Black Mirror (TV Series) Playtest (2016) User Reviews

The devil's in the detail.

[kakyoism · 9/10 · 26 February 2019]

I won't repeat what other top-rated reviewers wrote.

As a gamer, I took a pause at the shot when Cooper went through Sonja's video game collection. I was impressed that most games there are classic horror games like Dead Space, ranging from last-gen to current-gen consoles. I've seen many films where games were just meaningless items in the living room. But clearly the crew here did their homework or are gamers themselves. The scene was around the initial buildup and is a clue to whomever pays attention, and therefore convinced me to watch on.

The other convincing aspect: In many other horror films, the characters are plain stupid and don't know when to quit. They touch things that look obviously dangerous, stay in danger when it's time to bail, and finally die with zero sympathy from the audience because they are just way too stupid to be real. The protagonist here knows the technology, has basic logic, and reacts to events the way that an average person would do. The most impressive part is that the reactions develop from event to event; the acting in lots of other horror films fails to deliver this and so easily falls flat by cloning the same level of excitement throughout.

Compared to the X-Files Season 7 episode "First Person Shooter" almost 20 years ago, this episode shows what the similar concept could be delivered if a more serious angle is taken, the research done right, and the production details attended to.

The only reason why I didn't give it a 10 star is Sonja. I feel that this character didn't receive a full closure.

"I have always liked to make the player jump."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 26 January 2018]

Ever have a dream that just seems to go on an on, with so much happening that it feels like you've been inside it for hours or days? And you wake up, and it's only a few minutes since you noticed what time it was before you drifted off to sleep? Aside from all the horrible things that Cooper Redfield (Wyatt Russell) experienced during his 'playtest', the thing that blew my mind was that Cooper died only .04 seconds into his experience! Not much latitude there for correcting things that might go wrong. A possible explanation in the story came from the unexpected call to Cooper's phone interfering with the Harlech Shadow game programming. Considering Black Mirror's effort to keep the viewer off balance and to expect the unexpected, this episode was another resounding success. The mastery of the writing effectively disorients the viewer into thinking that certain aspects of the story have concluded and then you're right back into the virtual reality world once again, never having left. I've never experienced any form of VR myself, but a story like this makes the case for saying 'Stop' before even getting started.

Completely disagree with the negative reviews

[milan-nemes93 · 9/10 · 28 October 2016]

To me this was the best episode in the series. Someone said before me that it was only a horror flick. I mean what the hell were you watching? It was about hidden fears, and suppressed feelings. The episode showed what a person goes through when he/she is forced to face his/her deepest fears, combined with a sci-fi technological advancement, which is not that sci-fi if you think about it. The fusion of mind control and VR is not an entirely unimaginable concept as both of those exist now, they are just not intertwined yet. The whole episode was built on the protagonists relationship with his mother, which we couldn't see, he only talked about it. Degrading this episode to a horror flick is just ignoring the biger scheme. Also it had a very strong but simple message: communicate with your relatives before it's too late, because you'll regret it, no doubt about it.

First time an horror genre took it a step further

[idanschwartz-980-276039 · 10/10 · 24 December 2018]

What is so great about this episode is that it starts as any other generic horror movie. A young man in a hunted house, spiders, monsters appearing out of nowhere trying to kill you. This is what we are all use to in horror, and for most of us, like cooper, is so easy to deal with. We laugh it off, we know it's not real. This is not what really scares us, because we know it's just an imaginative figure trying hard to scare us. This is why horror movies are never really scary when you grow up. But this one took it a step further to what is really scary to a human being. The real things. Being trapped with no control in an experiment, no stop words, be alone, have Alzheimer like your father, and finally let you mother die in pain because you ran away missing you with no way to communicate with her. This really touched me, understanding that simply life can be the most terrifying thing, and the monsters in horror movies are just there for fun. Well done.

Blew my mind.

[winner-98765 · 10/10 · 28 April 2018]

This show is so good... You would be hard pressed to find anything similar in quality, execution, content, acting and production value anywhere else. This episode just soars from starting to finish, always captivating, thrilling and suspenseful. And in the end it is not just some cheap sensational reveal that you'd find in every other show. The climax stays true to the logical and realistic rules that you'd expect such a universe to follow. It's so simple, yet so effective. My mind is blown.

