Black Mirror Season 7 Review: Disappointing Stories Suggest This Netflix Series Is Out Of Ideas – SlashFilm

Since 2011, Charlie Brooker’s sci-fi/horror/comedy/no matter-you-need-it-to-be anthology sequence “Black Mirror” has had a agency maintain on popular culture, a indisputable fact that was solely heightened when the sequence made the leap to Netflix in season 3. However a curious factor occurred: as the true world grew more and more extra surreal and unusual, the far-out ideas of “Black Mirror” struggled to maintain up. Once we’re residing in a contemporary world the place we’re cursed to listen to in regards to the banal evil of Elon Musk and one thing known as “Fartcoin” each single rattling day, the operating “Black Mirror” query asking “Eh bruv, wot in case your cell phone killed you?” begins to really feel sort of foolish.

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Of course, nobody is saying that “Black Mirror” has to precisely mirror our present bizarre occasions (though that does appear to be Brooker’s complete take care of the present) so long as it tells compelling tales. Sadly, the sequence has struggled to maintain itself over time, and as we arrive at season 7, it is actually beginning to look like there’s nothing left for “Black Mirror” to say. True, now and again the present nonetheless produces a enjoyable installment — season 6’s “Joan is Terrible” was memorable, as an example. However each time a brand new season rolls round, I am unable to assist however assume “Black Mirror” has already gone as excessive is it could go and can by no means, ever prime it is most interesting second, season 3’s completely fantastic “San Junipero.” Actually, “San Junipero” is beginning to really feel like an outlier. Whereas the vast majority of “Black Mirror” tales are bitter, merciless, and finish on quite bleak notes, that installment gave its characters a contented conclusion. I am not saying that each one “Black Mirror” tales ought to observe swimsuit and finish on upbeat notes, however it’s not such a nasty concept, particularly whenever you sit down and watch the primary episode of season 7, the relentlessly hopeless “Widespread Individuals.”

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Because of the nature of the present — it is an anthology, and whereas there’s some connective tissue, the tales largely stand on their very own — I will be approaching this “Black Mirror” season 7 overview episode by episode. In the end, this could be the weakest season the present has produced thus far, regardless that there are occasional flashes of one thing better lurking within the mess.

As any Luigi Mangione fan can inform you, the American well being care business is a labyrinthine nightmare of distress meticulously designed to screw over probably the most weak, so it is sensible that “Black Mirror” would ultimately commit an episode to the horrors of mounting medical payments. However “Widespread Individuals,” penned by Brooker and directed by Ally Pankiw, is so relentlessly nasty that it begins to really feel like parody. By the point the episode reached its merciless conclusion, I used to be able to bail on your entire season earlier than it even obtained began.

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Amanda (Rashida Jones) and her husband Mike (Chris O’Dowd) are a working class couple hoping to start out a household quickly. Issues take a flip, nevertheless, when a medical emergency threatens Amanda’s life. Enter Gaynor (Tracee Ellis Ross), a girl who works for a tech-well being firm. By way of some poorly described software program, Amanda basically has a wifi sign implanted in her head that can hold her going, however there are a couple of catches: she will be able to’t journey very removed from dwelling, she must sleep longer, and immediately, she begins spouting off about merchandise (after which has no reminiscence of doing so). As Gaynor explains, all this product speak is as a result of Amanda and Mike have the fundamental plan, which comes with advertisements. If Amanda desires to be advert-free (and he or she very a lot does), the couple should improve — and upgrades are costly. Quickly, Mike is resorting to determined measures to earn more money whereas the couple stays precariously near monetary break.

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The concepts listed below are sound — I discovered the advert-based mostly downside the couple faces significantly amusing in a “That will completely occur if this had been actual” kind of manner. However as “Widespread Individuals” ticks on, issues develop so dire and imply that you just begin to surprise why you are watching it in any respect. In the long run, the episode has nothing extra to say aside from “Is not this case f***ed up?” It’s, however we want one thing greater than that.

One of the best episode of the season comes by way of “Bête Noire,” directed by Toby Haynes. Pity, then, that the ultimate moments (don’t fret, I will not spoil them) fully muck up every little thing that got here earlier than. Up till these few concluding minutes, I used to be having a blast with what author Brooker had cooked up right here. Then every little thing fizzled.

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Maria (Siena Kelly) is a culinary genius working for a corporation that makes fancy sweet bars, and her star is on the rise because of her revolutionary confections. Enter Verity (Rosy McEwen), a girl Maria used to go to high school with. As Maria explains, Verity was an outcast in school — relentlessly bullied and mocked. Now, nevertheless, Verity appears to have her life collectively, and when she lands a job at Maria’s firm she rapidly turns into a lot-appreciated by her coworkers. However one thing is off about Verity, though Maria has a tough time explaining what, precisely, that’s. 

With out dipping into spoiler territory, I am going to simply say that “Bête Noire” performs round with the concept of the Mandela Impact, whereby individuals appear to collectively misremember sure historic occasions. Maria begins to come back unhinged because the world round her is drastically altered, and he or she’s satisfied Verity is the trigger. The construct-up right here is fantastic, and Kelly does an important job conveying Maria’s rising horror. However “Bête Noire” falters when it feels the necessity to clarify how any of that is taking place, and ends on a quite foolish be aware that fully torpedoes any level the story was attempting to make. Bummer.

