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- CreatorCharlie BrookerStarsWunmi MosakuMonica DolanDaniel LapaineFeaturing stand-alone dramas -- sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia -- "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" with stories that tap into the collective unease about the modern world.Makes you contemplate
"Black Mirror" is an anthological series that, for now, consists of 22 episodes, unequally divided into five irregular seasons. The episodes vary in length, genre, and style and are completely separate short films by different authors. What they have in common is only a general theme - the position in which modern technology puts us and not very optimistic forecasts of its further progress.
The "black mirror" is in fact the effect that the screens of our monitors, telephones, and TV have when turned off, and symbolically also a dark reflection of our reality and potentially darker future.
8/10 - DirectorOtto BathurstStarsRory KinnearLindsay DuncanDonald SumpterPrime Minister Michael Callow faces a shocking dilemma when Princess Susannah, a much-loved member of the Royal Family, is kidnapped.What would you do?
The princess was kidnapped. Via a YouTube video, the kidnapper demands that the Prime Minister fuck a pig in a live television broadcast, in exchange for the Princess' life. While police are trying to track him down, and the crisis staff monitors the reactions of the public, we observe the horrific dilemma of the Prime Minister who is slowly giving in to the pressure, until a complete breakdown.
While the series is largely based on SF and futuristic premises, this episode is a purebred drama, quite possible at this very moment. The episode deals with the terrifying power that the Internet already possesses, the psychology of the masses, and the influence of the media on public opinion, questioning the policy of non-negotiation with terrorists, all through the prism of an individual in a hopeless situation.
Although the script has some obvious flaws, and the episode somewhat flirts with black humor, the overall impression it leaves is deeply shocking, quite frightening, and thought-provoking.
8/10 - DirectorEuros LynStarsDaniel KaluuyaJessica Brown FindlayRupert EverettIn a world where people's lives consist of riding exercise bikes to gain credits, Bing tries to help a woman get on to a singing competition show.The Matrix vs The X Factor
Today, more than ever, man is a slave - a slave to capitalism, consumerism, modern economy, and media brainwashing. We are trapped in a vicious circle of cash flow and our lives are spent paying bills, repaying loans, and constantly striving to stay afloat. The powerful manipulate our needs and satisfy them, probably largely unaware that, although on a different level, they themselves are trapped in the same game.
With this satirical futuristic episode, "Black Mirror" brings this hopeless situation to an extreme, making the life of an individual completely meaningless. But the satire here is not achieved through humor, but through the depressing and uneasy atmosphere of the story of a society in which brainwashed individuals spend their lives producing electricity by endlessly turning the pedals, while virtual reality diverts their attention from general absurdity. And when a whiff of individuality and the will to change accidentally appears in one of them, they are effectively suffocated by skillful manipulation and the screw is freshly oiled and returned to the machinery.
8/10 - DirectorBrian WelshStarsToby KebbellJodie WhittakerTom CullenIn the near future, everyone has access to a memory implant that records everything they do, see and hear. You need never forget a face again - but is that always a good thing?"Not everything that isn't true is a lie"
In the undefined but near future, people have memory implants that record everything we see and hear, so we can access a detailed reproduction of every previous experience at any time, or share it with others on any screen available.
One can no longer forget anything, but neither to hide. However useful and fun certain applications of this implant are for the individual, as well as for society as a whole, because, for example, they greatly facilitate police investigations, possibilities of abuse are endless. Sticking to the most beautiful memories becomes a modern form of addiction, missing the present because of living in the past, invading other people's privacy and intimacy, those are just some of them.
Whether the positive aspects are worth the negative ones and how ethical and cost-effective this violation of privacy is, viewers have the opportunity to judge for themselves on the example of a couple whose marriage is falling apart, because the past no longer remains in the past, nothing falls into oblivion and time does not heal all wounds anymore.
The premise is interesting, quite intimidating, and definitely calls for self-reflection. But, despite the good acting, the episode, compared to the previous ones, left a pale impression, because a strong premise was used for a relatively weak or maybe just insufficiently elaborated story. The potential of this idea could have been much better exploited.
7/10 - DirectorOwen HarrisStarsHayley AtwellDomhnall GleesonClaire KeelanAfter learning about a new service that lets people stay in touch with the deceased, a lonely, grieving Martha reconnects with her late lover."Imagine if it would have ended with the second-to-last scene."