Many people have suffered tremendously at the hands of pharmaceutical companies and their phase tests to map the drug. We should expect something similar with all the other emerging techs whether it be A.I., VR, Genetic Design, Biotechnology or nanotechnology. It's in people's nature to be careless. And the consequences of carelessness with such powerful technologies are going to be tremendous.

This show has chosen to be the voice of reason and caution amidst such exaggerated excitement because it has identified with the lack of such awareness and critical thinking. We'd soon be in dire need of such pragmatism.

Edge of the seat viewing.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 8 January 2018]

This episode packed in so much, talk about a thrill ride. After a slightly casual, meandering start it develops into what has to be described as classic Black Mirror. When these episodes hit on a theme or a concept that makes you say to yourself 'that could possibly happen,' they work better, and boy this one is along those lines. With the advancements in gaming tech over the years, why on Earth couldn't something like this happen. Outrageous production values, a terrifying concept, fabulous performances, notably from Wyatt Russell and Wunmi Mosaku (the latter being one of the best British talents we have!) all elements add up to make Playtest a rip roaring ride of terror, 57 minutes you'll not want to miss.

Would you kindly open the door?

Intense, creative.... disturbing

[topmidfielder04 · 9/10 · 30 May 2017]

The concept behind Black Mirror can be summed up in a few of its episodes alone... especially this one! Being a show about the negative, or dark side of technology, VR (Virtual Reality) is slowly becoming a key interest in today's world. This shocking episode sees VR years in the future; yet, at the same time, it doesn't seem that far away. This episode not only plays with the future of VR, it brings in something much deeper, yet so apparent: Reality. Similar to the concepts in Christopher Nolan's Inception, one can easily lose track of reality when certain ideas are placed in their head. In regards to this episode, the VR software did not necessarily place any ideas in Cooper's head, rather it pulled them (his fears) out of his head and into his reality. Very creative, yet highly disturbing. Black Mirror has grown to become one of my favorite shows, ever. Its thought-provoking characters and plots that exist in the not so distant future make Black Mirror a benchmark for future television.

A disturbing vision of gaming's future

[TheDonaldofDoom · 6 November 2016]

"Playtest" shows a terrifying vision which could actually be a reality in the future. At its core, it's just a man walking around a house screaming a lot. But despite its deceptive simplicity, it becomes a lot more than that due to some disturbing twists.

The episode clearly appeals to gamers, apart from the video game theme there are some blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments (I saw Dark Souls 3 in Sonja's game collection). Although non-gamers will understand the terrifying concept, it would resonate more with gamers, especially those who have tried horror games with VR headsets. It touches on why people play horror games at all when they are, as the name hints, horrible, but the main point of the episode is to show how far VR could go. The twist in this episode is that Cooper has technology inserted into his brain to make him see things are aren't really there. This allows the technology to play with his mind and his senses.

Much of this episode is made up of Cooper walking around the house and while it is tense, and while the sole protagonist's acting is very good and while there is a tone of dark humour, the plot at first is simplistic and predictable.

The real twists come one-by-one near the end of the episode and the final twist changes everything, completely turning what you thought you understood was happening upside down. Brilliant, intense and a shocking ending.

Liked the episode. Hated the ending.

[mekkizmk · 6/10 · 8 November 2018]

This episode has basically three endings. I don't mind having two endings but three is a little bit much. I didn't care if they killed the guy or not but the way they ended it didn't seem logical at all. Apart from ending, the rest of the episode was well executed.

A dumbfounded ending.

[robinreyes_ce · 10/10 · 13 May 2021]

I was already happy with the ending that the main character flew back to his home. I thought there would be a reconciliation with his mom, whom he's avoiding talking on the phone. But that supposedly an ending is just a part of the playtest and is still in the test room. The actual ending reveals that all the scenes shown after he was injected with the apparatus have happened in 0.04 seconds in real life. It felt unfortunate that the main character died in the true ending. I was dumbfounded. The moral? Do not ignore your mom.

