User reviews

I love listening to Swedish, since it contains so much Anglo-Saxon seed language, and one can discern why people such as Tolkien regarded the great European legends and traditions as such a diverse and rich resource. But this White Wall thing is getting so tedious, plodding along at a truly glacial rate! I'm already one episode extra un-watched, with so many of the other trash TV Series of 2020 already binned! This one's not that bad, if you can truly remember the story from episode to episode, but I'm still expecting some alien 'Greeny' to jump out from the other side of that Wall with a message that we've all been naughty, so I have my Remote permanently placed where it can be reached 'tout-suite'.

Surprisingly good. All dialectal embarrassments aside, this had me wanting more from the first episode.

So far only saw one episode but it is intriguing and filming was pretty good. Don't speak a word of Swedish nor can I read Finnish so pretty much guessed at what was happening thru visuals. The only English is of course spoken by the stereotypical, greedy management which I could have guessed that without hearing a word. Looking forward to watching further episodes. It's better than a lot of the virtue signaling, politically correct garbage coming out of Hollywood these days. I read some of the other reviews and noticed some of the themes that are prevalent in Sweden are at least normal drama. Be sure to write those idiots that you are dissatisfied and maybe, with enough complaints, will change. Here in the states I have come to boycotting all the crap that tries to tell me how I should think.

The makers were trying really hard to keep things Swedish, with just a smattering of 'token' English! You have to admire them for featuring the real Sweden as a backdrop. And yes they were also very 'inclusive', even with an 'savant' Aspergers kid, who seems to know it all. But so far tastefully restrained, and not as self-flagellatory as the other Viking dystopian dramas. The Swedes have always had this ambivalence towards technology, necessary for cold-climate survival, but reproachable nonetheless. There's something very Freudian about it all - eggs, tunnels and the repression of 'stuff' deep down inside a mine.

A touch of Lynch, in this Nordic Noir. Not bad. Not bad at all.

This is unfortunately another case of a potentially interesting idea that is poorly executed. The basic plot has been described by others and will not be repeated here.

The show suffers from some of the maladies common to Swedish films and TV shows. The main one here is the acute lack of proper pacing. The show just plods along, seemingly with little thought of what is important to the plot and what is not. There are unimportant sub-plots and characters who contribute little or nothing and just make the story drag painfully at times. A third or more of the footage should have been left on the cutting-room floor.

There are also the "traditional" attempts at social commentary that, once again, contribute little. The company managers are suitably spineless and/or single-mindedly result oriented. And as always in Swedish shows, there are marital problems and unhappy children - also quite unnecessary to the story.

The acting is OK without being remarkable. There is the normal and unfortunate Swedish tendency for the acting to be overly dramatic, though, and everyone is very serious most of the time, staring fixedly at each other.

On the plus side, the locations are very good and the cinematography excellent.

Wow. Considering the perceived aspiration of Finnish big budget TV trying to emulate either Nordic noir crime stories or Hollywood series, White Wall is a breath of fresh air: an original scifi story staying grounded in the real world and inspired by real-world events. Ordered and collaboratively produced by the Finnish and Swedish national broadcast companies and said to be the most expensive Finnish TV production to date, I feel like not a single euro or Swedish crown was wasted here.

The Nordic noir elements are there: the gloomy aesthetics, the social commentary and a diverse cast of characters who feel like real people. But White Wall absolutely stands on its own legs as one of the most interesting European scifi series and one of the best Finnish series in recent years.

The lead writer Mikko Pöllä has come up with an intriguing mystery story featuring a strong message, and whether you agree with that message or not, you should be impressed by his skills at handling the subject matter. I was anxious during the final two episodes. How would the writers tackle the ending? But it turned out to be even better than I had expected, satisfyingly tying (almost) everything together while also boldly making a statement. Unfortunately I have to agree with some of the other reviewers in that the pace was a bit slow. Still, it didn't stop me from binging the series in one day.

The actors do a good job overall. For those unfamiliar with the Nordic way of being and state of mind, the characters could come across as overly stern. But that's just how we are, and considering that the story takes place in a (fictitious) town in northern Sweden, it's all the more believable. Although I feel like they could have shown us a bit more of the community and properly introduce us to the setting outside of the nuclear waste facility. Luckily there is an appropriate proxy character, a voice of the people, who also takes the themes to a universal level.

The camerawork is breathtaking, from the claustrophobic, damp underground tunnels (shot on location in a real mine) to the beautiful snow-covered vistas. And it's all accompanied by the haunting and beautiful score written by Timo Kaukolampi and Tuomo Puranen.