In a car accident, a young woman loses her fiancé, a heavy addict to the Internet and social networks. This loss leaves her broken, especially when she realizes that she is pregnant. At the funeral, she learns about the software which, if it is given access to the deceased's internet accounts, can quite convincingly imitate him and thus enable the illusion of a conversation with a loved one. Although the idea was initially repulsive, when she tried the software, she quickly got hooked and distanced herself from the outside world. And then, after a while, she went one step further ...
Although the episode eventually enters a serious SF, the initial premise is not far from our current reality, so it is easy to identify with this story. Additional strength is given by the excellent performance of Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter from Marvel movies and series). Her partner Domhnall Gleeson is also good, although this role does not give him too much space to show off.
The story and atmosphere at first irresistibly reminded me of the movie "Her" (which, admittedly, was made later), which is definitely a plus for me, but later the episode loses its persuasiveness, which culminates in a completely mishit last scene that unnecessarily spoils the overall impression.
7/10 - DirectorCarl TibbettsStarsLenora CrichlowMichael SmileyTuppence MiddletonVictoria wakes up and cannot remember anything about her life. Everyone she encounters refuses to communicate with her, and they all seem to know something she doesn't. But what?Satire of hypocrisy
A young woman wakes up from unconsciousness with complete amnesia. Not knowing who she is or where she is, she begins to wander around and it becomes increasingly clear to her that something is seriously wrong. All the people she encounters stare at her in complete silence and record her with mobile phones, keeping a safe distance at all times. And then masked lunatics begin to appear, trying in every way to get to her, completely ignoring the silent observers.
Almost everything I want to comment on this episode would spoil it to those who have not seen it yet. The series has gone a step further and sci-fi drama, that characterized the previous episodes, here is brought to the brink of horror. A mysterious story, good acting and even better directing build a creepy and tense atmosphere, which culminates in a completely unexpected twist. All sorts of theories went through my head, but at no point was I even close to grasping what it was all about. Original and very effective.
8/10 - DirectorBryn HigginsStarsDaniel RigbyChloe PirrieJason FlemyngA failed comedian who voices a popular cartoon bear named Waldo finds himself mixing in politics when TV executives want Waldo to run for office.The weakest link
Jamie is a mediocre comedian who lends his voice to the blue animated bear Waldo. Waldo is in the style of the "South Park" series, only at a much lower and more primitive level. During the election, the producers use Waldo to ridicule the candidates. The unexpectedly good reaction of the public leads them to put Waldo in the race. But Jamie is not material for a politician and snaps under pressure. In an attempt to destroy the campaign, he destroys his private life, while politics goes on, as if nothing had happened.
The idea is good, especially because it is not far from reality, but the realization is poor, or perhaps, a better word is lazy. Political satire is lukewarm, and human drama does not arouse any emotions, both because of the weak script and because of the unimpressive acting.
5/10 - DirectorCarl TibbettsStarsJon HammRafe SpallOona ChaplinThree interconnected tales of technology run amok during the Christmas season are told by two men at a remote outpost in a frozen wilderness."It wasn't really real, so it wasn't really barbaric."
Imagine having a block function from social networks available in real life. In the unspecified future, people have chips in their temples, similar to those in The Entire History of You, which, among many other functions (such as taking photos by eyes), allow them to block other people, so that they can no longer see or hear each other.
In addition, the extracted chip automatically becomes your mental clone, a self-conscious copy of your mind that functions independently of you.
Both of these chip functions are very useful in this futuristic society, but, as in previous episodes, the question arises again as to how ethical and humane modern technology is, and whether it is worth the risk of countless possibilities of abuse.
The script consists of three intertwined stories, incredibly well worked out in just over an hour. The story is complex just enough to maintain attention and tension without getting lost in the perplexity. Great actors bring us well-written characters with whom it is easy to identify, so, in addition to an interesting premise, which makes us introspect, we also have a strong emotional drama. And like the icing on the cake, the episode ends with a pretty effective twist.
An additional plus for me is the presence of a large number of "easter egg" references to almost all previous episodes, which indicate the possibility that all previous "Black Mirror" stories are placed in the same time frame. Perhaps the best episode so far.
