Critical Reception. Bandersnatch has been generally well-received by both critics and audiences with many praising the connection of the interface and themes of the film, however a majority of the concerns address the in-effectiveness of interactive film. At the 71st Emmy awards on September 22nd, 2019, the film won the Emmy awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media Within a Scripted Program and Outstanding Television Movie. Critical and public reviews for the film are generally favorable and currently, the film stands at 7.2/10 on IMDb with over 100,000 reviews (“Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”, IMDb). The film also received a 72% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the critical consensus reading, “While Bandersnatch marks an innovative step forward for interactive content, its meta narrative can’t quite sustain interest over multiple viewings – though it provides enough trademark Black Mirror tech horror to warrant at least one watch” (“Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”, Rotten Tomatoes). Although these reviews are somewhat positive, opinions on the execution of the interface and its incorporation into the story are extremely divergent for both film and video game reviewers and provide the most controversial points of discussion for every publication. Significantly, there is no consensus to the definition of Bandersnatch as either a video game, a film, or an interactive film. What is clear between all reviewers is that there is an acknowledgment of the presence of video game elements. The New York Times review for the film is a compilation of three critics – Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx and Xxxxxxx Xxxx - and the opinions on the version they received on their respective paths. All three of these reviews are considerably un-impressed by the film’s balance between narrative and incorporation of meaningful choices. Both Xxxxxx and Xxxx commented on the illusion of control that the viewer has when confronted with forced paths claiming that the incorporation of decisions in these sections is meaningless interruption of narrative flow. Xxxxxx specifically brings up the decision when Stefan is prompted to work for Tuckersoft, claiming that the inclusion of two decisions when only one is feasible was an irritating revelation “that if I didn’t follow a specific bread crumb, the adventure would be over” (Xxxxxx et al., 2019, The New York Times). Xxxx also questioned the inclusion of unaffecting decisions claiming that “few decisions within this mechanical creation fe...
