User reviews

Monster or as I have come to know it, "mord i vildmarken" (murder in the wildernes). Is a Norwegian thriller, that unfolds in the remote, northern reaches of Norway, somewhere near the Russian border. It's a small, isolated community, maybe not as tight-knit, as one might think. With secrecy, religion and more. After a young girl goes missing, the police gets their hands full. And we, the viewers, soon gets introduced to alot of new characters. Everyone with their own story and even agenda, it could seem. And it is surely a challenge, to try and figure out how the whole story fits together, with past events and current stories all entangled. Alot of the story, being told, aren't even important for the actual plot in the story. But then again, that all adds to the mystery and oddness. The cinematography ain't bad, the scenery is convincing and there is a general eerie feel to this story in the arctic north. There are none of the characters that you will "root for", and I'm sure it's intended that way. It adds to the whole story. However, I don't really think any of the characters performed outstandingly, but they weren't bad either. There are certain slower sequences, but not to a point where you start to get bored. I gave this 6 stars, which is typically my cutoff for something worth watching, with so much other on offer. In all, this series has enough to offer, to be worth a watch, good camerawork, decent performances and a mysterious thriller with alot of extra oddness added.

Whilst I agree with most of the negative reviews and the mind numbing stupidity of the script , I also agree that a very good cast made the best of it and I actually ended up enjoying it . No idea WHY but I did.

A little different in terms of comparing this series to other Nordic thrillers. A little slow and plodding, but makes for some interesting characters....especially the women. A relatively new and young actress who plays JANI in the series is interesting in that she emotes much in her facial expressions and lack of speech. Nice job for her first major role. The main female cop, HEDDA, is also interesting in that she shows emotion both in expression and facial responses. most male characters, except for one, are old and dull, and you get tired of seeing them so much...but, alas, they are necessary to the story. The scenery is gorgeous and moody. This is definitely not your typical Hollywood crime thriller. Nordic regions, keep them coming.

Can somehow please explain who killed who? I got thoroughly confused at end

I love Nordic Noir and this is a fairly watchable entry into that canon. Unfortunately, the implausible plot, wooden dialogue and plotlines that are too confusing to hold this snowy saga tightly together, prevent me from awarding it any more than 6 out of 10. The problem is it's trying too hard to be weird and quirky to really engage on any plausible level. The two lead detectives are weird and quirky, the locals are just weird and the plot is lifted from about a dozen better films and tv shows. Mysterious blonde teenage girl is murdered in a ritualistic manner in small Hicksville town and said murder is investigated by inadequate local cops and fish out of water city cops. The city cops both dislike each other and then through mutual blackmail work together to solve a current slew of murders which may be linked to murders 30 years previously. The cinematography is great and the scenery breathtaking but a handful of good action set pieces, including a machine gun shootout at a drugs factory, cannot save this chilly potboiler. On a positive note, the acting is pretty good but the dialogue is very stilted and strange which adds to the off kilter feel of the show. None of the characters are very likeable and seem to have no issues with breaking or twisting the law to their own ends - and that's just the cops! I did like the portrayal of Hedda, a very unglamorous female cop who at least had some dimension to her character. Could have been so much better, the potential was there!

Monster seems to fall under a sub-genre of Scandinavian noir that I've run into far too often: A crime drama set in rural Finland or Norway or Sweden that involves an ultra religious sect. Invariably, these shows have a large number of unlikable, damaged characters doing unlikable things. As a result, it becomes almost impossible to identify with or root for most of the characters. In Monster, even the detectives are hard to root for, with all their flawed and destructive behavior.

I quickly realized that I was getting little enjoyment out of watching the series. Yet, I somehow felt an obligation to see it through to the end. It was like a bad medicine that I had to take in the hopes of finally getting a payoff at the end. When I finished the final episode, I felt like I had run a marathon. I did in fact like the ending, but the journey there it was so filled with bleak and cynical characters that it was a joyless ride.

I watched the series on the PBS Masterpiece platform. Another strange thing about it was that the episode previews that would appear as you start each new episode were often inaccurate in their descriptions of the episode. Strange. While Monster wasn't terrible, I gave it a 6 and would not recommend.

