Hanna

It's finally got around to watching Hanna and have to say I found it pretty entertaining. I never saw the movie so I had no expectations going into it. I know some fans of the movie didn't like it and then there are others who say it was even better. I do know that the series has a very solid 7.6 rating here and the movie a less solid 6.7. Anyway, I was thoroughly entertained throughout the entire series and glad they were able to give it a proper ending instead of a cliffhanger. It's only 3 seasons with 22 total episodes so it's an easy binge. It actually watches better as a binge watch instead of waiting over a year between seasons and forgetting what was happening. If you're looking for a solid thriller with plenty of action then give Hanna a try.

I love CIA type shows and Hanna stands in a world of her own in this universe as a very unique and much needed offering. The characters are so complex that it's hard to label even the evil ones as purely evil. Incredible writing and acting. They do a great job of showing human nature and exploring various interpersonal relationships. You see characters that do the most despicable things, hate them, yet still understand how they got there. Some even later turn out to be the good guys.

Various father/daughter relationships are explored - the sacrificial, the nurturing, the abusive, etc. And you see the outcome, the kind of children and adults shaped from each.

You see what unaddressed childhood trauma can do to a highly accomplished, extremely powerful and unbreakable adult, shattering and reverting them back to the traumatized child in an instant. I don't want to give much more here but this story line was intriguing to watch unfold.

If you love shows that really delve into human nature and explore the outcomes of psychological manipulation and grooming/conditioning, you'll get your fill here.

If you love shows that feature school-like settings and/or shows that take place in various countries, you'll love this.

If you love a good action-thriller, emotional roller-coaster drama, great entertainment, great writing and acting, you'll surely enjoy this.

This show deserves at LEAST an 8/10, IMO. I thoroughly enjoyed this and the only reason I can think of for not watching this sooner was because I assumed it was a teen show. Thankfully, I was wrong. It's a great show for adults.

Though I hoped that this season would be better than the first, as per my review about 5 months ago, I was kinda let down.

• The story is not better than season 1.
• We've got sort of 5 episodes of fillers and 3 more serious and better ones.
• We do not see Hanna more in action (aside the last 3 serious episodes). She should be more on the spotlight, with shininess and more crazy good performances. She is like a human "Bionic" girl with awesome abilities and amazing aiming. The producers & writers really need to understand that and give her increased brilliant spots to shine (martial arts and guns alike).
• Sandy (Áine Rose Daly) was one of the highlight of the season. She's a talented and beautiful actress who has the potential to become a really bad yet powerful smart girl in the series.
• Nothing of real interest for Marissa, aside adding mother-like behaviors to her collection in the show; Although, her personal style of handling guns are one of the best I saw in women and men alike.

Again, I ask the producers, to give to series aim & purpose and squeeze it into a powerful beam for it to really deliver and shine.

Less "useless" characters and more of Hanna in action.

I just finished watching season 2 and I really liked it! I won't compare it with the first season because it has been a while since I've watched it but I would say that it felt almost at the same level, although the story took a different direction. But hey, it's a new season! And I really hope that Amazon keeps it up with more and longer seasons. It's a fairly good mix of drama, action, thriller and many unexpected turns. I found myself really caring about what happens to some characters, seriously annoyed about the decisions of others and often on the edge of my seat, so to speak. Compared to so many average and boring shows available today, this is refreshingly entertaining. Esme Creed-Miles did an excellent job, as well as all the supporting artists.

It doesn't happen often, but this series gets a 9 from me while the 2011 movie gets an 8. And that's saying something since I'm a huge fan of Saoirse Ronan, who played Hanna in the film version. Esme Creed-Miles is very effective in the role of the highly-skilled yet "fish-out-of-water" Hanna, and the supporting cast are also quite convincing. Perhaps an obvious fact (given that there's much more time available) but I feel that this series fleshes out the various characters more than was possible in the movie, which allowed me to become more invested in them. My only complaint is minor, but the production team clearly spent less money by filming a lot of scenes at night, so I'd suggest watching in a dark room if you want to understand what's going on during those moments. Keep an eye out for future roles played by Esme as I predict she's got quite a career ahead of her. I was also captivated by Rhianne Barreto, who very believably plays Hanna's one true friend. The direction, scoring, location scenery, and cinematography (albeit a bit dark at times) are impressive. Highly-recommended binging material.