Now streaming on Netflix is the Spanish horror-thriller, Bird Box: Barcelona. The movie – the latest entry in the Bird Box series – is directed by David and Àlex Pastor and stars Mario Casas, Naila Schuberth, and Georgina Campbell.
As with its 2018 predecessor, the film depicts a dystopian world in which civilisation has crumbled. A mysterious entity stalks the Earth, and any human who views it becomes compelled to commit suicide.
In the movie, one man living in this nightmarish world is Sebastián. On the day the entity arrives in his home of Barcelona, he bears witness to the death and devastation that suddenly shapes his surroundings, and his first thought is to protect his family.
With his daughter by his side, Sebastián walks the streets trying to survive. But what follows is a life-changing journey that shapes his future.
Back in 2018, when Bird Box arrived on Netflix, the movie was a big hit with streamers. The film’s simple concept captivated audiences, while lead actress Sandra Bullock added some star power to the picture.
When it was announced that a follow-up was on the cards for 2023, without any involvement from Bullock, I was very sceptical. Would this just be a rehash of what came before, minus the big star name at the centre of the film, or would it be something equally as good?
Flashforward to 2023, and I can tell you that in some respects it is a rehash, and in some respects it isn’t. While Bird Box: Barcelona uses many of the same notes as the original film, it does so to play a different tune, and this results in something which is familiar, yet still enjoyable.
Taking an unusual stance with the main character (which I won’t spoil here), the film is able to present an alternative journey through a ravaged world. There is a still a mission for multiple survivors to get from one location to another, but there is a new danger which lurks close by.
Mario Casas takes on the role of the film’s lead, Sebastián, and he does a good job of spearheading this picture. Sebastián is an intriguing protagonist, and one who differs from the usual heroes of an apocalyptic movie, and this keeps things interesting.
His story throughout Bird Box: Barcelona straddles two time periods. The core timeline of the movie depicts the present day, while the other time period is told through flashbacks, and showcases Sebastián’s experiences shortly after the entity arrives.
These flashbacks are important, as they explore who Sebastián was and explain who he is today. They also allow for some touching interactions with his daughter, as the two try to find some sense of normality amongst the chaos.
With regards to the story in Bird Box: Barcelona, it is fairly simple stuff but it works well for this type of picture. The same can be said for the set pieces and the general visual aesthetic, which doesn’t offer a great deal of originality, but it is perfectly fine.
If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, the A Quiet Place movies, or the original Bird Box, then you will have seen the visual motifs all before (decaying buildings, abandoned cars, etc), so don’t expect anything new. However, this is what you get with these stories, so Bird Box: Barcelona is only giving us what we all want.
This film is set in the Bird Box world, so it is designed to be a companion piece to the original, albeit a standalone one. As such, it needs to visually align with its predecessor, because this is essentially a story that takes place adjacent to the one starring Sandra Bullock.
And as a story set in the same world, but in a different location, it lines up quite nicely. I imagine Netflix has plans in place for other films to follow (Bird Box: Salford, anyone?), so this could be the first in a whole series of Bird Box spin-offs.
While I don’t think Bird Box: Barcelona is as fresh or as strong as Bird Box, and it does lack something without Bullock, the movie is still entertaining. The pace drops off towards the end, and it would benefit from a bit more spectacle, but it has enough ideas and suspense to keep things interesting for the most part.
Bird Box: Barcelona expands upon the mythology to widen the Bird Box universe, without completely repeating the exact same formula, and this just about does the trick. If more films follow – and I expect they will – I’d like to see something a bit more dynamic next time around, but I don’t mind what is on offer here.
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