Netflix's 'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' Is Presenting Problems for Pirates

Netflix has become the leading name in the world of streaming services, though some audiences would still rather steal movies than pay a monthly pittance for access to thousands of films and TV series. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch's nonlinear narrative is posing some problems for those who prefer to pirate their content, as the interactive nature of the experiment is completely nullified.

The folks over at Mashable have begun exploring how the world of piracy is handling the endeavor, with one torrent file being described as of "the 250 available decision events, this is the default 68 choices Netflix have defined as the default 'linear' timeline." The runtime of this file is roughly 96 minutes, similar to that of a feature film.

Another torrent that the site discovered has a total runtime of more than five hours, which seemingly compiles all the footage of every possible different scene and segment. This file likely just puts all of the footage together in a nonsensical order, though the runtime matches up with reports regarding how much footage was shot in total for the project.

Various threads on Reddit have posited the question about how to get around the limitations of torrenting Bandersnatch, with various users offering their input that amounts to the software being out there that would potentially allow a user to fragment the five-hour video file and piece them together, if someone were so inclined to do so.

Another possible solution to taking part in the engaging experience is to just sign up for Netflix or become good enough friends with someone to borrow their password.

Bandersnatch encourages audiences to become an active part of the story and select one of two options for its characters at various intervals. This has led some viewers to experiment with every choice imaginable, though director David Slade claims unlocking all of Bandersnatch's secrets is easier said than done.

"There are scenes that some people just will never see and we had to make sure that we were OK with that. We actually shot a scene that we can't access," Slade revealed to The Hollywood Reporter.

One inherent issue with creating such a complex narrative is that some audiences believe there is one "true" ending, which Brooker intended to be the final goal of the episode, with all other endings being merely alternatives. Brooker, however, noted that even an abrupt ending to the story is still technically an ending.

"There were quite heated debates about what constitutes an 'ending,'" Brooker admitted. "There's a school of thought that says any time it stops and you go back, that's an ending. In Bandersnatch, there are endings that are really abrupt that are still endings, in my mind."

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is available on Netflix now.

Do you think it would just be easier to sign up for Netflix to enjoy the ambitious experience? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!