As a horror film, Netflix birdhouse spin off Aviary Barcelona faces strong competition in its niche. While the original birdhousewhat made Sandra Bullock a real Netflix star, may actually have benefited from a drop later in the same year as the remarkably similar hit The quiet place, Aviary Barcelona comes five years later after a wave of horror stories with similar dynamics – The last of us the most important among them. And while the new film expands the world birdhouse In some small but intriguing ways, it’s hard to watch without hearing the echoes of all the other current stories, in which a troubled father-guy tries to protect a teenage child in a post-apocalyptic world filled with low-level but deeply deadly monsters.
Aviary Barcelona takes place at about the same time as birdhouse, but follows what happens in Europe when mysterious monsters arrive and society collapses. (It also leaves everyone birdhouse characters behind it and has nothing to do with it maloriethe continuation of Horror novel by Josh Malerman that the first film will be adapted.) Just like in birdhouse, a wave of sudden violent suicides heralds the arrival of creatures most people cannot bear to look at—a glimpse of them leads to psychosis and, in most people, instant self-destruction. (How birdhouse
And how birdhouseThe new film conveys plenty of fear from the specter of humans blindly contending with unfamiliar monsters, and plenty of horror from the inventive, grotesque ways they kill themselves when they spot one of these creatures. Wandering through the rubble of Barcelona, Sebastián and his daughter Anna (Alejandra Howard) encounter suspicious, nervous and sometimes downright violent people.
How The last of uslike the first Quiet placeHow sweet tooth or The street or parts of it station eleven And the Walking Deadeven like The Mandalorian, Aviary Barcelona focuses heavily on the emotions of a father figure struggling to be responsible and capable under extraordinary circumstances that continually threaten a young protégé. The dynamic in this film feels awfully familiar, especially when the film itself revolves around recurring events: characters flee from the creatures, are exposed to them anyway, and die grotesquely.
Aviary Barcelona adds some new key folds to the original film’s formula. Screenwriters David and Àlex Pastor strongly suggest that the monsters (described by various characters as angels, aliens, or something else entirely) are actively malevolent and capable of deceiving the human mind, and that they are somehow involved in if people die. The new film also spends more time than birdhouse
Anything goes Aviary Barcelona with a message that is also known from many post-apocalyptic stories: maybe humanity is the real monster. And perhaps, the film suggests, not being able to trust other people is just as frightening and tragic as not being able to trust your own eyes.
Casas’ performance as Sebastián is well structured and it’s easy to deal with his frustration as he navigates an uncertain world with a daughter he loves. But still, everything that happens here has a “been here, done this” feel to it. Aviary Barcelona It’s not just because of the way it reflects the original birdhouse. This film is much more about discovery and mystery. A protective mother who wants to keep her children safe, Malorie (Sandra Bullock) had some unusual quirks. She was so determined not to have unrealistic expectations about her children’s survival that she refused to name them. Sebastián has his own major wrinkle that drives the film’s drama, but it still doesn’t give him much of an advantage in a sea of similar characters.
Considering how much space The last of us Given the expanded range of an entire TV season to develop its grieving father-figure Joel (Pedro Pascal) and his complicated relationship with his prickly daughter-figure Ellie (Bella Ramsey), it’s no surprise that the series does a more compelling and memorable job with similar characters and… emotions. The last of us also has other advantages – the invisible birdhouse Monsters are mysterious and indescribable, however The last of us“Mushroom zombies are more visceral, variable, and scary.” Where The last of us had room to develop memorable supporting characters, Aviary BarcelonaThe supporting actors are mostly disposable victims.
None of this may matter to fans of the original birdhousestill one from Netflix most-watched original English publications of all time. For people who just want to tell more stories from this world and don’t mind leaving the world birdhouseThe initial characters in the background, the spin-off’s little mysteries and shocks might be enough to keep a Friday night or a lazy Sunday afternoon busy.
But for people who want more depth in their horror stories about the sad father and the found family: The last of us is already out there. Aviary Barcelona It just feels a bit late to the game.
Aviary Barcelona is now streaming on Netflix.