Some reviews have said it is better than the original.
Bird Box Barcelona, Netflix’s first follow-up to its 2018 smash-hit Bird Box, has just landed on the streaming service.
Based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Josh Malerman, the original post-apocalyptic horror thriller told the story of a woman (played by Sandra Bullock) and two children who, in order to reach safety and avoid unseen deadly forces that have destroyed society, must trek through a forest and river whilst blindfolded.
While garnering a mostly mixed-to-positive reception from critics, the movie was a massive hit for the streaming service. Within the first 28 days of its release in 2018, it racked up 282,020,000 hours viewed by subscribers – making it the third most popular English-language original Netflix movie behind Red Notice (364,020,000) and Don’t Look Up (359,790,000).
While Malerman said back in 2020 that a direct sequel to Bird Box was in development, the streamer has first proceeded with a spin-off that moves the action to Spain.
We’re back in the world of one of Netflix’s biggest and most popular movies ever made! This week’s Must-Watch at Home is… pic.twitter.com/I0EDlC8lzR
— JOE.ie (@JOEdotie) July 13, 2023
The new movie focuses on the experiences of husband and father Sebastian (Mario Casas, The Invisible Guest) in Barcelona after the city is overrun by the same invisible killer entities from the original film.
The spin-off cuts between the immediate aftermath of the invasion and to months later when Sebastian joins a group of survivors, including an English author (Georgina Campbell, Barbarian), a Mexican delivery man (Diego Calva, Babylon) and a lost German girl (Naila Schuberth).
Like the Sandra Bullock-starring original, Bird Box Barcelona has received mixed reviews from critics but could find a big audience on Netflix, thanks to its great premise, scary set-pieces and twisty screenplay, as well as Campbell and Casas’ powerful performances.
Georgina Campbell, Mario Casas and Naila Schuberth in Bird Box Barcelona
Here is a handful of some of the spin-off’s more positive write-ups:
Collider: “Not only does Bird Box Barcelona improve on every aspect of the original’s formula, it uses the same horror concept to tell a story with a surprisingly strong emotional hook.”
The Daily Beast: “Thanks to a couple of novel twists, it manages to outpace its predecessor in tension and originality—if not quite reinvigorate the franchise.”
Digital Spy: “While it’s hard to imagine that Bird Box Barcelona can repeat the viewing stats of the first movie, especially without an A-list movie star in the lead, it’s a better movie overall than Bird Box.”
Hollywood Reporter: “The movie is technically accomplished, well-acted, atmospherically unsettling and certainly watchable.”
New York Times: “Directors Àlex Pastor and David Pastor have come up with a spinoff feature, Bird Box Barcelona, minus Bullock but with the addition of a rather nifty — and depressingly credible — faith-based twist.”
Screen Rant: “Bird Box Barcelona is an effective, thrilling, frightening horror, perfect for those who enjoyed Bird Box and are thrilled by the prospect of more.”
Bird Box Barcelona is streaming on Netflix now. You can check out the trailer for the horror thriller right here:
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