv · 4/10 · 23 July 2023]

There is very little rhyme and reason for the whole ordeal.

And please, in this time and age someone could've used a piece of technology to substitute direct observation!

All they can do is walk around blindfolded.... Not even a split of a second peek is allowed in the whole movie, however Claire is able to take the blindfold off for very short time to see the gondola controls at the end.... Incoherent.

The acting isn't that bad really and I tied to endure the entire film to the end, maybe in my hopes that at the end all could be clarified. But no.

The movie has potential but it runs short.

A pretty good spin off

[LetsReviewThat26 · 7/10 · 17 July 2023]

Bird box barcelona is the spanish spin of the movie that starred sandra bullock. I liked that movie and with this one we get to see how the creatures effected other countries of the world as this movie is set within the same time frame like the other one was. In this a man that can see named sabastian has to help a little girl called sofia get to safety, while the ghost of his dead daughter plays on his mind wanting him to save others. This is pretty well made and I thought the story line was interesting enough and it was an entertaining movie. It was good idea to make a spin off set somewhere different and it helps elevate the world that these creatures have created. Maybe we might even see another spin off one day down the line, but for now im happy this movie exists.

Bad choices

[erikvalientevalloyas10 · 1/10 · 14 July 2023]

I loved the first Bird Box but this one was so disappointing!! Why should we the viewers sympathize with the story???? There's no bond with the characters as well. In the first film you were rooting for someone and the movie brought the viewers to a more realistic creepy setting, but here it's all about the gore and the romanticizing of suicide! Just plain, uninspiring and anticlimactic, like the movie Open House. Sure it's different location with new characters, but the choice they made of the lead's story was just a foul anticlimactic move! I was excited for the new release but geez no thanks! 👎

Good, but not as good as the first film

[epick-15881 · 7/10 · 15 July 2023]

Overall I guess I enjoyed this film. Spoiler: Seeing this film in the perspective of a 'seer' instead of just am average person was a nice touch.

The film was entertaining but I felt as if some questions were left unanswered about the creature; but I cannot complain much about that because maybe they were going for a mysterious vibe or maybe they were setting the Bird Box universe up for a second movie. I appreciated how they explained the seers though.

The first film was iconic so i'm not surprised that this film did not reach that Bird Box One level.

Another complaint I have is about the main character Sebastion. I know he was grieving with the loss of his daughter but I find it unrealistic how his whole mindset changed afterwards. Anyways, I rate this film 7/10. Good, but not as good as the first film.

It is the first movie all over, but worse.

[JottaH · 4/10 · 14 July 2023]

The acting is surprisingly solid, the effects are acceptable. The violence feels muted and rushed at best. Not lasting, emotional and gruesome enough to bear any real impact, nor flashy, gory and detailed enough to feel thrilling. The goal is a shelter and x amount of people die on the road to getting there... Sounds familiar? Putting the reusing of many elements from the first movie aside however, the biggest crime of this movie is its attempt to explain and put the beings in a box (hah), quite literally.

As all fans of horror know, mystery is what makes something scary or at least unnerving over a period of time. Remove the mystery, and it becomes either a jumpscare-reliant horror action flick, or as in this movie's case; Just a mediocre action flick. Bird Box: Barcelona is a mediocre action flick with supernatural elements

I do hope that when, if ever, we do get to see a proper sequel to Bird Box, they will be able to recreate what made the first one s o impactful.

Returning to it not being possible to grab and imprison the "beings" and conduct experiments on them, would be a good start.

Another good movie from the Pastors.

[deloudelouvain · 8/10 · 22 August 2023]

Strange that this movie gets such a low rating on here. This sequel, if you can call it like that, was directed by David Pastor and Àlex Pastor, who made other good Spanish movies like The Occupant and Self/Less. No Sandra Bullock this time, no English speaking (just a few sentences), but certainly as enjoyable as the first Bird Box. Good storytelling with a rather open ending that make you hope there will be a third Bird Box movie, maybe with clear answers this time. The acting was also good and that from the entire cast, kids included. If you liked the first movie I don't see why you wouldn't like this one. To me they were both of equal quality.

A true review..

[ts-0000 · 14 July 2023]

If you're assuming it's a Birdbox remake,just done in another country.. Wrong!

This version just wasn't as good,felt like they tried to make it artsy or more complicated in the plot.

Ghost daughter making her father become less than innocent after she died & so forth,became just a bit ludacris.

Parts did have promise,but got ruined throughout with subpar standards.

Also why does anything ominous need to be in a post-apocalyptic environment,it's been overdone.. The other movie was refreshing,in that regard too.

Never seen to my knowledge any of the actors,also the acting was average.

Cinematography was decent,but darker in tones giving it overall a low-quality feel.

Had clichés & plotholes yet again overshadowed,in some of the storyline or movie direction.

They could of connected the USA version with some clips that coincided with this one,where more insight was given(why it started)or how this event finally ends. If you go by what happens,it was killing the insane prophet? So it was just religion based,end of story? Unlikely,lol.

What next.. Another country with some new info before a true conclusion,please don't drag this on.

Should you watch this? Sure if you like the story premise,actors or are bored.

Otherwise.. Watch the other version!

It's generally difficult to make a better sequel and this just proves the point

[Neptune165 · 2/10 · 17 July 2023]

This movie is below expectations. The plot is nonsensical, and I truly don't understand why this movie is ranked 2nd on Netflix. I also can't comprehend the intention behind making this movie. I couldn't find any reason to watch this subpar movie, and I'm disappointed. There's no value in rating this movie, What a waste of time! Terrible. It was very slow burning. Zero character development, they did not flesh out the characters enough. There was no smart decision making. Every scene was the same as the one before. The "rescue" place looked depressing and everyone miserable. And it ended abruptly. There was literally no point in watching this.

2018 was better

[ahmdemir-86645 · 4/10 · 16 July 2023]

I didn't know where to start first but I would like to say that there is a difference between the movie in 2018 and this one.there is a big difference 2018 made sense and said it all on its own Everything in this episode was so complicated and there was no logic There weren't any good scenes except for a few death scenes.boring and a waste of time there was no need for them to make this movie the first series of movies is always better I always passed after the last 50 minutes of the movie because I was bored If you have time, all I want to say to the friends who read the comment is watch it. If you don't have time you will regret watching it thank you.