Reviews

It's on a strict budget and it's not the best, but stacks up well to new Saturday viewing internationally. Obvious, but slightly above average CGI, and OK storytelling. It's very alien-of-the-week as opposed to having overall story arc, which is unfortunate as they could've done much better marching-on with the plot from the 1st episode.

When episode 4 rolls around, they jump back into the pilot-episode plot -- not sure how long it'll last, but it does continue on into episode 5. They've allocated special effects budget for these episodes, it becomes quite entertaining and engaging.

You could watch a lot worse for a Saturday matinée... ;-)

Nordic crime mystery-thriller stuff one of my favorites when it comes to genres. It's interesting to see another country attempt to copy the formula, especially when it isn't a remake.

While "The Disappearance" isn't a remake, it is definitely a copy. A girl disappears, then the carousel of suspect family members and acquaintances. They each take their turn in custody and interrogation while those waiting their turn to be brought in express suspicion of those currently being questioned. Hints that the primary investigator has something in his past that he'd rather not talk about. Lots of borrowed plot elements.

The carousel-recipe, regardless of country, isn't my favorite. It's almost lazy writing, as it could be anyone — just depends on when the carousel stops. When it does stop, a backstory explaining guilt is abruptly created. I prefer the genre variation where the viewer is shown the perpetrator early on and the story that unfolds is how they are found out.

"Disparue" would be great if it were the first of a kind — but at this point it's been done over and over, and often better, in other countries. "Bron/Broen" and the UK "Broadchurch" are examples of 'better'. That being said, "The Disappearance" is engagingly watchable while waiting for the next addictive Nordic Noir crime thriller to come out.

A boy with eyes that shoot light beams... chase scenes... that's what the trailer promised. Was looking forward to a roller coaster plot. Turns out it was difficult to stay awake. After the first 15 minutes it dragged on and on and on.

Lots of slow driving... slow talking... slow story progression. By the time it finishes, it's pretty much a 'yeah -- whatever' type ending. A shame, as the story had potential -- just needed a quicker pace. Could've been worse, could've been a lot better. Maybe next time ;-)

User reviews are required to have a minimum length, something difficult to achieve with this film.

Went into watching this sort of blind, not having seen anything but the trailer beforehand. The trailer showed a robotic humming bird and a flying beetle being used by spies, I was expecting a roller coaster fast paced spy thriller.

Turned out it was a very long dramatization of a single incident, with military officials and politicians doing a >lot< of discussing and debating about potential collateral damage. I wound up fast forwarding through much of it, very boring.

The film pretends it's making some sort of statement -- but doesn't really say anything. It also doesn't entertain.

So far I've watched the first 2 episodes. Fairly mediocre beginning, hopefully the potential to entertain will improve. Had I not grown up in the luxury restaurant biz, I doubt it would've held my attention this long.

The acting is OK, however David Schwimmer lacks the dramatic acting skills to achieve believability as a master sommelier. Fortunately his ex-con business partner is at the other end of the acting skills spectrum, and does a much better job portraying the character, which helps overall. Not sure if that'll be enough to carry my interest much past the 3rd episode, we'll see.

I'm in -- totally hooked after just 1 episode. If this were an all-episode Netflix release, I'd be halfway through the series by now. I knew very little about the series going in, something about a preacher, supernatural stuff, AMC Network... that's about it. Sounded like a maybe, turns out it's a home-run :-)

The first episode hits the ground running with a dizzying array of plot twists and characters, then quickly turns into a category F-5 tornado.

Blockbuster production quality, inventive storytelling, good acting, action-packed, top-shelf effects -- there hasn't been anything like it before, and while other networks will undoubtedly try, I can't see anyone being able to duplicate "Preacher".

If you're looking for a roller-coaster ride of a TV series, one that you'll hate waiting a week until the next installment, "Preacher" is it.

Not the most intelligent crime show I've seen, but entertaining enough to hold my attention. Could easily trimmed down to 6, maybe 8, episodes. Murder after murder of characters that contributed nothing to the plot, they existed to be killed. I watched the series on HBO on my AppleTV -- I used the 10-second skip ahead function quite a bit.

At times the writers have the characters do some pretty idiotic stuff. For example, a police detective calling someone at the airport to tell them their life is in danger, but doesn't ask where in the airport he is is and tell him to stay put. It continues with the potential victim leaving the safety of the customer service desk and runs randomly through the airport to eventually hide in a restroom. In another scene the female lead gets a Skype call from the killer who gives her a message to give to the detective — she calls him on his cellphone and asks him to come over so she can tell him what the murderer said… ummm, something urgent related to an ongoing mass murder investigation and you can't just tell him over the phone, the one you're already talking to him on? I found myself saying and thinking the phrase "what idiots" many times throughout the series.