8,5/10 - DirectorJoe WrightStarsBryce Dallas HowardAlice EveCherry JonesA woman desperate to boost her social media score hits the jackpot when she's invited to a swanky wedding, but the trip doesn't go as planned."There's sugary and then there's fucking diabetes!"
Another futuristic episode in which life comes down to popularity on social networks. Your every action, every word, is rewarded or punished by people from your environment by adding or subtracting points on your profile. From your position on a one to five stars scale directly depends your social position and your opportunities in life, from where you will live and what work you will do, to the most banal little things such as which car you will be able to get in the rent-a-car agency.
We already have an extremely large number of mostly young people addicted to social networks, whose lives are reduced to Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. It is a common sight that groups of young people, instead of hanging out, stare at their phones. But social networks also have an impact on those who have not so obviously succumbed to them, because they greatly influence public opinion and all spheres of public life.
This episode is not really SF, but a satirical exaggeration of the reality in which we live, and that is exactly what makes it more convincing and scarier than all that precede it. While in the beginning this caricature is hilarious, as the story progresses, the surreal comedy grows into a real drama with a quite tense atmosphere.
Technically well done, with interesting solutions, a surreal atmosphere, and great acting and music, and most of all a topic that is extremely close to us, the episode had the potential for the highest rating. Unfortunately, the ending, although it makes sense, pretty much disappointed me. I think they could have finished it much more powerful and impressive.
8,5/10 - DirectorDan TrachtenbergStarsWyatt RussellHannah John-KamenWunmi MosakuAn American traveler short on cash signs up to test a revolutionary new gaming system, but soon can't tell where the hot game ends and reality begins.Virtually real
Imagine a VR (virtual reality) horror game that reads your subconsciousness and personalizes itself by adapting to your deepest fears, so real (because everything takes place in your head) that your mind is not capable of distinguishing it from reality.
"Playtest" is a psychological horror mindfuck, set in the environment of a retro "haunted house". The futuristic but potentially realistic premise, charismatic characters, great acting and directing, and an atmosphere similar to Poe or Lovecraft, make it my favorite episode so far. And the plot twists, although unoriginal, are only seemingly predictable and managed to surprise me and leave me under a strong impression.
8,5/10 - DirectorJames WatkinsStarsAlex LawtherJerome FlynnSusannah DoyleWhen withdrawn Kenny stumbles headlong into an online trap, he is quickly forced into an uneasy alliance with shifty Hector, both at the mercy of persons unknown.Uncomfortably powerful
Unlike most, the episode "Shut Up and Dance" is not futuristic, but is based on existing technologies and their current abuses.
An unknown person or group hacks computer cameras and catches people in compromising situations. Then uses these recordings to blackmail them. Several of these seemingly random victims have received obscure instructions on what, when, and where to do if they do not want their footage to leak to the public.
The blackmailers' demands to the victims seem quite harmless in relation to the consequences if they do not fulfill them, but we see that only based on their reactions, while we do not really know what exactly they were blackmailed with. They depart each to his task, driven by panic fear of the publication of the images, which may seem irrationally excessive to us.
The characters are ordinary people, totally inconspicuous and uninteresting, and the tasks themselves are quite banal and did not arouse my particular interest in the outcome, so I wondered why "Shut Up and Dance" has such a high rating on IMDb. A good idea of a perfect crime, where the actors are unknown and unrelated people, who don't even know what they're doing, so it's almost impossible to track them down, is spoiled by unimpressive characters and a pace that doesn't hold attention, but then these pieces of the puzzle begin to assemble into a broader picture and the tension begins to rise.
When I finally figured out what it was about and my disappointment with the episode subsided, there was a final plot twist, which showed me that I hadn't figured anything out and that the real picture of this puzzle was much darker than I could have imagined. When the ending credits started, my wife and I sat for a while, silently glancing at each other with wtf expressions on our faces. The episode left us completely speechless. In the end, nothing was as it seemed and a day later I still don't know what to think.
In technical terms, and even in acting, "Shut Up and Dance" is nothing spectacular, although Jerome Flynn, in one of the main roles, was a pleasant surprise to me. For the most part, the episode is not particularly atmospheric, and the tension is at a fairly low level for a thriller. But the impression that the final outcome left on me makes it perhaps the strongest episode so far. I can't recall the last time something has caused me this level of discomfort, which crawled into my bones and did not wane even later when the impressions settled.