Great, Until The Ending

[hjackson1967 · 7/10 · 22 March 2020]

I was really enjoying this episode. All the horror movie tropes were called out wonderfully. Russell's character was a sweet, wonderful character which made this ending hard to take. I literally flipped off my tv at the ending. Some people never get a connection to movie characters. As long as what happens in the movie serves their wants (ie.a shock ending) they're fine. This scenario is similar to the message in Cabin in the Woods. Soulless movie creators who have no compassion for the characters they create. The ending ticked me off so much that I really wanted to give this a lower score, but I just couldn't justify that because I didn't like the ending. Too bad because it was about to become one of my favorite episodes, up there with "Hated in the Nation" which is my current favorite.

Hands down, best episode, and one of the greatest things I've ever seen!

[shannonclarke-16312 · 10/10 · 25 June 2017]

As an avid horror fan, I've seen pretty much all there is to see from the horror/thriller genre, I say that proudly, however I would be inclined to say that this is the best piece of horror/thriller cinema I've ever seen. Charlie Brooker absolutely killed this episode, if you pardon the pun, and single-handedly managed to create a better horror text than thousands of famous horror writers before him. Kudos to Brooker and the Director for this phenomenal masterpiece!

A fun and entertaining idea, so close to greatness.

[jherklederkle · 7/10 · 22 October 2016]

After watching the first episode, I felt a little let down at the lack of any sort of resolution. It's not something to expect from this show, I know, but the story felt aimless. I was much more excited about this episode, having experienced the modern generation of virtual reality recently.

Firstly, like Bryce Dallas Howard before him, it is up to American main Wyatt Russell to carry the story, playing a tourist who agrees to play-test an Augmented reality experience for the money. Some may find his constant talkativeness irritating, but it's exactly the sort of fear coping mechanism you would expect from that character. Russell does a great job with every emotional beat, and I look forward to seeing more from him. Other actors, like every other episode, do a perfectly good job, including a conspiracy-inspiring return performance from Hannah John-Kamen (does that mean in s01e02 she was just a cookie from the White Christmas special?).

10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Tratchenberg seems somewhat held back in his shots. When he is clever enough to play on certain jumpscare horror tropes, it works, but he employs long shots which don't quite build up as much tension as liked. In this world where "nothing can actually harm you," it's the confusing scares, logic-defying and frantically shot, that scare the most.

The story and plot twist are exactly what you probably expect, nothing more. The uninspired writing lets down a great production team.

I won't spoil the final act but in any other show it would feel like a cop out ending (all the ending would've had to do to parody itself would be to add inception "bwaahs"). It still feels cheap, but somewhat less so because of it's brilliant last sentence (which is typed, not spoken). If the creative irony doesn't impact you, then the episode will feel like a fun idea, but shallow in execution. Expect the unexpected, and you will be disappointed. Think about it for too long afterwards, and the logic will fall apart.

A very promising episode somewhat let down by the ending.

[mariayuvaltoledo · 4/10 · 4 December 2023]

Throughout the first three-quarters of the episode, I thought that it was going to be a home-run. A likable protagonist is established. He is thrown into an interesting new situation. Things get creepy and mysterious. Tension is built. By all accounts, this should have been great. But then, the last ten minutes really go completely off the rails. The ending is completely incomprehensible... though to call it an ending is a bit reductive since it is actually multiple endings layered within one another. Any one would have made sense and been satisfying on its own. But cobbled together as they are, it makes no sense and is tremendously disappointing. It feels like they wrote and filmed multiple endings and couldn't decide which one to go with so they just threw them all in.

One of the most intense pieces of cinema I have ever witnessed

[thefendiprint · 10/10 · 23 October 2016]

Let me start by saying that I rarely find the need to write physical reviews for many things, but then again that doesn't even matter. There was no doubt in my mind that I needed to inform others about the sheer audacity of this amazing episode.

As a fan of Black Mirror, I was excited to start this season. The first episode was very well-executed and I'm not quite sure what I was going to expect for the second episode.

But let me tell you.

This is one of the most well-made, well-directed, well-acted, truly terrifying, most intense pieces of television/film that I have ever seen. And I've seen some pretty disturbing s***. Nothing compares to what I just witnessed with this episode. Everything was so expertly crafted, that it made the climax that much more satisfying. I don't even know how to begin to process this episode.

I am truly in awe of how much time, effort and dedication the creators put into this show, let alone this singular episode. It is clear that both the writers and directors of this show truly care about phenomenal filmmaking.

