Netflix’s venture into original content and not just being a streaming service for other major shows and movies has proven to be one of the best Hollywood decisions of the 21st Century. Though their initial steps into this may have been more so, operating in the arena of thrillers for TV and comedies for movies, they’ve slowly begun to realize that the science fiction genre is one of the biggest places where their bread is buttered. One of the most unique movies the platform ever delivered takes that title from everything else they’ve made, not because it had a plot that was unlike anything else or the visual effects rewrote the entire book, but because it put the choices in the hands of the viewer.
To prove how important sci-fi is to the streamer, one of the biggest acquisitions that Netflix ever made was bringing the science fiction anthology series Black Mirror to the platform with more episodes than ever. After just two seasons with three episodes a piece (and a Christmas special) were released on the BBC, Black Mirror has now become one of the pillars of Netflix programming, with new episodes routinely nabbing awards and causing a firestorm of viewership when released. Case in point, seven years ago today, they released the interactive Black Mirror: Bandersnatch movie. Though it pushed boundaries at the time, it’s now been relegated to a fate worse than cancellation.
Bandersnatch Pushed Black Mirror to a New Realm
Set against the backdrop of the 1980s, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch not only gave the series a first in the form of an interactive feature film, but also a period piece. Telling the story of young programmer Stefan, adapting a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story novel called Bandersnatch into a computer game. Along the way, he encounters only a few key other characters like his domineering father, his inquisitive therapist, and the enigmatic game developer Colin Ritman (Will Poulter), who pushes him to extremes to consider the entire concept of choice in life around him.
The central theme of the interactive movie was naturally free will vs control, with the choices made by the viewer deciding how Stefan would navigate the world around him, sometimes with deadly implications. The branching pathways that could be found in Bandsnatch ensured that no two viewings were the same, and in fact, fans may not even experience that same sequence of events as their friends, with the shortest possible version of the movie only being 40 minutes long, while others could go beyond 90 minutes.
Across four seasons and a Christmas special, Black Mirror had made a name for itself with a grim, dystopian view of our world and the technology that occupies it. Another key component of the series that was frequently discussed was its endings, which largely fell into the “depressing and bleak” category while sometimes landing in a slightly more hopeful arena. With the interactive Bandersnatch, the series did two things: it allowed the viewers the chance to have a say in the bad choices that its lead character made while also affecting what kind of ending they would get to see. The potential conclusions veered on the fantastical (like Stefan going back in time and dying with his mother), the meta (you the user reveal to Stefan that he’s part of an interactive movie on Netflix and drive him crazy), the patently grim (Stefan kills his father and goes to jail), and even more.
Bandersnatch Isn’t Even Watchable on Netflix Anymore
Upon its release, Black Mirror was one of the first in what would become a major focus for Netflix over the next year, with their plans for interactive movies. Bandersnatch was one of the first to be released on the platform, but marked one of the only ones that was for a more mature audience (the only other was Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend). The film would earn the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie upon its release. Despite making a splash, though, the choices of Bandersnatch are now lost to time.
Though Netflix would release some Bear Grylls-themed survival movies that were interactive, appropriately titled You vs Wild, the majority of the interactive movies and shows produced by Netflix were for a younger audience, with titles like The Boss Baby: Get That Baby!, Captain Underpants Epic Choice-o-Rama, Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal, Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Hidden Adventure, Barbie Epic Road Trip, and many more.
There was just one problem, though: most of these interactive movies and shows were produced and then released on the platform without much fanfare and without much support after they were released. As a result, viewership for these titles fell immediately after their premiere, and although Netflix saw success with these titles at their debut, there wasn’t much interest in them after they were released. Like other content that was produced on the platform and failed to keep eyeballs attached, Netflix eventually removed all of the interactive programming from its platform entirely, and that includes Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
Despite the film itself no longer be accessible legally, that hasn’t stopped Black Mirror itself from referencing the events of the interactive movie and even bringing back its characters. The Season 7 episode of Black Mirror “Plaything,” not only brought back Asim Chaudhry as Mohan Thakur but Will Poulter as Colin Ritman, effectively delivering a sequel to Bandersnatch that gave viewers a little glimpse into what happened after the movie. The only difference this time is that there were no choices to be made, and there still aren’t.