While Bird Box was an instant success for Netflix in 2018, the streaming giant hadn’t done much to capitalize on the film’s impact – excluding a now nostalgic viral challenge. Five years later, Netflix delivers a spin-off story in Bird Box: Barcelona. a film that doesn’t really connect to the original film but features new characters, settings, and stories — which are a major upgrade.
Bird Box: Barcelona retains the same formula and concept as the original film — despite trading its star-studded cast and US setting for new characters and international locations. So, even with it not being a direct sequel, fans can still jump into this film and find the thrilling ideas and concepts they enjoyed in the first. Like the original, the Barcelona finds survivors attempting to blindly move towards a supposed safe haven as deadly, unseen creatures attempt to wipe out humanity by getting people to look at them. Those that look at the creatures are either forced to take their own life or become a follower known as a Seer – who attempts to get others to look at the creatures. These Seers have a daunting, cult-like presence that makes them even more dangerous than the creatures at times.
The carnage and bloody devastation of the creatures’ power is captured greatly in Bird Box: Barcelona. The film spares no mercy in depicting the impact of this apocalyptic nightmare. Nearly every street the characters walk through is filled with unimaginable death and bloodshed. The setting reflects how torn apart the world has become and how the soul of humanity has been ripped out by these creatures. Bird Box: Barcelona establishes its new environment very well by instilling some strong horror vibes and a tense atmosphere that matches and, at times, exceeds the first film.
Overall, the film’s concept continues to be a good narrative that’ll keep audiences hooked on its horror while allowing the lore to be expanded in simple yet effective ways. There’s some good suspense around seeing this group face obstacles – both human and otherworldly – and attempt to survive as their situation becomes more perilous. There are some solid additions to survival tactics added that include new types of eye-covers and people using blindfolded dogs as guides. If anything, Bird Box: Barcelona proves the concept’s ability to entertain and engage. However, what makes Bird Box: Barcelona better and more thrilling than the original is how it characterizes its main character – Sebastian (Mario Casas).
Where the first film struggled to put a strong enough focus on its characters to make them memorable and connective, Bird Box: Barcelona does a great job making Sebastian’s story stand out. He’s initially depicted like any other survivor you’d expect to see in this world. He attempts to give his daughter Anna (Alejandra Howard) the best life possible as he deals with looters. He’s very likable and there’s potential for an arc about him trying to remain a good father in this cruel world that feels like it’s forming. However, everything with Sebastian is changed early in the film and when his real intentions are shown and it’ll literally blow people away. It’s that kind of twist that feels so fitting for this harsh world and totally subverts expectations.
Best of all is that viewers will get to see the twist with Sebastian playing out with a new group he works with for most of the film and it’s excellently utilized to create great suspense and underlying tension. Sebastian acts as this hidden threat that no one sees coming except for viewers and his actions end up having some devastating effects. Casas balances Sebastian’s surface-level good nature with his underlying intentions perfectly and he’s easily the most captivating element of the film. That’s not to say that the film is lacking good performances or characters either as the entire cast has engaging personalities and performances – namely Georgina Campbell as English survivor Claire. Sebastian is definitely the standout though and viewers will be hanging onto his every move.
The film also gives viewers a full picture of Sebastian that’s compelling to watch. The flashbacks to his life with Anna before the world went to hell help build out his motivation greatly. Admittedly, the storytelling and execution of Sebastian’s backstory and details can be a little messy at times. But Bird Box: Barcelona provides something truly unique for this subgenre with Sebastian and it all builds towards a memorable and tense finale.
The film’s nail-biting finale truly delivers when it comes to creating fulfilling conclusions for its characters and suspenseful moments that’ll leave you unsure of what comes next. The themes surrounding what faith really means and everything that’s been talked about with the Seers comes together excellently. Sebastian’s arc ends on a satisfying and emotional note that fans will love, and it feels fitting for the moral journey his character goes through throughout the film. Plus, the ending actually showcases a strong potential for the future of this franchise that’s exciting and could lead to some very cool follow-up spin-offs or maybe a straight-up sequel to this film.
If Netflix really plans on making Bird Box into a bigger tentpole franchise, Barcelona provides the blueprint for what they should try to achieve. A tense sequel (that’s not really a sequel) that manages to outdo its predecessor through a better developed story that subverts expectations, strong horror vibes, and an exciting direction for other stories to follow.
