---
title: "Bird Box: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/bird-box/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/bird-box"
critics_score: 49
critics_reviews: 22
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bird Box (2018): what the critics said

Critics' score 49 from 22 reviews: 3 positive, 10 mixed, 9 negative.

The consensus on Bird Box leans towards disappointment, though the performances draw praise across otherwise divided reviews. Sandra Bullock is the clearest point of agreement: critics repeatedly credit her controlled, emotionally grounded work with giving the survival story weight, while Trevante Rhodes also earns praise. Several reviews find Susanne Bier’s direction effective in individual suspense sequences, even when the surrounding story feels familiar or implausible.

The sharpest disagreement concerns whether those sequences add up to a gripping thriller. IndieWire finds sustained suspense and a welcome addition to the post-apocalyptic genre; Vulture finds contrivance, familiar situations and little reason to care about the people involved. Reservations elsewhere cluster around thin supporting characters, uneven pacing and an unseen threat that some critics find more frustrating than frightening. The spread is wide, but even favourable reviews acknowledge weaknesses, with Den of Geek noting lost momentum in the third act and an underdeveloped treatment of motherhood.

## IndieWire — Michael Nordine

Rating B. 13 November 2018. 

Nordine finds the thriller gripping and a welcome addition to the post-apocalyptic canon, though its ideas are sometimes too overtly presented. He particularly praises Trevante Rhodes’s stabilizing presence and the film’s white-knuckle suspense.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/bird-box-review-sandra-bullock-netflix-susanne-bier-1202020061/)

## Empire — Linda Marric

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2018. 

Marric finds the film compelling despite its contrivances and lack of freshness in the post-apocalyptic genre. She praises Sandra Bullock’s measured performance and highlights Susanne Bier’s faultless direction.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bird-box-review/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2018. 

The page identifies a New York Times review of the film, but its review text is unavailable. I can’t determine the critic’s verdict or what they singled out for praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/movies/bird-box-review.html)

## Slant Magazine — Chris Barsanti

Rating 2.5/4. 14 December 2018. 

Barsanti finds the film often implausible, but says Susanne Bier handles its narrative with fierce, unnerving skill. He praises the performances, especially those of Trevante Rhodes and Sandra Bullock, for conveying the survivors’ desperation.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/bird-box/)

## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong

Rating 3/5. 21 December 2018. 

The review finds the thriller tense but generic, with little freshness to make it memorable. It praises Sandra Bullock’s performance, while criticizing the underwritten characters and story.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/bird-box)

## Radio Times — Jamie Healy

Rating 3/5. 

The three-star rating suggests a measured rather than enthusiastic verdict. The available review text highlights the high-concept blindfold premise and Sandra Bullock's perilous journey.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-t9luyw/bird-box/)

## The AV Club — Katie Rife

Rating C. 12 December 2018. 

Rife finds Bird Box inert, unfocused, and too shallow to work as sci-fi horror. She singles out its scattered tense scenes and a supermarket raid as effective, but says the film fails to sustain suspense.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/netflix-s-post-apocalyptic-sandra-bullock-vehicle-bird-1831020197)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2018. 

Chang finds the film creepy and diverting, but ultimately derivative and uneven. He praises the actors, especially Sandra Bullock and Trevante Rhodes, while criticizing the weak suspense and silly ending.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-bird-box-review-20181213-story.html)

## The Guardian — Amy Nicholson

Rating 2/5. 14 November 2018. 

Nicholson finds the thriller clunky and overstuffed despite some tense moments. She praises the casting, but says the underwritten characters and muddled plotting undermine the film.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/nov/14/bird-box-review-sandra-bullock-netflix-susanne-bier)

## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 13 November 2018. 

The critic finds the thriller familiar, sluggish and thematically hollow, despite some tense moments. Sandra Bullock’s emotionally grounded performance is singled out as the film’s chief strength.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/bird-box-review/5134476.article)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 November 2018. Festival review. 

McCarthy finds the film an underwhelming horror thriller that falls short on suspense, scares, and thrills. He praises Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s ominous, mood-enhancing score.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/bird-box-review-1160672/)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 2 January 2019. 

Brody finds the film incoherent and thinly conceived, despite its satisfyingly high-concept premise. He singles out the time-shifting structure as its most impressive maneuver, but considers it hollow.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/bird-box-reviewed-an-apocalypse-built-for-netflix)

## The Telegraph — Ed Power

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 3 January 2019. 

Power finds the film underwhelming and says its refusal to show the monsters turns suspense into frustration and even comedy. He singles out the unseen creatures as the film’s central failure, arguing that withholding them never delivers a satisfying payoff.

[Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/no-monster-no-horror-bird-box-fails-scary-movie/)

## Variety — Peter Debruge

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 13 November 2018. Festival review. 

Debruge finds the thriller bland and only intermittently scary, concluding that withholding the monster undermines its horror. He particularly faults the underdeveloped ensemble and the film’s failure to make its unseen threat compelling.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/bird-box-review-sandra-bullock-netflix-1203027004/)

## Vulture — Emily Yoshida

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2018. 

Yoshida finds the film contrived, emotionally inert, and weighed down by familiar post-apocalyptic tropes. She singles out its blind driving sequence as a clever idea that fails to create human stakes or tension.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/12/birdbox-review.html)

## Den of Geek — Kayti Burt

Rating 4/5. 20 December 2018. 

Burt gives the film a positive verdict, while noting that its third act loses momentum and its exploration of motherhood remains underdeveloped. She praises Sandra Bullock’s dynamic performance and Susanne Bier’s confident direction.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/bird-box-review-a-story-about-post-apocalyptic-parenthood/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2018. 

The critic finds the film a thoughtful, emotionally engaging thriller rather than a conventional jump-scare machine. Bullock’s nuanced performance and the film’s exploration of motherhood are singled out for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/bird-box-film-review-sandra-bullock-netflix/)

## Collider — Haleigh Foutch

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 29 December 2018. 

The page presents a spoiler-filled discussion of the film’s highs and lows but gives no clear overall verdict. It highlights the performances and questions whether the flashback structure drains the tension.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/bird-box-spoiler-review-podcast/)

## /Film — Chris Evangelista

Rating 6/10. 13 December 2018. 

The critic finds the film frequently frightening but ultimately cumbersome and derivative. He praises Bier’s sustained horror sequences and especially the blind navigation car set piece.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/562979/bird-box-review/)

## Polygon — Karen Han

Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2018. 

Han finds Bird Box an uneven thriller with enough to recommend, but says its farcical ending undermines the film. She praises Sandra Bullock’s commanding performance and Bier’s tense direction in some set pieces.

[Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2018/12/21/18152237/bird-box-netflix-sandra-bullock-review/)

## NME

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 

The critic finds the film familiar and only average, despite its compelling lead performance. Bullock’s controlled, time-bomb portrayal is singled out as riveting, while the supporting characters and set-pieces are criticized as thin and clichéd.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/bird-box-film-review-45-million-views-just-average-apocalyptic-horror-2426390)

## Consequence — Randall Colburn

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2018. 

The critic finds the adaptation disappointing, arguing that the story’s ambiguity and horror work better in prose than on screen. They praise some breathtaking shots of the elements but criticize the expanded ensemble and the film’s attempts to give the creatures emotional weight.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2018/12/film-review-bird-box-netflix/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/bird-box.md