On Dec. 28, 2018, Netflix released “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,” a stand alone movie based on the Netflix original show “Black Mirror.” However, unlike any other movie on Netflix, “Bandersnatch” is an interactive film that allows viewers to decide how the story goes.

In the movie, Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead) attempts to turn a choose-your-own-adventure novel into a video game. Along the way he receives guidance from well known game developer Colin Ritman (Will Poulter) as he struggles to make his [Stefan] video game a reality. 

At any point in the movie where the main character must make a choice, the viewer is prompted to choose one of the two choices located at the bottom of the screen. Viewers are given ten seconds to make a choice before the movie makes the choice for them. Majority of the time, it will resort to the option on the left. 

“The story line sounds really cool,” sophomore Isabella Santori said. “I think it would be fun to choose how the movie ends rather than watch a movie with a predetermined ending.”

“Bandersnatch” contains five main endings, with variants in each one. The ending you see depends on what options you choose throughout the movie. The movie’s average viewing time is around 90 minutes long, however the quickest pathway ends the movie at 40 minutes.

“The concept was very original,” senior Mackenzie Robertson said. “I liked the fact that I could either make choices for Stefan or let Netflix make the choices for me.”

The movie received favorable reviews, including a rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. “Bandersnatch” expands on the shows recurring theme of how we live in the modern world dealing with the consequences of new technologies.

“I wanted to watch it because I’ve watched the show “Black Mirror” and I thought the movie would be a cool extension of that,” senior Verena Farouk said.

While many of the people who chose to partake in this interactive movie experience were fans of the show, others said that the movie’s main cast is what attracted them to the movie.

“I have been a huge fan of Will Poulter and Fionn Whitehead for years. They both have such unique talents and bring something different to the table for an equally unique project,” Robertson said.

With the popularity of the the show, there is no surprise that “Bandersnatch” would reach the same level of praise from viewers and fans.