So 'Monster' First of all: This is 'Nordic-horror' We are at 'the Bridge' with Sara, and Saga and humans mutilated for ..fun. Yes, the recipe for 'Nordic-horror' is definitively in the game. But can 'we' cope with more brutal deaths in desolated bare landscapes? From viewing 1. episode, i would say; Jajamensam (yes-we-can:) It has its slow parts.. Not quite as slow as the Islandic horror series 'En Mörder ibandt os' -where we 'famously' not only had to watch the police man brush his teeth, but also watch how he floss each and every one.. -Buuuut we are about there in some scenes.. The environment is more gloomy than even David Lynch, but HE is definitely also *there*. Be a ware of that- some times fat Russian singing women appears for NO reason what-so-ever..! I BET you, if you asked the instructor, he would admit a homice to David Lynch :P So strange things intervene with the plot, and that can be annoying as .... You really need to bolt your concentration-cap securely to the head, and sort the inputs in two buckets: A) That is ..weirdness B) That is important for the plot I kind of wish someone had done that before the release.. But mind you, then it could have been one episode shorter, and slap me behind, if writers aren't paid pr. episode.. Why watch it? Because of the suspense, the oddness of how Scandinavian's does their killings(!) and the landscapes. So far the characters has not convinced me enough. I would say episode 1 is a minor 7 So 6+

If you consider watching this show, you should first take the following test. If you find the following statements plausible, you're good to go.

• You're a police officer chasing a suspected murderer together with your partner. You get stuck in a quagmire, and scream for help. Your partner was just beside you a moment ago, so you know he can hear you. However, he never shows up to save you. You sink deeper and deeper into the quagmire, and just when you're convinced you're going to die, the suspected murderer mysteriously saves you. You never confront your partner with abandoning you, instead you just treat him more friendly then ever.
• When you're a police officer investigating a murder of a young girl, there's no need to question her friends.
• If you're a norwegian police officer checking out an abandoned school that's presumed to be completely empty, you pull out your gun and check the rooms one by one, FBI-style.
• If you're leading a murder investigation in Norway, you can easily enter the morgue unnoticed, and fire shots into the corpse without anyone noticing it. Actually, you can easily manipulate any piece of evidence in the case, because there is no system of control when it comes to criminal evidence.
• When human remains have been analyzed and identified, they are kept unguarded in an unlocked room. Any police officer can enter that room and take whatever they want from there without being noticed, as long as they do it in the evening.
• Are you still reading this? There's so much more to mension, but if you still think this show sounds neat, I guess you're a lost cause.

I usually never quit in the middle of a series, but this time I couldn't get past episode 3. That's saying a lot. I see people comparing this with True Detective. This show is not worthy that comparison - at all.

Monster draws on a long tradition of Nordic family sagas to weave a tale of a contemporary investigation into the murder and ritualistic burial of a young member of a religious cult.

Hedda Hersoug is a police officer on leave in her home town. She's there to look after her ailing father (and escape her ailing marriage), but is drawn into the murder investigation. Soon, another team of investigators arrive to assist with the inquiry. Hedda clashes with Joel Dreyer who is dismissive of her credentials and her local knowledge.

Hedda and Joel eventually manage to work together, only to reveal a connection between the present-day murders and the unexplained disappearance of Hedda's mother when she was a child.

The series explores the entanglements of family and community and the efforts to preserve and avenge family honour, often--as in the sagas--by violent means. The performances are understated and powerful and mirrored in the stark landscape where silence, like snow, blankets much. The character of Margot, a local crime matriarch, played by Goruld Mauseth, was a stand-out for me.

I've been obsessed with many a "Walter Presents" and, although there's been a few terrible reviews, I decided to give it a chance anyway... I'm totally in agreement regarding one or two or three faux-pas mentioned in several reviews, but I found it quite watchable and the characters were decent and interesting enough to compel me to keep watching!

And yes, there were no real surprises in the final episode (which was a tad disappointing), but mostly I'm quite impressed by these "film Noire" dramas (most of which turn out to be pretty reasonable viewing, and plenty of them too, compared to anything new on UK TV Channels, and usually worth a binge watch! Actually, if a UK Drama isn't binge able, I get bored and often the plots are difficult to keep up with (sign of these awful times). Subtitles not a problem although, if you forget to pause when putting the kettle on, you have to keep pushing it back a few scenes. But I just love hearing all these different languages! This is only an observation (I'm past the age of drooling over male actors), but does anyone else think Jakob Oftebro resembles a young version of Brad Pitt? Maybe just in this drama ha ha!!

Definitely worth a watch, regardless of the odd unrealistic scene!

Monster tries to make the most of the brilliant, mystical Artic circle, but in the end, for me, the script and pace was a massive let down. Monster is the starts with a missing persons investigation. The lead investigators are a combative couple - a prodigal daughter with a curious past who has returned to care for her ailing father, and a young detective battling his own personal demons. Missing turns to murder and the body count rapidly multiplies as the layers of the small community are peeled away to reveal infidelity, religious zealotism, drug trafficking and more. The investigators flounder as the looping plotlines entangle them and they push up against their own inadequacies (at a certain point one concedes that they are pretty hopeless at the job of detecting). The cinematography is lovely and some of the performances are compelling, but the pace is inconsistent and neither the undercurrent of mysticism nor the tightening circle of a murder investigation are fully realised. As the plot tangents multiplied, my suspension of disbelief was challenged by a few too many convenient coincidences, not to mention police work that would make the Keystone Cops feel like an elite force. I'm pretty sure that a 21st century Norwegian police force, even a small one, in the remote northern reaches, wouldn't settle for repeated crime scene violations and un-bagged, unsecured evidence being traipsed about the countryside. I swear I'm not being pedantic. It's those kind of details that serve as a huge distraction, particularly when the plot itself is at risk of sinking. I think Monster tries too hard to do too much, and in the end become so muddied that none of the storylines feel satisfactorily told.