Still, there's enough of a plot to watch it through to the end. I do like how they identify the killer around the 4th episode, instead of waiting until the end and just pick a character — more enjoyable when the viewer knows and watches those investigating figure it out.

They talk fast, the subtitles flash by — around episode 3 my brain seemed to adapt and there was a lot less skipping back to read what I missed.

Season 1 didn't exactly motivate me to dive into season 2 — maybe someday when there's nothing else to watch I'll take a look. I'd like to see a version of this story re-done by the people behind the series "24" :-)

They're really milking the series — a lot of filler has extended a story that could've been told in completion with a few 8 episode seasons.

Season 6 is really pushing things — my biggest issue with it is waking up and having to find the point in an episode where I fell asleep. That, and killing a major character in a season finale for dramatic effect, and then bringing him or her back to life -- lazy storytelling. AmbienTV...

The subtitled scenes are a bit pretentious, either give me an entire foreign language series with subtitles, or give me spoken English — especially now as Game of Thrones season 6 has achieved that level of TV where you can let it run in the background and just zone in on the good parts :-(

Stumbled upon Vice during a free month trial of HBO. Wow... what a great concept -- info about current events presented without network TV fluff, and no ad breaks.

Initially, I thought 15 minutes per topic wasn't enough to cover a topic. I was wrong. Without ads, and without producers needing to be concerned about advertiser repercussion for honest and unbiased presentation of controversial subject matter -- it's like the orange juice concentrate of TV -- just add viewers ;-)

If I'm being honest, having 4 seasons to choose from is ideal as not all the episodes contained something that sparked my interest. The show did however prompt me to keep my HBO Now subscription recurring and I definitely look at the summary of Vice each week to see if it's something I want to learn more about.

Vice won't give you 100% of the info on everything it covers, but I don't think it intends to. It's a springboard for motivation to learn more if that first 15 minutes wets your appetite for knowledge.

Like many Australian soaps, this one represents the nationality as locals who often black out from alcoholism, and, when not drunk like to behave in a manner that defines the term 'cheesy'.

They've ticked some other boxes as well, for example:

** Build up of a newlywed female character who secretes kindness, love, fairy dust and angelic unicorns. Then kill her in some sort of accident. As predictable as it becomes — if I'm being honest, it's effective on my tear ducts every time.

** Children that wander off and create a frantic reaction from the adults, but are always found.

** A token hunky male character featured in a variety of situations obviously written to include he appear shirtless, other less attractive male characters remained clothed. The Australian-soap token hunks often volunteer as strippers for local charity events. Sometimes they need to make money quickly and do a one-off modeling bikini underwear bottoms.

** Other hunky male characters, usually featured in story-arcs spanning 3 to 4 episodes. These characters are almost always first introduced with a towel wrapped torso and still dripping wet from an interrupted shower, camera down low, looking up with the groin area center-screen.

** Token gays. As a general rule, gays aren't hunks but they sometimes hook up with a guest-hunk. If they do, it doesn't usually last longer than 1 or 2 episodes.

House Husbands is watchable, but as the series progresses, the title doesn't make much sense. I guess they had to call it something, and "Australian Soap" was already taken. I prefer my prime-time soaps with a good vixen, apparently something Australian producers avoid. There's a difference between a bitchy female and a manipulative vixen ;-)

It's OK, at least until season 4 -- by then it becomes a bit annoying and repetitive. If you want to see a truly engaging Australian series, watch the first few episodes of Wentworth Prison, but start early in the day. If like me you start episode 1 in the evening, you'll be watching Wentworth through sunrise ;-)

I really like the series, but at this point it feels like they're sucking it dry for all the ad revenue and streaming purchases they can get.

In a way, it feels as if the producers realize it and throw in a murder when the plot begins to drag.

4 seasons is plenty. Personally, I'm ready for it to finish up with a modern day remake of Psycho.

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Not totally unwatchable, but not as good as many of the top-notch French crime dramas I've watched in the past. Lots of sex scenes that seem to serve no purpose other than spackling over cracks in the plot as well as gloss over the less than stellar acting.

Some odd casting choices, especially the starring baddie-politician. When they show him nude doing one of the female characters from behind, his body looks like a slug with a human head and a bad hair-dye job. Wouldn't matter, except for the way all the female characters worship him as some sort of attractive sex god. Doesn't fit. I really like that French and Nordic series usually feature real-people well-skilled actors, but for this role you'd expect someone a bit more attractive.

