Summary
Throughout its six seasons,Black Mirrorhas developed an immediately recognizable style, but there are plenty of great movies which also fit in with the show’s sci-fi tone. Many of thebest episodes ofBlack Mirrorfeature fanciful sci-fi technology, but they maintain a focus on the way that these new technologies reveal and amplify timeless truths about humanity.
WithBlack Mirrorseason 7on the way, the anthology show has been able to experiment with its formula recently. “Bandersnatch” is the show’s most obvious deviation from the norm, but it still bears the hallmarks of Charlie Brooker’s distinct voice.Black Mirrorrepeatedly returns to similar themes, even when it’s at its most creative and unexpected. Movies with similar themes often feel like they could be longBlack Mirrorepisodes.
11 Black Mirror Sequel Episodes That We’d Actually Love To See
Some Black Mirror episodes ended with much more story left to tell, and here are some that are practically begging for a follow-up.
Vanilla Skyputs a technological sci-fi twist on the familiar “it was all a dream” trope. InVanilla Sky,the reveal that David’s life is an elaborate dream being corrupted by a glitch is immensely satisfying, and it reframes everything that comes before.Black Mirroroften plays its cards close to its chest, not revealing its big technological twist until the very end. This is what makes “Hang the DJ” and “Hated in the Nation” so effective.
Black Mirrorhas several episodes about characters who live in some kind of reality that isn’t as it seems, whether they know this or not.
Vanilla Sky’s concept of suspended animation fits perfectly withBlack Mirror’s style.The show has several episodes about characters who live in some kind of reality that isn’t as it seems, whether they know this or not. In “White Christmas” and “White Bear,” the characters are trapped in an alternate reality as a form of punishment, but the protagonists in “Striking Vipers” and “San Junipero” choose their simulated environments, just like David inVanilla Sky.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindfollows a couple who undergo a surgical procedure to erase their memories of one another. This encapsulates a lot of whatBlack Mirroris about, as it examines the ways that people use and abuse technological advances to cater to their fears.Episodes like “The Entire History of You” and “Arkangel” feature characters who shouldn’t be trusted with advanced tech, because it allows them to indulge their paranoia and jealousy.
In many episodes ofBlack Mirror,technology is used as a convenient way to avoid dealing with the root cause of any problem.
In many episodes ofBlack Mirror,technology is used as a convenient way to avoid dealing with the root cause of any problem. This reflects the way that the characters inEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindget trapped in a loop, repeating the same mistakes, because they are given the easy option of forgetting every painful experience rather than learning from them.
Herstars Joaquin Phoenix as a single man who starts to develop an intimate relationship with an artificial intelligence, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.Her’s topic is reminiscent ofBlack Mirrorepisodes that deal with AI, like “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too” and “Be Right Back”. Also,Herhas a brilliant ending, which is another marker of the best episodes ofBlack Mirror.
Herdoesn’t just tell aBlack Mirror-style story, it also looks like an episode ofBlack Mirror.
Herdoesn’t just tell aBlack Mirror-style story, it also looks like an episode ofBlack Mirror,particularly something like “Nosedive,” which is set in a social media-friendly near-future where everything is designed to be picturesque. The technology inHerhas a timeless elegance, as phones are made to look like cigarette cases and pocket-sized notebooks. This level of detail contributes to a beautifully touching film about the nature of reality, something that manyBlack Mirrorepisodes explore in depth.
Black Mirrorvaries in tone, butit tends to deliver at least one episode per season of unflinching horror. “Playtest” and “USS Callister” are two of the scariest episodes of the show, and they shareGet Out’s disquieting sense of dread. Jordan Peele’s debut feature also presents strange realities that aren’t what they seem, but unlike the video game settings of “Playdate” and “USS Callister,” Chris is trapped inside the false image that his girlfriend’s family presents to him.
Get Outfeels like aBlack Mirrorepisode because it takes a unique sci-fi concept and explores all the ways that humans can potentially manipulate and misuse it.
Get Outfeatures an experimental medical procedure with potentially world-changing impact. This is similar to the grain in “The Entire History of You” or MASS in “Men Against Fire”. More importantly,Get Outfeels like aBlack Mirrorepisode because it takes a unique sci-fi concept and explores all the ways that humans can potentially manipulate and misuse it for personal gain.
From “Crocodile” to “White Christmas,“Black Mirrorhas produced several outstanding episodes about the ways that law enforcement agencies can use new technology to solve or prevent crimes at the cost of people’s privacy and freedom. This is a common trend in sci-fi, so it’s no surprise thatMinority Reportis based on a short story Philip K. Dick published back in the 1950s.
From “Crocodile” to “White Christmas,“Black Mirrorhas produced several outstanding episodes about the ways that law enforcement agencies can use new technology to solve or prevent crimes at the cost of people’s privacy and freedom.