One of my favorite Scandinavian series, watched it twice to make sure I got all the plot twists. Beautiful scenery and the acting is great. There are no good or bad characters in this show, everyone has something to hide which makes it very intriguing. I don't want to give away any spoilers, just watch it! I'm hoping for a 2nd season...

For me, this was a surprisingly entertaining police procedural. Enjoy each scene on its own though. How the characters act with each other is far from routine and is the best part of the show. Here you can forget trying to solve the mysterious murders and disappearances. The two or three detectives on the case are competent and motivated but are so distracted with their own issues they can't make headway. Two of them hate each other from the start. The eventually even say to each other how "useless" they are in solving the case. It all takes place in a small town in far northern Norway in a gorgeous artic setting. People there are used to the ice and cold and wilderness. In fact two scenes have people naked outdoors. There's a Christian cult, and a gang of drug smugglers, fires, machine guns, outdoor scenes, and decades of secrets revealed there. Eventually the cases are pretty much solved.

It is a little difficult to know where to start with this review. There are seven episodes in total of this Norwegian-noir. By the end I think I had just about managed to work out who had killed whom and why, but in the process I had also slightly lost the will to live!

As other reviewers have already observed, seven episodes is far too many for this drama. There probably was potential for a decent thriller here but, sadly, this was sabotaged by a convoluted storyline including the now well worn trope of strange religious and ritual practices, plus some very odd directing choices.

There are a few positives. Despite mixed performances, the actress who plays Hedda is very good, and snowy Norwegian landscapes are always beautiful to look at. I must also commend two actors for their sheer bravery in filming a post-sauna scene outside (not what you might be thinking!).

One final thought. I am still trying to comprehend why two of the younger characters leave with each other right at the end, as friends, to begin a new future for themselves after one essentially tortured the other in an earlier episode. All very strange - much like the entire series of Monster.

What a great show !!! Definitely in my top 5 of all time, honestly! Not one wasted moment on the screen! You really care for the characters! Must see!

With a complex plot and surprisingly large cast, this is primarily a ride through a rural village's darkest family secrets. The action revolves around corrupt cops, incompetent cops, a sinister religious cult, some feisty women, and at least one callous murderer who is attempting to hide the deeds that define a family's troublesome past.

The characters are deliciously offbeat and for the most part, remain true to their traits. Some viewers may take umbrage at how poor the cops are at their job, but for me, it reinforced the real-life observation that future steady professionals can, along the way, stumble, make poor choices, and question their abilities.

Importantly, there was no feeling that the writing was weak - only that they'd accurately found the weaknesses in people. - 8.3/10.

A very interesting landscape but 'Monster' is so so dreary. A lot of looking and stareing at each other. Not much dialogue. Difficult to work out what it's all about. Not for me. I watched 4 episodes then went straight to the last episode to get it over and done. Disappointing.

This series gets ten stars from me for not trying to be mass entertainment, for not starring glamorous young men and women, ditto clothes, interiors, cars, locations, houses, etc etc.

It scores a genuine first for featuring a fight between two overweight, old, stark naked men in the front of a car.

No, you will never have seen that before, I can guarantee it! Plus, an erotic moment between an old man and a considerably younger woman, who is also a fierce Viking matriarch who appears to have a meth lab in her back yard. The main protagonist is a woman who is not conventionally beautiful, but who nevertheless irresistably draws the eye.

The plot, well, you have to let go of conventional expectations about denouements and explanations. There are a few, but you have to settle for some question marks in the end.

And of course rural northern Norway is no place for wimps. Cold? What cold.

It's worth sticking with, and it's a massive relief that there is still room in this world for television that tries something different, and doesn't cater to the pressures of profit and mass-approval. These makers should be congratulated and encouraged at every turn.

And thank you, Walter Presents.

Well, that's 7 hours of my life I will never get back! Really save yourself the time. If you enjoy people taking endless drives in frozen landscapes, then this is for you! The only worthwhile part of the whole series is the leading actress. As for the plot, forget it; and all the characters are deplorable, not the least for giving WOODEN performances. The consequences of filming in the frozen north of Norway???

I have watched 4 episodes. The whole thing is becoming more ludicrous as each episode passes. The acting is at best patchy and the pauses betwwen a question and the answer, if there is one at all, are often so prolonged I forgot what the question was.