I found so many issues with this film. For starters, director Susanne Bier doesn't get visual horror right. Even with solid references for this particular horror subgenre in The Signal (2007), A Quiet Place (2017), and more, Bier's approach feels tame at best. Eric Heisserer's screenplay picks a non-linear storytelling style, reducing the impact of past events and making the present look incredibly weak. That said, the film is better off in its past portions where we at least have a bunch of underdeveloped characters going through a bizarre situation together.

It's safe to say that Bird Box is at least 20 minutes longer than required, only lessening its emotional payoff in the process and hampering the very few thrills it has to offer. I kept waiting for the golden moment but it never arrived. The creature(s) in the film is wholly invisible and felt through gushing winds and rustling (CGI) leaves - this is visually conceived in the most generic way one can imagine. I'd have liked to see at least one scene where the viewers completely take the blindfolded perspective of Malorie (an effective Sandra Bullock) to understand the protagonist's navigational struggles and build atmospheric horror.

Bird Box makes the unforgivable mistake of not respecting the rules of its own universe. It also takes the safest route when it comes to a pivotal decision-making scene towards the climax. Performances are pretty good, however. That might be the only reason you'd want to watch the film in the first place. Everything else just falls apart.