8,5/10 - DirectorOwen HarrisStarsGugu Mbatha-RawMackenzie DavisDenise BurseWhen Yorkie and Kelly visit San Junipero, a fun-loving beach town full of surf, sun and sex, their lives are changed."Uploaded to the cloud, sounds like Heaven."
The coastal town of San Junipero, in the eighties of the last century. Saturday night, the streets are full of young people visiting nightclubs. Sexually charged atmosphere, cult music hits, but there is also some discomfort in the air, which reminded me of "The Streets of Fire".
The story of two women, two worlds, who, with turbulence, find themselves in each other. This, one might say, typical romantic drama does not seem to fit into the "Black Mirror" series at all. Any further delving into the story would lead to unforgivable spoilers, so I will have to let you discover for yourself why "San Junipero" is not only a worthy representative of this top series, but also one of its best episodes.
In every aspect, the authors made an effort to conjure up the production style of the eighties, my favorite decade in film and music, so the nostalgia may have clouded my objectivity a bit. Camera, directing, acting, music, I loved it all. The plot twist is great and, although I predicted it, I don't think it's too predictable in itself, it's just on my wavelength. It certainly did not spoil my impression, because I experienced it as a fulfillment of a wish, and not as a spoiled surprise.
Spoiler alert!
Only the very ending was quite over-the-top. As much as I am glad for the happy ending, because I was really attached to the main characters, this same happy ending is unnaturally imposed here and it seems forced. Also, it is not in the spirit of the series. If they had finished the episode a bit earlier, it would have been much better.
9/10 - DirectorJakob VerbruggenStarsMalachi KirbyMadeline BrewerAriane LabedFuture soldiers Stripe and Raiman must protect frightened villagers from an infestation of vicious feral mutants.The weakest in the season, or more precisely, the least good
Another futuristic episode, judging by the language, is located in Denmark, in a military base that trains super-soldiers with brain implants, to hunt for mutants that threaten the survival of the human race. But when one of the soldiers' implant breaks down, he begins to realize that he is living a lie and that things are not as they seemed.
The fact is that this episode does not bring the original story, but is a fairly faithful copy of the 1998 episode "Hearts and Minds" of the series "The Outer Limits". But we certainly live in an era of remakes and reboots, accustomed to a serious shortage of original ideas, and personally, I have never had a problem with loans of this type, if the result is quality.
"Men Against Fire" sticks to the basic idea of the "Black Mirror" series and brings us another possible abuse of modern technologies in the near future. It criticizes war propaganda and brainwashing, as well as the tendency of an individual to, although enlightened, side with the majority and opt for a line of least resistance.
The episode is an SF drama, with horror influences and the inevitable plot twist. It is well filmed and acted, and the horror moments are effective. However, previous episodes have raised my criteria to a fairly high level, with which "Men Against Fire" fails to keep up. Even if I hadn't watched "The Outer Limits", the story didn't bring me anything new and it didn't manage to interest me in the characters and their destinies, and the general atmosphere, compared to the rest of the series, was lukewarm.
7/10 - DirectorJames HawesStarsKelly MacdonaldFaye MarsayBenedict WongIn near-future London, police detective Karin Parke and her tech-savvy sidekick Blue investigate a string of mysterious deaths with a sinister link to social media."Let's just shut it down all social media the whole bloody internet. Pull the plug."
The whole series can be seen as an anthology of separate short films. "Hated in the Nation" is not even short, but has the duration of a classic feature film of an hour and a half. As much as, in most cases, the duration of the episode under an hour is too short a good idea to really develop, this time an hour and a half was too much.
A classic SF thriller, whose premise might be realistic for the present, if we replaced the bee-drones from this film with something that fits into today's technology, and there are certainly some that would approximately serve the purpose. However, bees here are not only a tool for abuse, but also a warning of an ecological catastrophe that awaits us, because there are fewer and fewer bees, and they are absolutely necessary and irreplaceable for maintaining the ecosystem in which we live. And only from that side, I liked "Hated in the Nation".
As for the psychology of the masses on social networks and their manipulation, this topic is becoming more and more boring, and "Hated in the Nation" did not approach it in a way fresh and original enough to attract my attention. The plot twist was obvious to me almost from the beginning, so there was no effect of a surprise either. I don't like the cast, although I have no major objections to how they carried out the story. All in all, a mediocre SF thriller, good enough to hold attention, but really nothing special and quite forgettable.
