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'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' puts you in charge of the story

Pam Pastor (Inquirer.net/Asia News Network)
Wed, January 2, 2019

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'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' puts you in charge of the story A still from 'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.' (Netflix/File)

I

f you’ve been dying for a dose of “Black Mirror” like we have, Netflix has a gift for you before the year ends: “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.” It isn’t just an episode of the popular dark sci-fi series, it’s a Netflix Interactive Film. Yes, interactive.

You get to decide where the story goes, kind of like those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books from the ’80s.

Netflix has previously released interactive titles for kids like “Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale,” “Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile,” “Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout” and “Minecraft: Story Mode.” “Bandersnatch” is the first interactive film for grown-ups.

According to Netflix, “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?”

Read also: Netflix drops trailer for Black Mirror episode out Friday

In “Bandersnatch,” Stefan, a young programmer wants to design a computer game inspired by an interactive novel given to him as a child. Directed by David Slade and written by Charlie Brooker, the film stars Fionn Whitehead, Will Poulter, Craig Parkinson, Alice Lowe and Asim Chaudhry.

You’re probably itching to start streaming (we are too) but here are a few more things you might want to know about “Bandersnatch”:

  • The title is from the Lewis Carroll poem “Jabberwocky.”
  • It works across platforms: TVs, game consoles, web browsers, Android and iOS devices. (Chromecast and Apple TV users, you will have to wait a little longer.)
  • There are five main endings but there are multiple variants of each.
  • According to Netflix, there are over 1,000,000,000,000 unique permutations.
  • The movie will last around 90 minutes long (but that will depend on the choices you will make).
  • And yes, you can keep going back to make new choices once your “Bandersnatch” experience is done.


This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
 

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