Also, shout out to Dan Trachtenberg for directing this episode. As a debut director with 10 Cloverfield Ln, he was a force to be reckoned with. With this entry of Black Mirror, he proves that he won't hold back. Excited to see more from him! Second shout out to Netflix, as the distributor for this season. You guys really know what people want to see!

The moral of this story

[michelle71 · 10/10 · 21 September 2019]

I watched this episode with my 19year old son. At the end I asked, what's the moral of this story? Always answer when your mom calls!!

Wonderful

[tom-hansen-in-tx · 8/10 · 20 December 2016]

Would you kindly watch this episode?

Such an amazingly inside video game reference! I'm surprised that no one else has pointed it out yet.

I'm sure that there are many other insider references that I may not have picked up on, but having the protagonist perform an action by requesting that he kindly open the door is so very satisfying.

Acting from all players is great, no issues here. And the Japanese that is used is actually pronounced very well, even from the non- Japanese actors (something that is still EXTREMELY rare in TV/Movies).

Every episode of Black Mirror is excellent, in my opinion. This one is no exception. Playtest leaves the viewer with a few questions and much food for thought; which is standard procedure for Black Mirror all around. Highly recommend all episodes, and this one simply for the Bioshock reference above. Brilliant!

Virtually real

[Bored_Dragon · 8/10 · 29 August 2021]

Imagine a VR (virtual reality) horror game that reads your subconsciousness and personalizes itself by adapting to your deepest fears, so real (because everything takes place in your head) that your mind is not capable of distinguishing it from reality.

"Playtest" is a psychological horror mindfak, set in the environment of a retro "haunted house". The futuristic but potentially realistic premise, charismatic characters, great acting and directing, and an atmosphere similar to Poe or Lovecraft, make it my favorite episode so far. And the plot twists, although unoriginal, are only seemingly predictable and managed to surprise me and leave me under a strong impression.

8,5/10.

Arachnophobia Alert

[duchessren · 16 February 2020]

Hopefully this reaches some of you. I was caught off guard despite the warning in the parent's guide, a feature I might now start using.

Perhaps two plot twists are a bit much...

[dierregi · 7/10 · 16 February 2018]

Main character Cooper is an easy-going American backpacking around the world. He gets stuck in the UK and embarks on a dangerous test for a new "virtual reality" game.

Due to the nature of the story, it was easy to foresee lots of techno trickery. Also due to the gaming nature, I was hoping for a more light-hearted development. I am not really into "horror games" and many of the scary events during the test were just too theatrical to be scary.

What spoiled the episode for me was the double twist. I think the first one was effective enough, without adding the second. But see for yourself....

It absolutely blew my mind!

[AhmedSpielberg99 · 9/10 · 21 June 2019]

I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish. Wyatt Russell delivered a powerhouse performance portraying the extremely likable protagonist. I found the concept to be quite relatable and really well-executed, although it's by no means new. The twists and turns are so effective. The way this episode ends sent shivers down my spine. The setup is a bit longer than it should be, though.

I know this may be an unpopular opinion to have but this is my highest rated, and probably my favourite, Black Mirror episode I've seen so far.

(9/10)

True Fear

[scottsetchell · 7/10 · 28 April 2019]

Updated Review - 10/10/2023

Cooper partakes in an experimental horror game that generates his deepest fears from within through an augmented reality implant. Once his rationality proves otherwise, the program turns real and throws him into the ultimate nightmare simulation that's over before it even begins.

This is Wyatt Russell's most notable performance in recent memory. The pacing lingers at times and certain scenes feel dragged out to build as much suspense for the next scare. In one instance they even called out the jump scare before it had a chance to be effective. There isn't anything particularly horrifying here besides the idea of losing your mind with each passing second.

Playtest feels like an escape room experience at first, until it's revealed there's no way out. The "you can't scare me" attitude can only work for so long until there's nothing left except fear itself. It's a psychological horror that really breaks down the most terrifying experience someone can go through which is losing yourself from the inside out.

7/10

.

.

.

Review from 4/28/2019

Cooper Redfield travels the world, ignoring his mother's phone calls. He meets Sonja in London and she suggests he test video games for money to get home. He arrives at the SaitoGemu building and Katie has him sign a disclaimer. She turns off his phone, but she leaves the room and he turns it on and takes a picture of the technology he's testing.

