MovieChat Forums > Black Mirror (2011) Discussion > I have a feeling...

I have a feeling...

posted 8 years ago by taravalis
8 replies | jump to latest

... this and many other wonderful UK / European projects are doomed to loose their originality, once prepared for larger (USA) market.

Some of the new episodes fail to be in the recognizable "Black mirror style". This "style" was based on building the atmosphere of "wondrous and distorted", which is not only based on "the weird plot and setting".

So, as I watch new episodes, interestingly enough, I can differentiate those that still have the feeling of the original concept and those that are more mainstream.

To simplify, just compare the story building (AND acting of the main character) in "Shut Up and Dance" episode, with "Playtest"...

Or the slow, crowd-pleasing story building in music-video-wannabe "San Junipero" with earlier episodes of Black mirror, which are also visually poeticised, but are still more concentrated on good film storytelling.

Some of you may not feel it, but I sure do...

[–] Mantiso 8 years ago

So what you're saying is that would prefer it to be MORE formulaic and MORE of the same?

[–] aaronjamesleight 8 years ago

It's funny - and I don't think any opinion is wrong per se - but when I found out that Netflix had signed on to produce additional episodes of BM, I immediately said to myself, "I hope it's less European." To be honest, I don't think I myself even knew exactly what that meant, but I feel my request was granted one way or another. I'm still exploring the reasons behind what exactly that means, but it just seemed too similar to your message (albeit opposite) not to mention it.

'Mainstream' may be accurate, but it just seems too harsh of a word. Maybe I'm putting the negative connotation on the word and you're not, but for such an original show I think being a bit less (this won't be the right word, either) "artsy" doesn't mean that it is just like everything else peddled out these days. But it would appeal to more people, so maybe it's fair to use afterall... Who knows!

[–] mrmoovee 8 years ago

Brexit, Black Mirror suffers also.

[–] taravalis 8 years ago

Yeah, you are right, mainstream could be a bit of a harsh word. Obviously the series is still dealing with not-so-much mainstream themes. But it was a word that came to mind while watching e.g. Men against fire episode, with the (ongoing theme of) militarization, and the poor dialogues...
Anyway, we'll see what the new season will bring. :)

[–] aaronjamesleight 8 years ago

The biggest difference I've noticed is that with whatever small change they did make, the storyline fits the running time much better. There were original episodes I loved the premise of, but it just felt like a 30 minute show being stretched into an hour. The best examples of this (and please excuse my lack of episode names) were the ones where everyone jogged on the treadmill to earn points and the one where the woman lost her husband and ordered the android type replacement. Both stories were very interesting and had me hooked, but after about 30 minutes I was ready for a new episode. Maybe it was a poor editor, or maybe I'm the only one who thinks that way. But the newer ones seemed to keep me engrossed, even if the run time was over an hour.

[–] Alittlebit21 8 years ago

God, you come off incredibly pretentious. Get over yourself.

[–] taravalis 8 years ago

Didn't you learn anything from the last episode, about hating online and stuff? :)

[–] aaronjamesleight 8 years ago

UNKNOWN: I know what you did last summer.