In Netflix's "Bandersnatch," your choices don't matter

Rating: 2/4“Black Mirror” is a dark, twisted show that details alternate dystopian universes. Its episodes are often complex and mysterious, each covering a new, terrifyingly probable technological threat. In the past, episodes have broken new ground in mainstream television and garnered praise and accolades. “Bandersnatch” is no exception. A 90-minute Netflix Original film, it’s unique for one reason: you choose what happens to the main character. Sporadically throughout the movie, the viewer is given a choice between two options that the protagonist, Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead) will choose, and the supposed plot-change will follow. However, this gimmick seems to be where the interest ends.“Bandersnatch” quickly escalates from a simple domestic story to one of life or death. The movie begins with Stefan preparing for a meeting with one of the first video game companies, in the 80’s. He plans to pitch them his idea for a choose-your-own-adventure video game based on the book “Bandersnatch.” At the beginning, the choices the watcher makes have little to no effect on the plot, like choosing which cereal he should eat. The plot quickly diverts itself from the video game company, focusing more on Stefan’s quest as he realizes that there is somebody making choices for him. As the film goes on, he begins to notice that he is not fully in control and starts to spiral into chaos.Although the audience makes plenty of choices for the character, the show is written in a way that railroads the watcher into one story; often, a poor decision leads to Stefan's death and sends you back so that you can right this mistake. Because of this, each viewer essentially has the same experience, and everyone will end up at the same place. This defeats the purpose of giving the viewers the opportunity to make choices. At its core, “Bandersnatch” is just a poorly written movie cloaked with a vaguely intriguing gimmick. The story revolves around vague questions of free will, but never progresses or develops these questions. Although vaguely entertaining, the story is winding and has no real overarching themes or plot. Though ambitious, “Bandersnatch” is unfortunately not much more than its own elevator pitch.