6/10 - DirectorToby HaynesStarsJesse PlemonsCristin MiliotiJimmi SimpsonCapt. Robert Daly presides over his crew with wisdom and courage. But a new recruit will soon discover nothing on this spaceship is what it seems.Cogito, ergo sum / Asshole god
"USS Callister", the episode that opens the fourth season of the "Black Mirror" series, came from a good idea for a premise, but the premise is poorly set and realized even worse.
I like spoofs on the Star Trek franchise and its fanatics. I like the set design and the overall retro approach to the aesthetics of this episode. I also like the futuristic technology of virtual reality, although practically the same thing has already been seen in the episode "San Junipero".
"USS Callister" raises moral issues related to artificial intelligence and (mis)use of modern technologies, typically for "Black Mirror". It also brings us a study of the character of a macho bully, behind whose self-confident machoism and misogyny hides a difficult form of a lower value complex of a Trekkie nerd, a frightened and immature, but successful programmer and owner of a VR company.
On the other hand, it is all very badly packaged in a story that had the potential for a serious and tense mindfuck drama, and it turned out to be linear and unconvincing, like a children's picture book. Even the victory of good over evil in this story does not work well, because almost all the characters are more or less "villains", and our "heroes" are in fact villains overly punished for their "crimes" by a mentally ill person, who also does not deserves an end like this.
Although promising at the start, the episode "USS Callister" has developed into a story full of completely incredible logical and technological holes and omissions, which we might be able to ignore for the sake of convincing characters with whom we can connect, cheer for them and fear for their destinies, or for the sake of strong moral. But when the "heroes" of the story are two-dimensional and just as repulsive as the "villain", and the moral message shit itself, then the only thing that can pull out a film is a powerful and well-written story, which this one certainly isn't.
Technically well done, with an interesting aesthetics, but hollow in both the plot and the essence, this "Black Mirror" episode left me with a bland taste in my mouth.
6/10 - DirectorJodie FosterStarsRosemarie DeWittBrenna HardingOwen TeagueAfter nearly losing her daughter, a mother invests in a new technology that allows her to keep track of her.I expected much more from Jodie Foster and Charlie Brooker than the unimpressive "homage" to King's "Carrie"
A single mother is overly protective of her daughter. After the girl is briefly lost in a local park, the mother includes them in an experimental program, where a chip is implanted in the child's head. It sends the child's current location and vital functions to the parent 24/7, as well as live transmission of everything the child sees and hears, with the additional option of scrambling everything that could be stressful for the child.
From the start, it is clear that this approach to parenting can not only go wrong, but inevitably have to go wrong, which makes this "Black Mirror" episode a story about bad, even disturbed parenting, more than the (mis)use of futuristic technology.
A child who is unable to see and hear anything ugly, scary, violent, sexual, vulgar, is a child who cannot grow up and become able to face the everyday reality in which she lives. And when this practice continues into adolescence, counterproductiveness grows into a disaster.
The premise could have evolved in multiple directions, with much potential for a powerful episode. Unfortunately, they developed it into a predictable melodrama, with a boring slow-paced story and a twist that is both predictable and so over-the-top to the point of nullifying even the little credibility that the episode had.
Instead of a futuristic mindfuck drama or thriller with a strong message that makes you think, we got a lukewarm teenage melodrama, with an ending that seems to have escaped from some B horror of the eighties and a chewed-up lesson. The whole episode leaves an outdated impression, and that does not fit in with "Black Mirror".
6/10 - DirectorJohn HillcoatStarsAndrea RiseboroughKiran Sonia SawarAndrew GowerAn insurance agent investigates a minor traffic incident using a device that manifests peoples' memories, but one of her witnesses has something to hide.Mercilessly over the edge
An insurance agent is investigating a minor car accident, using a device that reads the witness's memory. But one of the witnesses inadvertently reveals to her a dark secret from the past, which she must now cover up at all costs.
I have a lot to say about this "Black Mirror" episode, but a deeper analysis requires specific details that would spoil the story, and for a full experience, it is best to enter this adventure with as little prior knowledge as possible. For the most part, it is predictable enough that the additional information I would present here would completely ruin it.
Many resent its unconvincingness, in the sense that it is not in human nature to choose the path that the protagonist took, and that on that path she could not physically perform everything she does in the episode, and on top of all that she does it so nonchalantly and still no one caught her in the act.