Minority Reportstars Tom Cruise as a police officer in his city’s “Precrime” department, which predicts serious crimes before they happen, so the perpetrators can be arrested without any harm being done to the victims.Before season 6,Black Mirrormight not have gone in for something as fantastical as the “precogs” who see into the future, but the show has taken a twist toward the surreal with episodes like “Mazey Day” and “Demon 79”. The idea of sci-fi tech being used to perpetuate oppressive policing measures is the kind of story that the show would always tell.
Ex Machinastars Domhnall Gleeson, who appears in theBlack Mirrorepisode “Be Right Back”. This is just one similarity between his episode ofBlack MirrorandEx Machina, but there are many others. Both the movie and theBlack Mirrorepisode feature artificially intelligent robots developing relationships with humans. Gleeson is on both sides of this relationship, as the robot inBlack Mirrorand as the human inEx Machina.
BothEx Machinaand theBlack Mirrorepisode “Be Right Back” feature artificially intelligent robots developing relationships with humans.
The point of “Be Right Back” is that artificial intelligence systems designed to please humans will never feel completely real, because humans don’t always please each other. The messiness of life is not something that often gets programmed into a machine.Ex Machinadoes present a more developed vision of AI. Nathan, the egomaniacal creator of the robot, wants his robot to be deceitful and manipulative, and his hubris leads to his undoing.
Moonlooks and feels likeBlack Mirror’s season 6 episode “Beyond the Sea”.Both the movie and the episode feature astronauts with artificial copies of themselves, but the similarities are more than skin-deep.Moonuses its technological sci-fi premise to probe at the darkest corners of its protagonist’s psyche, just like “Beyond the Sea” and plenty moreBlack Mirrorepisodes.
The tone, the character’s detached mental state and the gradually unfolding mystery about what’s real and what’s merely designed to look real are all typical ofBlack Mirror.
With its examination of artificial life,Moonis also similar to “Be Right Back” or even “Playtest”. It also has several of the hallmarks of a classicBlack Mirrorepisode, beyond the technological concept. The tone, the character’s detached mental state and the gradually unfolding mystery about what’s real and what’s merely designed to look real are all typical ofBlack Mirror.
WarGameslooks at what happens when humans cede control of defense systems to dispassionate machines. The idea at NORAD is that a computer won’t let human emotion impact the decision to launch missiles when a counterstrike is needed, but it turns out that the computer’s inability to differentiate between real life and the world it constructs within itself is even more dangerous.
WarGameslooks at what happens when humans cede control of defense systems to dispassionate machines.
Plenty ofBlack Mirrorepisodes look at the potential dark side of video games. “Playtest,” “USS Callister,” “Striking Vipers” and “Bandersnatch” all feature characters who are damaged by video games in one way or another, often because the layer of artifice allows players to act out their most innate desires.WarGamestakes this idea to an extreme, as a bored computer hacker almost causes World War III by playing what he thinks is a video game.
Black Mirroroften shows how technology is being used to sap the romance and spontaneity out of dating. In “Hang the DJ,” people sign over their love lives to a complex algorithm which simulates their compatibility with potential partners.The Lobsteris similarly businesslike in its treatment of dating. Single people are seen as inconveniences who must be paired off, so they are given 45 days to find love before being transformed into an animal of their choosing.
The Lobsteralso presents a needlessly complex bureaucracy in minute detail, somethingBlack Mirrordoes well in episodes like “Nosedive” and “Fifteen Million Merits”.
The Lobsterhas a unique style. It isn’t like the relatable near-future of manyBlack Mirrorepisodes, as people speak and act in a way that’s almost entirely devoid of emotion. However, the basic arc of the story is perfectly in line with the Netflix show.The Lobsteralso presents a needlessly complex bureaucracy in minute detail, somethingBlack Mirrordoes well in episodes like “Nosedive” and “Fifteen Million Merits”.
The Truman Showdoesn’t feature any sci-fi technology, but not every episode ofBlack Mirrorabides by this rule. “Shut Up and Dance” and “The National Anthem” are even more impactful because they could feasibly happen in real-life. However, there’s aBlack Mirrorepisode that is a much closer comparison toThe Truman Show.“White Bear” also features a main character who doesn’t know that their life is all being fabricated for people’s entertainment.
“White Bear” also features a main character who doesn’t know that their life is all being fabricated for people’s entertainment.
“White Bear” is much darker thanThe Truman Show.Despite the fact that Truman is no criminal, so his eternal imprisonment is without any justification, the movie is funny and optimistic.The ending ofThe Truman Showsees Truman choosing the uncertainty of the real world over the safe, reliable artifice of his TV studio home.Black Mirroroften questions society’s need to consume and observe, and few movies do this as expertly asThe Truman Show.