This is a world-class production with minor flaws and I hope to see more from the creators Mikko Pöllä, Aleksi Salmenperä and Roope Lehtinen. Actually I'd love to see another original series from them, with a global streaming network such as Netflix or Amazon providing the budget.

Recommended to: Fans of series such as Dark or Tales From The Loop, fans of Nordic noir and anyone interested in topical & thought-provoking science fiction.

Written and created by Finns. Many Swedish-Finn actors and the lead is played by a Norweigan with a flawless Swedish accent. Everyone but one speaks Swedish, however the dialogue is strange. It is as if the script was translated from English. There are many lines that could be directly translated to English but don't really feel Swedish, although I could be imagining it. I don't know much about the Swedish spoken in Finland so I can't say if that's the reason.

The cinematography is great, the sets are great and feel realistic. I'm not very impressed with the dialogue and the pacing. The acting is good enough though.

It would get a 5 from me if the sets and cinematography were so so.

Drags along like so many of these Scandi dramas. Everyone is perpetually miserable and conflicted. Too many side plots, the autistic child, the failing marriage, the activist whose father is a terrorist of sorts, the security guard who still lives with his mum and lets not forget the very annoying DJ at the local radio station

It is so refreshing to see a sci-fi production that is a drama rather than an action flick. Curiously, that seems to be the reason people dislike it. I did not think the pace was slow at all. Maybe if you are used to watching Avengers and the like...

Just watched the first episode. Loved it, but I'm a fan of Nordic TV series; so the grayish/blueish colors, the slow pace, the snow, the cold, the unavoidable tavern, that's my thing. Can't wait the moment someone is eaten by a bear or is crushed by a snowplow. And there is this collection of totally alien characters who all live in Ikea houses. And hey, they succeeded in finding a black Swede actor ! Progress in action, on your screens, now ! So watch it.

Bergman doing a Swedish lite version of Dark.

Good production and settings but most of the whole season is just meandering aimlessly without building any suspense, understanding or interest.

Yes, expressionless Scandinavians are a cliche but in this case it just highlights the lack of any depth or movement in the story which is as bland as any character's expression or the White Wall.

Feels like the whole thing should have been just the first episode to set up a more interesting development or plot line.

One might even snooze through the season finale without noticing.

As others have noted the pace is really slow and if you can't stand visual ambient or ambiguous interpretations, this might be too much. Personally I loved it for just those reasons. Psychological sci-fi that doesn't hold your hand. Minimal effects and no flow-breaking violence.

Exactly why did this serie even happen in the first place? There's absolutely nothing to it, no "twist", nothing that gets you thinking or get intrigued neither in the characters nor the story. It's like a horror movie where you open the door to find... Nothing!?! Then you don't open the door but at least leave it to the viewer to draw it's own conclusion. But not White Wall... here we open the door for the audience to release the little tension that was built up and then... The end.

Great story. Of course there are unrealistic elements but nothin completely insane. I like when the progress is slow and if you are looking for much action this is nothing for you:

God. Talk about stretching a story, it is so slow and really tedious. I just have to see what's in it, but find myself fast forwarding through a lot of the padding. I will be very cross if they do not show what it us in season 1.

I love shows like this ! Intensity, mystery and great writing. I watched this in two days, every episode made me want to see more. And now the final cliffhanger... I really hope this gets a second season!

I liked how the cast was from different origin; Finland, Sweden, Norway and even UK. As a Finn myself, I enjoyed the occasional Finnish parts like when Atte was first interrogating Astrid. That came as a total surprise! Really enjoyed Eero Milonoff as a whole, he is a great actor and really captivates the nature of his character. All the actors did an amazing job!

The visuals were amazing and big part of it goes to the VFX team. The CGI was seamless! Beautiful scenes and great use of lighting to set the mood. The music also provided for the intensity and made some moments truly thrilling to watch.

Also, I recognized some of the filming locations as the show was mostly filmed in Iisalmi ja Pyhäjärvi in Finland. So cool to see an actual high-budget show on our TV! (actually the most expensive television show ever made around here with a 7 million euro budget !) I read that they also used locals from Pyhäjärvi as extras in some of the scenes, fun stuff. Would really recommend this to anyone who likes these kind of shows!

I like thoughtful SF and didn't mind the slow pace, although my wife gave up on it.

The mining people and differences with management are spot-on (years in mining companies). The engineering manager with difficulty relating to family and labouring over public speaking was very plausible.

Sub-plot with autistic child was clichéd and where I started having doubts.

The ending contains some plain silly stuff which spoiled the entire show for me.

This series is just like the Swedes people ... tasteless and boring :)