Jungla

A tv show about black drug dealers that break out into rap .

I don't like it it. I don't like hip hop or rap at all. But do like British gang shows .

So the Rap that they do during the show is distracting uninteresting and made me shut it off.

Could have been decent instead they thought let's ruin this tv show and have the actors do rap.

So it's a gang musical with rap which is not music but rhyming words to explain themselves , idea , or thought.

Regardless I think this show will appeal to a small viewership .

Which will probably grow based on what is happening in Britain and Europe . I say NO!

I appreciate that Amazon was willing to take a chance with this innovative production. I think in some ways it works and it is rather visually impressive, the music can be very good and heartfelt at times.

The piece is also to be congratulated on its message, I think they did a good job of bringing it across in an serious manner and it was not glamourized at all. Elements like the stress felt by the main character were brought across very well in particular.

While this series wasn't for me in particular I feel like they did a lot of elements really well, it didn't succeed in all aspects but it was still entertaining and the novelty was refreshing for me in and of itself.

The series Top Boy is the benchmark for British London urban black gangster drug dealing gang drama tv. When I saw the trailer for Jungle I expected something similar. Jungle is very different! Set in the near future the series focuses on the characters personal suffering. The drug/gang violence is prominent, but the individual struggles of the working class broken home adolescents is the main theme. The ad lib rapping is fresh and unique and it works wonderfully. The show is not about glamourising the gangster lifestyle but more about highlighting the hardships of the younger siblings that get caught up in the gang culture. Yes, some may argue that the show is more style over substance but I enjoyed it immensely. It is stunning from a cinematography point of view, and at only 6 episodes long I highly recommend watching!

PRO TIP: I recommend watching with subtitles to get the most out of the British slang!

I found this series to be very original and solid throughout the six episodes. It seems to me the people who gave bad reviews didn't watch the series all the way through. Maybe they were thrown off by the visual style or the musical numbers in the episodes? Sometimes I feel if subtleties go over people's heads they don't know what to do aside from criticize a show. If you can stick around through the whole series everything ties together well.

I am a fan of some British Hip Hop but this series introduced me to artists I hadn't heard of and they all did a pretty good turn acting in their roles. I really didn't find any of the actors to be bad. The performance by youngster Seyi Andes-Pelumi (kid on the poster image) was actually amazing. I usually don't like child actors but this 12 year old turned in one of the best performances I have seen from an actor that age in years.

If you are put off by the first episode maybe this series isn't for you but if you watch the entire series it is a interesting and sometimes heartbreaking ride.

Jungle brought some really creative heads come together to give us something fresh and unique. However, I felt more effort went into the style of the show than telling a solid story.

My main issue with the show was that it felt rushed and things didn't really pay off, instead story arcs were left at lose ends and even though the show tries to bring things full circle at the end, for me it didn't work as I wasn't given enough time to care for the characters involved.

This show gave us the idea of the characters breaking out into drill in certain scenes. This is an interesting idea and sometimes it really works, however there were times where it took me out of the scene as it felt forced on some occasions. As a drill producer, I really appreciate the effort to bring drill and mix it with a crime drama. However, this idea can be improved upon.

The setting of Jungle is also really interesting. A near future London looks visually pleasing but that's where it ends. The setting or technology shown in this series isn't used to push the story and while it seems they're going to do something with it at the start of the series, it didn't go anywhere which is something I quickly got used to.

I would like to see another season as I feel it can be significantly improved upon as the ideas are good but don't help to push the narrative. While I have my issues with the show, I appreciate the effort gone in to create something different hence my 6 star rating.