1984. Stefan is developing a computer game based on the book 'Bandersnatch', a novel where you get to make choices and this determines the story. He has an opportunity to take his game to Tuckersoft, a software company, and have them release it. However, the more he works on the game the more his life emulates the game, with choices being made that are out of his control. Stefan appears to be going insaneWritten by
grantss
The 'fax' sounds you hear at the end of Bandersnatch on Stefan's headphone translates to a QR code. That leads you to a website where you will find one of the games shown in the movie. In fact, these sounds are the actual loading tones of a ZX Spectrum program. The sequence of a carrier tone followed by a data tone is repeated twice; the first to load the BASIC program, the second to load the machine code to display the QR code. See more »
Goofs
In many shots, Craig Parkinson's character, Peter Butler is seen wearing eyeglasses with an anti-reflective coating applied to the lens. Whilst this technology was available, it was not available for consumer use in eyeglasses in 1984. See more »
Quotes
Dr. Haynes:
The past is immutable, Stefan. No matter how painful it is, we can't change things. We can't choose differently with hindsight. We all have to learn to accept that.
See more »
Crazy Credits
In a few endings, once you finish the credits, a post-credits scene will play. Stefan would be seen on the same bus from the beginning, and plays a cassette called "BANDERSNATCH DEMO". The audio would just be some beeps and bleeps, but when translated using a ZX Spectrum Emulator, it gives you a QR code leading to the Tuckersoft website, found here: https://www.tuckersoft.net/ealing20541/ See more »
Alternate Versions
There is no single narrative or version. There are five different endings, each with multiple pathways to them. See more »
It never occurred to me that something like this would someday be tried. Kudos to Netflix for trying to push the boundaries of what is possible through this medium. That said, the whole thing felt like a game. A fascinating game because of the novelty, but I felt none of what usually a good film would elicit. Yes, there was a lot of anticipation of what would happen next, but overall, due to the frequent pauses to choose, there was no continuity or involvement in the story per se. Some of the choices too felt pretty childish. The idea that the character was actually feeling like he had no free will and felt compelled to do things as though someone (the viewer) was controlling him - well, it brings a smile the first time, but later, feels like something that perhaps a smoked-up teen would find mind boggling. Overall, yes, definitely something that people would be thrilled to watch and try, but I sincerely hope we do not have a lot of this type of interactive films - at least not at the expense of "normal" films.
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It never occurred to me that something like this would someday be tried. Kudos to Netflix for trying to push the boundaries of what is possible through this medium. That said, the whole thing felt like a game. A fascinating game because of the novelty, but I felt none of what usually a good film would elicit. Yes, there was a lot of anticipation of what would happen next, but overall, due to the frequent pauses to choose, there was no continuity or involvement in the story per se. Some of the choices too felt pretty childish. The idea that the character was actually feeling like he had no free will and felt compelled to do things as though someone (the viewer) was controlling him - well, it brings a smile the first time, but later, feels like something that perhaps a smoked-up teen would find mind boggling. Overall, yes, definitely something that people would be thrilled to watch and try, but I sincerely hope we do not have a lot of this type of interactive films - at least not at the expense of "normal" films.