True, the story has holes and illogicalities, but it is not so naive, because this is not about the average person, but about someone driven into psychopathy by fifteen years of guilty conscience combined with the urge to protect the family. The drama of a mentally unstable mother, who struggles with a guilty conscience and tries to keep the family together, sinking deeper into madness and eventually turning into a monster, is shown strong and impressively enough to distract you from the holes and illogicalities.
Many also blame it for not being in the spirit of the "Black Mirror" series. And I agree with this too. While "Black Mirror" deals with the positive and negative impacts of technology on the individual and humanity as a whole, basing plots on specific examples of (mis)use of technological advances, this episode is based on the characterization of the protagonist, while the Sci-Fi element is there just to push the story in the desired direction and provide the final plot twist.
If not a particularly representative episode for "Black Mirror", viewed outside the context of the series, "Crocodile" is a great psychological drama-thriller. With a well-balanced pace and duration, a great choice of scenography, a tense atmosphere, and a story that gradually transforms from a drama into a thriller and pushes further to the edge of horror, it held my undivided attention until the final twist, which serves as both a shocker and a comic relief.
All this, along with the fact that the protagonist is so skillfully brought close to the audience that I sympathized with her all the way, and even at times cheered for the monster to get away with her crimes, is reason enough for me to disregard all the clichés, holes and illogicalities in the story.
8,5/10 - DirectorTimothy Van PattenStarsGeorgina CampbellJoe ColeGina BramhillPaired up by a dating program that puts an expiration date on all relationships, Frank and Amy soon begin to question the system's logic.Future of dating
The old-fashioned dating, flirting, and relationships that eat up a lot of our time and nerves, and too often end in unhappy marriages, quarrels, adultery, and divorces, in this "Black Mirror" episode are a thing of the past. Here, people are placed in pairing software.
The system pairs you a seemingly random number of times with seemingly randomly selected people, for a time that varies from a few minutes to a few years per "relationship". You cannot refuse an assigned partner, nor end a relationship before the time allotted by the system has expired, but what you will do in that relationship is up to you. The system monitors and records all events and your reactions to all situations you go through, and when the data collected about you matches the information of one of the other participants, the system pairs you in a perfect pair, with a success rate of 99.8%.
But what if the system sentences you to years with a person you can't stand or you fall madly in love with a person assigned to you only for a short time ... Does everything you go through happen for a good reason or is the system not as perfect as it claims to be ...
"Hang the DJ" is another futuristic episode of the "Black Mirror" series, which deals with the positive aspects of modern technologies and the negative consequences of over-reliance on them. As usual, it takes some modern trends as a basis and takes them to the extreme. Whether today's dating applications will grow into the system brought to us by this "Black Mirror" episode remains to be seen, but we can certainly recognize ourselves in some aspects of this story today.
One of the most interesting premises so far, a well-written story, great tempo, and actors who perfectly evoke their characters, with a very charismatic leading couple, and a totally unexpected final twist, make "Hang the DJ" one of the best episodes of the "Black Mirror" series, and my personal favorite.
And no, I'm not going to tell you what the name of the episode has to do with a story like this. For that, you will have to see it through. WTF reaction is guaranteed.
9/10 - DirectorDavid SladeStarsMaxine PeakeJake DaviesClint DyerIn the post-apocalyptic landscape of the Scottish Moors, a woman attempts to survive the land full of "dogs."Nowhere Fast
A group of people moves through a post-apocalyptic landscape in search of something. They are cautious and frightened, all the while waiting for something to attack them. They soon find what they were looking for, but at that very moment they are attacked and from that moment this "Black Mirror" episode is in survival mode.
Well-directed action scenes alternate with tense moments of calm, keeping you in anticipation. The post-apocalyptic atmosphere is further enhanced by the fact that the episode is in black and white. We don't know who our heroes are, what actually hunts them and why, or what kind of apocalypse has befallen humanity. Along with the tension, curiosity grows. And then the episode ends without revealing almost anything.
With a duration of just over half an hour, this is the shortest episode of the "Black Mirror" series. Half an hour is not enough to thoroughly work out a story, but that doesn't matter in this case because they didn't even try. While that little we got is acted out, filmed, and directed great, the overall impression is disappointing.
