These (Magical Creatures) are such strange films. The settings are amazing, the attention to period detail wonderful, and the little beasties are gorgeous - but somehow the films just don't land - at least, not for me. Unlike the Harry Potter series, where you could somehow believe in their world, here it too obvious that it is all total fiction. Sorry, JK - I'll watch them, but I'm waiting for Pandora 2, 3, 4 and 5, that is if I'm still around....
Accurate history it isn't, and ok so we don't really expect that, but the 'hero' wandering around with at least two days stubble?? Gentlement in the time would never do that - nor would they fight in a ring. They certainly practised, but only with masters of the craft in Jackson's Studio. As for gently-born girls wandering around without a maid, going into men's houses - oh, please. Whoever the producer is should really not be let loose on historical series, no matter how light. The series was amusing, but the story has more holes in it than a badly crocheted garment. And then, when it was obvious we were getting to a finale, ITV must have figured they had enough viewers to warrant a second series. Oh god. Well, I won't be one of the viewers.
It would be nice to recommend this, but unfortunately series 3 - at least on my access - seems only to be available in Turkish. Not knowing the language, I'm going to have to give up on it - which is a shame as I was hoping they would actually finish the bloody thing.
This program seems to have come to a grinding halt, mid-way through the 3rd series. I can't say I am heart-broken, because I was losing interest in all the characters....
I didn't read the books so what they've done for TV doesn't bother me. The first 3 episodes, though, made absolutely no sense to me, so it was only on episode 4 that I began to see the sequences running through, which was a relief. It is beautifully made, a whole hill above the usual bulls*t we've been fed over the last decade (I've stopped watching whole screeds of stuff as being too American, too much Hero crap, and so on. It's about time America woke up and began to make intelligent films (if Dune can do it, why can't the rest of Hollywood?)
Very interesting concept. The dialogue probably suffered in translation, but I thought it was pretty substandard. However, the landscapes were wonderful, particularly seeing Gobeckli Tepe.
Doesn't float my boat. I enjoyed the settings, but the taboo aspect of it leaves me cold.
I really can't watch this ... I find it kitchen sink drama.
I'd give it 2 out of 5. It's beautifully filmed and Harrison Ford is, as usual, very good - but a dog who thinks like a man, who is really a super-hero and always thinking of the welfare of other dogs and the man who owns him ... well. No wonder they had to fake it. I haven't read Jack London's book but if the film is true to the book, I won't bother.
A reasonable attempt with some interesting ideas and very good sets, but irretrievably spoilt by terrible translations of the Chinese and a slightly naive story.