Nice if you're looking for something somewhat engaging, but don't want it to be so good that your bingefest extends through sunrise ;-)

Sheds some light on a sensitive topic. The series has it's share of creepiness, something unavoidable when dramatizing widespread sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. At times it feels like an attempt to capitalize on the subject rather than inform or entertain -- like the exploitive sexual encounter between 2 consenting male characters thrown in that contributes nothing to the plot.

Spreads itself a bit thin by trying to turn the subject into a murder mystery, and adding a dash of social commentary without fully committing to either. Overall it falls short of being a top-notch crime thriller or an awareness raising drama.

Interesting series, however, I think it would have had more punch in the hands of a Nordic production company.

Rustic prime-time soap with family secrets that won't stay buried. An interesting watch just to see a Nordic take on the genre.

Some parts can be very slow moving — this series could easily been whittled down to 8 episodes. There are a lot of scenes without dialog that could be edited out — characters glancing up with worried looks, or forest pathway and beach walks with those same expressions of concern.

It's watchable, but the plot could use some tightening up. Not as memorable as many other Nordic series.

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Usually British crime dramas engage me from the start and the really good ones I lose sleep over because I can't stop binging ;-) Not a problem with "The Five", in fact so far I've fallen asleep twice during the first 4 episodes. One of the shows that if you miss a bit of dialog there's no sense of needing to rewind to hear what was said -- for the most part you can guess the dialog before they speak it.

Boring, predictable, derivative, by-the-numbers production.

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10 episodes of blissful engagement. Somebody skillful achieved what I'd consider an understated style of the TV series '24', without the body count. A pleasant surprise.

Things begin with a middle-aged man walking solo down the center of a snow- covered road, looking bewildered. A quick flashback to who he is and how he got there, then back to the road where the story turns into a snowball itself — entangling more characters and subplots as it rolls along. Every scene counts, and contributes to the quick pacing as the story unfolds.

If you're watching these on Netflix, don't go past episode six unless you have time to finish. Don't bother trying to stop after that, it's not possible — I tried… ;-)

Worth it's weight in subtitles, 'Occupied' is a great show.

If Fameless were a scripted sitcom, it wouldn't matter -- it's hilarious. Apparently it's not, it's a hidden camera TV show and I think those who create these pranks have the best job in the universe.

Prior to Fameless I could kill hours watching YouTube prank channels, however, after a while even the best of them become repetitious and the authenticity of whether what you're watching actually being a prank comes into question. Lately, more often than not, they seem rehearsed.

I guess my favorite might be Magic Water, as I've lost count on how many times I watched it. I laugh out loud every time. Fake reality show tryouts, Deputy for a Day, fake reality show participation -- so much better than the real thing. Eventually those pranksters will become so well known the pranks will be harder to pull off -- for now I'll continue to wish there were a limitless supply of episodes :-)

The premise sounded good, but it could've been better executed. Needed another episode to give the story some breathing room. More time for some character development at the beginning and more substantial detective work in the plot.

Anna Maxwell Martin's character was rushed into her 'alternate' frame of mind so soon there wasn't a perceptible transition. We needed to see her as a strong willed character that went 'limp'. What we got was just a limp, wilted portrayal. I've seen her in other things, she's quite good at playing strong characters -- this time she didn't have the chance.

Overall it was a jumbled, blurry story rushed to conclusion with abrupt 'ah-ha' revelations during the last 20 minutes. Just 1 more episode could've given it the space needed to be something much better.

Loved the first 3 Star Wars movies that were released, the last 3 I barely remember and actually fell asleep in the theatre during one of them. Now I'm wondering what was in those last 3, as this latest installment didn't seem to have anything story-wise that I felt I had missed.

This one was OK -- not nearly as boring as the last 3. It blatantly borrowed quite a bit of the plot from the first Star Wars, which was odd. Almost like they wanted to make a new version with updated effects. Not sure if it's even possible to recapture the magic of the originals -- too bad they couldn't think of a clever new story :-( I enjoyed it a little, but it'll be forgotten like the last 3.

The sound quality… the film's lack of a full color spectrum… the jittery camera work — initially it seemed I was watching a student film from 10 years ago shot with a mid-1990's model cellphone.