The story has no introduction, but throws us directly into action. I had the feeling as if I turned on the TV and bumped into the middle of some tense SF. Technically great and very tense, but I had no idea what it's about. I hoped to understand it by the end, but when it was over I still had no idea what I watched. Protagonists without characterization with whom we have no time or reason to connect and a story that comes from nowhere and leads nowhere.
I suppose we all saw "Terminator 2". Imagine that you did not and someone shows you the scene in which Edward Furlong on a motorcycle is chased by Terminator. Just that scene, nothing before, nothing after. And that's the whole movie. Although in the context of the film, that scene is one of the best in the history of the genre, standing alone, it is meaningless and cannot represent an independent whole. Well, that's the impression "Metalhead" leaves.
Besides, I didn't accidentally take the Terminator as an example. "Metalhead" can seem original only to those who have not watched even the greatest classics of the genre. The only original thing in this episode is the final twist.
"Black Mirror" is known for unexpected closing twists with a strong message. This episode also has a twist, and it is one of the most unexpected so far, but not because it carries a strong message, but because it is totally insane and unconvincing, and although I can guess which message it wanted to convey, it failed terribly.
After watching the "Black Mirror" episode "Metalhead", I don't have the impression that I saw a short movie, but a long trailer or an insert from some good movie. Unfortunately, we didn't get any context, and all the qualities of this episode are overshadowed by this shortcoming.
If the story was on a level with the camera, directing, acting, atmosphere, this would be a strong eight, but because of the story (or lack of it) that does not deserve more than four, my rating is
6/10 - DirectorColm McCarthyStarsDouglas HodgeLetitia WrightDaniel LapaineA woman enters the Black Museum, where the proprietor tells his stories relating to the artifacts.Tales from the Black Mirror
With its structure, story, and most of all its atmosphere, the "Black Museum" irresistibly resembles the cult anthologies of the eighties, such as "Creepshow", "Tales from the Darkside", "Tales from the Crypt", and to some extent Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone".
A young black woman rides an old-timer on a dusty road, which suggests a retro episode. But when she stops at a gas station, we see her plugging a car into a solar panel. This kind of charging will take quite a while, so she decides to explore the nearby facility, to pass the time.
The building in question is the Black Museum, which, with the black woman in the lead role, again leads to wrong assumptions. It is a museum of various technological achievements related to crimes. We had the opportunity to see a good part of the exhibits in previous episodes of the "Black Mirror" series, but this episode does not focus on them, so they can easily go unnoticed and represent the "easter eggs" of this episode.
The Black Museum focuses on three exhibits we have not encountered so far. The curator of the museum, a person of a very suspicious character, tells our heroine the history of these exhibits, so in this episode, we have a triptych of short, but powerful and quite shocking and morbid SF dramas. Each of these stories opens new questions about human psychology and attitudes towards technical achievements and makes us think, and each for itself would be a worthy episode of the "Black Mirror" series. And when you finally, through the final twist, see how all three stories are connected, to each other and the background story, the episode becomes even more striking.
Although the twist is quite unoriginal and towards the end it becomes more and more predictable, and there is no tension typical for most "Black Mirror" episodes, everything is so nicely blended and works perfectly that the shortcomings are negligible. And in my case, the similarities with the anthologies of my childhood add another nostalgic star to the final rating.
8/10 - DirectorOwen HarrisStarsAnthony MackieYahya Abdul-Mateen IINicole BeharieTwo estranged college friends reunite in later life, triggering a series of events that could alter their lives forever.!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!
Is porn cheating?
Opinions are divided. Some consider porn to be a form of infidelity in serious relationships, while others consider it a harmless way of giving vent to oneself that no one should be blamed for.
But what if the development of VR technology makes pornography interactive content that provides a complete physical experience without physical contact? This is one of the questions that the "Black Mirror" episode "Striking Vipers" asks us.
However, this episode is not about pornography.
The two roommates, who were actively playing a video game similar to "Tekken" or "Mortal Kombat" in college, meet again after eleven years. One started a family, while the other still refuses to grow up, and, as a birthday gift for his old friend, he brings the most modern VR version of the game that they enjoyed in their boyhood days.
The game, as expected, involves a chip on the temple and completely puts you in a VR environment, where you have a complete experience of brutal fights, but without consequences for your real body. The two take the same avatars they used in college, but as one of the avatars is female, they soon discover that "Striking Vipers", in addition to fighting, provides other physical experiences.
