The most radical show on Netflix yet : Bandersnatch

To say that Netflix has turned the television on its head would be an understatement. But they aren't stopping with their innovations yet!

Netflix just released an interactive film based on their Black Mirror show. It is called Bandersnatch (a mythical animal that first appeared in the works of Lewis Carroll) and the basic premise is of a computer programmer trying to adapt a fantasy choose-your-ending novel (the book's name is Banderstnatch and the book doesn't exist in real life) into a computer game.

So what's the novelty, you ask? The novelty is you get to choose the ending. The character is posed with options at various points throughout the film and you, yes you, the viewer gets to decide. (And over time, the protagonist starts realising that someone is controlling him. Talk about meta!)

This also means that once a decision has been made you can't go back. Which is why the traditional seek bar is missing and clicking on the back button after a decision has been made doesn't seem to work.

For example, the first choice you make is when the protagonist's dad asks him which kind of cereal he'll prefer for breakfast - Sugar Puff or Frosties?

And soon as the question is popped,  the timer starts at the bottom, a ominous music starts playing and the options are up on the screen. If you don't make your choice before the timer runs out, then the choice is randomly made (or maybe it just picks up the first one).

I chose Sugar Puffs and I am sure that won't change how the story goes (or does it?) but going ahead the choices would have a much more significant impact on how the story unfolds!

And the best part about it is the way they have implemented it. It feels natural as if nothing has changed at all. There is one possible video for every choice that you make and they have ensured every combination is shot and presented without the viewer having to pause or buffer at all. And that must have taken some hard-work from the engineers at Netflix.

Pretty cool, I must say! If you are wondering what genre this is, Netflix calls it "mind-bending" and "off-beat"!

Sadly this doesn't work for someone who is casting it onto a Chromecast. You get this error message when you try to cast it on to a ChromeCast. It does work on the mobile app, the browser and  Smart TVs.

 But definitely a must-watch for the novelty and if reviews are to be believed, the show is a cool one even without the interactive jing-bangs!

PS: There is a software game company named TuckerSoft headed by a guy named Mohan Thakur.
India connection, anyone?  ;)

UPDATE : I just watched it and it is like a never-ending mix of Groundhog Day and Matrix on LSD!  :D

If you really like to research what you watch, check out this link with flowcharts, easter eggs and more!!