They give Cooper a mushroom implant, allowing him to see augmented reality. He demos a whack-a-mole game and he meets Shou Saito. They upload a survival horror game that adapts to his real fears. He's brought to a mansion where his game begins.

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who also directed 10 Cloverfield Lane, does a great job of creating an intense atmosphere that had me on the edge of my seat. Wyatt Russell is great in the lead role as a laidback guy whose internal fears are fully exposed.

Playtest is a true horror episode. They dig deep into the human psyche, pulling out the most terrifying experiences someone could go through. Auditory hallucinations, questioning your own identity, disconnection and deception of loved ones and not knowing what is real or fake.

8/10.

A bleak outlook of the (near?) future: Enter "Playtest"

[Sovjohn · 10/10 · 22 October 2016]

What's very intriguing about Black Mirror as a whole is its relevance with the world we live in. It's not, in general, a "feel good" series, but of course it was never meant to be.

The purpose of the series, of course, is to make our minds linger on some "What if..." scenarios which, in several instances, do seem creepy, yet quite possible, or even probable, to become a dystopian, even macabre reality at some point of time.

I thought "Playtest" had a very strong impact as an episode. Without spoiling anything, let's just say that it takes the concept of Alternate Reality (AR), something which today is indeed very new, quite evolving and captivating (think Pokemon Go! which was the first mass test-case of this) and twists it towards a very sinister path indeed.

It may seem far-fetched, but the lead "guy living next door" kind of adventurous fellow, Cooper, starring in the episode is certainly not prepared for what's thrown at him. And I doubt anyone would, in such a set of circumstances.

The episode, yet again, brilliantly captures the concept of benevolent technology used in a quite malevolent capacity, whether by accident or by design.

Myself, as a gamer who tends to follow technological developments in general, I found myself wondering if a similar scenario could realistically play out somewhere in the world in just a few years' time; it might not involve a game as a pretense, like "Playtest" did, but when the barriers of reality and fiction are blurred that much, nobody can definitively rule out the concept being used in experimental military interrogation techniques or what have you.

When one's mind is so grossly tricked, insanity (or worse things still) may very well manifest, quickly and irreversibly so.

Do watch this, and you'll grasp my point quite succinctly! Full marks from me, going to watch the remaining S03 episodes now :) .

Amazing episode... until the end

[incolute · 6/10 · 21 April 2018]

There is no doubt in my mind that Charlie Brooker is a competent writer. Up to the 50% mark of the story, there were a lot of questions needing a good pay off. Some of these questions paid off well! The foreshadowing of spiders from the movie on the plane, to the spider on the shirt in the game studio, then BAM humanoid-spider creature. That was awesome. Very well done VFX as well. However, I feel like the biggest drawback this story had was the dream-within-a-dream aspect towards the end. It seemed entirely unwarranted. There was no "face your fears" climactic moment that I was so desperately wanting to see. There was no, "Yes walk through the door," and then we see his dying father in the bed. I was so desperately wanting to see the father be the climactic moment and the true turning point in the main character's story, but it just ended with a theory of relativity, dream-within-a-dream sequence. Another question we didn't get an answer to was the key event of him losing all his money. Who dun it? We see that it might've been a fear of his that the girl took it, as evidenced by the spooky game simulation when she out right says, "I took it," but there was no definite answer. The only thing that cute European girl really did was suggest that he take a picture of the gaming equipment - which kills him somehow. Other than that, she was just as important as the people wearing the computer monitor glasses: just some eye candy. The main character was very likable and relatable and I hope to see that actor in more shows and movies. Very funny guy. But ultimately, I felt like the final pay off was a bit lackluster. It almost seemed like Brooker got impatient towards the end of his manuscript and decided, "ummmm in the end it's all a dream and he dies!"

Over acting killed it for me

[iadrian24 · 2/10 · 11 December 2020]

I had to lower the volume several times as I couldn't stand the main actor's grunting and shouting... The over the top acting in this episode is completely distracting! Take it down a few notches. Did they even audition him before he was cast as the lead in this episode? The prologue is too long and the whole idea, while interesting, quickly goes south as where the main character is supposed to be scared he seems drunk and clumsy at best, which is ironic considering the non-alcoholic wine he was drinking. Probably my least favourite episode of the series so far... Still watching on mute.