Given that they are both men, does this make them gay, even though one of the avatars is female? Is a man who uses a female avatar a transsexual? Is their virtual sex a relationship or just playing a VR game among friends? Does this mean that the married one cheats on his wife? How many men would like to live through the experience of a female orgasm firsthand?
In addition to the obvious question of how much the escape from reality into virtual life is a harmless break from everyday life or a dangerous addiction, there is a bunch of questions that lead to thinking and introspection, while we wait for some shocking outcome, to which the series "Black Mirror" accustomed us. What will be the message/lesson/social critique this time?
A very intriguing and controversial premise, which opens up countless possibilities for a striking episode. Unfortunately, although it is excellently filmed and acted, with good characterization and overall atmosphere, "Striking Vipers" is not going anywhere. Instead of a shocking plot twist, we got a disappointingly lukewarm compromise outcome, which leaves a bland taste in the mouth.
7/10 - DirectorJames HawesStarsAndrew ScottDamson IdrisTopher GraceA cab driver with an agenda becomes the center of attention on a day that rapidly spirals out of control."People don't look up anymore. The sky could turn fucking purple and you cunts wouldn't notice for a month!"
Chris is a taxi driver who takes rides exclusively in front of the headquarters of the company "Smithereen", which controls the largest and most popular social network (like "Facebook" in our reality), persistently trying to get in touch with some of the company's executives.
When he finally thinks that the person he needs has entered his vehicle, he moves on to the next stage of the plan, unaware of how much things can go wrong. But he is persistent in pushing it through at all costs.
For the first time, the episode of the "Black Mirror" series is, instead of in the future or the present, placed in the recent past, in order to further emphasize the actuality of the message it conveys. Unfortunately, the message itself is old news. Do we really need another screenplay "Don't drink/look at the phone while driving" ?! As much as this message is of existential importance, I think it does not fit in with the "Black Mirror", which, at least so far, has tried to attract attention on less covered topics and open new vistas for the potential negative effects of modern technologies.
Technically, "Smithereens" is a well-done episode, with interesting characters and great acting. The pace is a bit slower, so the quite simple and linear story is stretched almost to the duration of a feature film. But this doesn't matter much because the drama of our heroes is convincing, and the tension is at a decent level. However, both in content and form, "Smithereens" is a mediocre crime thriller, not a futuristic SF drama with a shocking twist that makes you think and re-examine yourself and the world we live in, which is a feature that made "Black Mirror" famous.
This would not be a problem for the viewer who sat down to watch an episode of one of the many crime series, but this is not one of them. Charlie Brooker has set high standards over the years, and "Smithereens" doesn't come close to meeting the expectations of people who have been eagerly awaiting the new "Black Mirror" episode.
6,5/10 - DirectorAnne SewitskyStarsMiley CyrusAngourie RiceMadison DavenportA lonely teenager yearns to connect with her favorite pop star - whose charmed existence isn't quite as rosy as it appears..."You can do anything if you believe in yourself."
Ashley, a young pop star, has outgrown the music and image that made her famous, but she is stuck in the machinery of the pop industry, which makes her more and more depressed. When she finally takes steps to get out of that story and take control of her life, her manager does not hesitate to do anything to keep her in the system and continue to get rich at her expense.
At the same time, they are launching a robotic A. I. doll inspired by our heroine, in whose memory the whole of Ashley's mind has been copied. One of the puppets becomes self-conscious and sets out to save the original.
The leading role is played by Miley Cyrus, who, for the most part, plays herself. She may not be a spectacular actress, but she is quite likable and convincing. There's also Angourie Rice in the role of a shy 15-year-old girl, obsessed with this pop star, as well as Madison Davenport, who plays her older sister, a rebellious rocker. They are typical representatives of two different worlds, turbulently opposed in Ashley herself.
The technological aspect of this story has already been seen in earlier episodes of "Black Mirror", and there is no plot twist, so do not expect to be surprised and shocked. Before you is a mediocre SF drama, nicely written and filmed, with good tempo and atmosphere, whose linear story naturally leads to the expected end. With a duration of about 70 minutes, it would be a decent feature film, which targets the female teenage population, but, at least in my opinion, it has nothing to do within the "Black Mirror" series.
6/10