It didn't take long for the story, direction, comedic timing, quirkiness (and subtitles) to take hold. Between the occasional interaction of hospital's 2 dishwashing staff and the new physician's initiation ritual, I was hooked. I'm assuming they didn't have much of a production budget, but it didn't matter — I thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries.

I've read they hacked 4 hours out of it and made a 5 hour movie for release to the US and British markets — I'm glad I was able to see the 8 episodes (9 hours) as originally broadcast, there isn't any of "Riget" I'd want to miss. Neither would I want to watch the 2004 homogenized Stephen King 13 episode version — I suspect it bears only a slight resemblance to the original. I can see how this series wouldn't necessarily appeal to everyone, just glad I'm in the group who gets-it :-)

The 2nd season was good, but I enjoyed season 1 more. Series 2 was a bit more tongue-in-cheek; much of it funny, some of the gags fell flat. At least the pacing was quick as when it annoys, it's not for long. I think the funniest season-2 scene for me involved poison and some confusion over coffee cups...

If there's ever another remake, I hope it's a Danish one with the same director, otherwise, they shouldn't bother. Maybe make a cleaner print of the original for digital release and put it on every streaming service available

The series summary sounded good, but the series didn't deliver -- at least for me.

Very slow moving, predictable, and never really engaged. If you like story-telling-by-flashbacks, then you'll love "And Then There Were None". Personally, I don't mind an occasional flashback, though I prefer none at all -- this one relies on them heavily. Could be I'm spoiled having just completed all three seasons of Forbrydelsen, hard to compete with that; ATTWN doesn't come close.

Being released during the slower holiday season when TV viewer numbers drop off, this one was probably sitting on a shelf and some network exec said 'might as well air that one'. Better than Ambien if you can't sleep ;-)

Highly addictive TV!

The US version doesn't compare to the original -- definitely wouldn't cause me to miss an entire night's sleep like the Danish version (hint: don't start watching in the evening if you have all the episodes available). Love the way they morphed the ending of each episode to serve as a next-episode-preview-without-spoilers effect, always that same music with the characters having different revelations. I must've rewound a minute or so at least twice at the end of each episode just to admire the technique.

I'm a fan of Danish detective series in general, doesn't really matter who-dunnit, I enjoy the ride :-) I like how their actors look and act as someone in their scenarios might -- less emphasis on wardrobe, hair & makeup with a huge effort in writing and acting. This one, Broen | Bron, and Äkta Människor have been my favorites so far, all of which have English-speaking remakes that pale in comparison.

If I hadn't watched the original marionette version of this series as a kid, I probably wouldn't be watching it now ;-) They've done an excellent job of meshing the look of the original series with modern animation. About the only thing that could be improved on in that regard would be the characters walking -- they all look like they have a big stick in an awkward bodily location that is inhibiting a more natural stride.

Story-wise, I'd have preferred it if the plots could have matured along with the animation, while still keeping it kid-friendly. A nice change would have been a season-long story arc, maybe 8-10 episodes as opposed to quick little 20-minute vignettes. Though if you're looking for something to set a small toddler in front of for 20 minutes to yourself, the search is over. Mom and dad can pretend to watch while they check Facebook on their smartphones.

After all these years, there are a couple areas in which this story could definitely use some improvement: racial and opposite sex inclusion. An all-caucasian international rescue team, and all-male. There's one tech-support guy from India, but he's always in-the-office and for some odd reason they've handicapped him with a cartoonish speech impediment. There's a sister who'd appears as an infrequent afterthought, and grandma with terrible cooking skills. Lady Penelope is still around, and still communicating with the white-male rescue force with her mirrored clamshell makeup compact, with a chauffeur -- another character from India, but without a stutter.

White men rescuing black people is an oddly common theme of the series, ideally the international rescue force would have been truly international. Seems like even though the characters are no longer controlled with wires, white people are still pulling the strings.

Regardless of the lackluster storytelling, the animation is unique, imaginative and obviously includes a well planned effort to include inspiration from the original series.

It's OK... but if you've seen the original, the story has been butchered. Characters are missing, their traits, or the characters themselves, merged with other characters and many of the synths have been eliminated from the story altogether. Huge chunks of the plot have been chopped out, and new stuff sprinkled in. The plot itself has been hugely resequenced. Lots and lots of character development is gone, especially with the synths in episodes 1 & 2.

One reason for all the changes must be the duration of the series. Real Humans was 10 episodes per season, Humans is 8. They must air few ads in Sweden, as the episodes were about 10 minutes longer. Real Humans told the story in 9.1 hours; Humans attempts to do it in 6 hours. 3.1 hours of the story gone...