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As I stated above, “San Junipero” stays the very best factor “Black Mirror” has ever accomplished. Brooker and firm appear to know that, too, for the reason that sequence has been attempting to recreate the magic of that installment ever since. “Resort Reverie” is season 7’s try at a “San Junipero”-style story, and it totally fails. It is a disgrace, too, as a result of the story has potential, particularly in the best way it presents deep pretend expertise associated to leisure. Motion pictures and TV exhibits utilizing AI to resurrect the useless is a scorching-button situation, and whereas that state of affairs is on the middle of “Resort Reverie,” Brooker’s script in the end appears bored with investigating it. It solely desires to make use of the concept to springboard a quite bland story.

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Awkwafina performs an tech exec teaming up with a UK movie studio to supply a remake of one in every of their classics, “Resort Reverie.” However that is no regular remake. Utilizing slicing-edge expertise, the manufacturing will nearly recreate the world of the movie and insert a contemporary-day actor into the motion. That trendy-day actor is Brandy Friday (Issa Rae), who finds herself dropped into the black-and-white setting of the film and appearing in opposition to Dorothy (Emma Corrin), an extended-useless movie star of yesteryear.

Whereas recreating the love story of the movie, Brandy finds herself falling for Dorothy, a difficult scenario since Dorothy solely exists within the digital film world the remake has conjured up on a pc. There’s some enjoyable available right here as Brandy tries to navigate the motion of the movie, and Corrin is kind of good at recreating the poise of a basic starlett. However sadly, Rae and Corrin lack the chemistry that Gugu Mbatha-Uncooked and Mackenzie Davis so effortlessly had in “San Junipero.” Certainly, Rae feels fully at sea with this materials, and the episode’s stabs at humor fall flat, as does an try at a poignant ending.

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The silliest installment of the season is “Plaything,” which briefly brings again Will Poulter’s weirdo recreation developer from the interactive “Black Mirror” particular “Bandersnatch,” however largely consists of Peter Capaldi sporting a nasty wig and telling a narrative a couple of online game that is probably not a online game. As an alternative, it is a complete digital world, stuffed with cute sentient creatures. And the one manner Capaldi’s character can talk with these creatures is by taking insane quantities of LSD. 

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Positive, why not!

Look, I haven’t got an issue with the present getting foolish. However “Plaything” additionally feels extremely undercooked, as if Brooker did not put a lot thought into it past writing “hallucinogenic medicine+video video games=?” on a white board and calling it a day. The online game creatures are fairly cute, although.

On the very least, “Eulogy” might be value awaiting Paul Giamatti. The most effective to ever do it, Giamatti is superb right here as Phillip, a lonely man who learns that an outdated girlfriend has died. Phillip has been requested to contribute to the useless girl’s eulogy, and utilizing some tech, he is in a position to actually revisit the previous by getting into outdated images. However the relationship ended on a bitter be aware, and Phillip finds himself coping with painful recollections he has saved buried for years.

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On the floor, this can be a robust concept, however “Eulogy,” which Brooker wrote with Ella Street, suffers from a sort of predictability — we all know precisely the place that is going, even when Phillip takes an extended time to get there. Nonetheless, Giamatti is dependably robust right here as Phillip goes by a whirlwind of feelings coping with the previous. I additionally loved the distinctive visible type administrators Chris Barrett & Luke Taylor create as Phillip retains coming into numerous images. I simply want all of it amounted to one thing higher. 

The primary full-blown “Black Mirror” sequel, “USS Callister: Into Infinity” can additionally be thought of a “Black Mirror” film, because it clocks in at characteristic-size. Sadly, the tip outcome feels quite pointless and certainly might’ve been a lot shorter. The season 4 episode “USS Callister” was a darkish “Star Trek” parody through which a sociopathic recreation guru (performed by the at all times-welcome Jesse Plemons) digitally cloned a few of his coworkers and compelled the poor clones to reside out his fantasy of recreating his favourite sci-fi TV present, the “Trek” knock-off “House Fleet.”

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The episode ended with the crew rebelling in opposition to their merciless captain, led by Nanette (Cristin Milioti), who took over captain duties after Plemons’ character, Robert Daly, was defeated (and killed). The crew then discovered themselves escaping right into a digital galaxy, and truthfully, that was a reasonably good ending by itself. The sequel, “Into Infinity,” focuses on what comes subsequent, as Nanette and her fellow imprisoned clones attempt to survive a universe stuffed with violent players who wish to kill them. In the meantime, out in the true world, the actual Nanette begins to be taught the complete extent of what Daly did.

Regardless of some new twists and turns and severe star energy by way of the very proficient Milioti, “USS Callister: Into Infinity” by no means justifies returning to those characters, and the jokey conclusion feels significantly bland. And “bland” in the end sums up “Black Mirror” season 7 as an entire. Perhaps it is time to energy this machine down.

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/Movie Ranking: 5 out of 10

“Black Mirror” season 7 premieres on Netflix April 10, 2025.