Sandra Bullock steps up

Netflix’s latest original movie, the horror-thriller Bird Box, is primarily a vehicle to admire Sandra Bullock. As a fan, it’s always a pleasure to share an hour and a half of your time with her, especially if she’s being badass. In Bird Box, directed by the European Film Award winning Susanne Bier, the apocalypse has been wrought by a gaggle of monsters who appear to humans as their worst fears and make them want to commit suicide. The only way to save yourself, then, is to keep your eyes covered, and keep birds near.

It’s a fun, if slightly predictable plot, following in the footsteps of a similar sense deprivation based horror, like A Quiet Place. Bullock’s performance—physical, restrained, tough yet tender—elevates the movie, as does an excellent supporting cast led by John Malkovich. Since the movie dropped on 21 December, it has become wildly successful, if critically panned. But, as writer Stephen King pointed out, it is riveting. One could add, it also has Bullock. What more could you ask for.