w_d_bailey

I love historical dramas but, alias, this was a disappointment. I give it '6' stars because the high-level historical events were pretty accurate, otherwise it would have got maybe '4'. However when you get down to the details things got banal, bordering on the inane. Lots of sexs panders to popular tastes, no doubt, but portraying a Elizabeth I as a promiscuous slut totally ignores the historical facts. Though she might have hd one liason, that with Robert Dudley, there is no proof or even evidence of any others. The portrayal of Mary Stuart isn't much better, e.g. a love affair with the Earl of Boswell is possible but it's just as likely he raped her. The costumes are gorgeous but boar only a vague likeness to historic reality -- necklines just didn't plunge that far. Likewise the many for the building interiors were unlike real Elizabethan architecture. Acting and directing were mediocre at best. The best performance I'd say was from Rebecca Scott as Elizabeth I; Olivia Chenery as Mary Stuart is 2nd rate. Finally in my personal opinion Elizabeth might actually have been a virgin, bit Mary certainly was not a martyr, she was the victim of her own ineptitude as a ruler.

Given the very high review ratings I expect much better. Most of all this series was, (for me), a dramatic failure.

Clearly the writer expect that the audience for 'Money Heist', (English title), would sympathize with the criminals perpetrating the heist; however for me he completely failed. At no time during the series did I have any positive feelings for the perps, and why should I? They managed to hold numerous hostages for over five days with threats and intimidation; one hostage was de facto raped; they injured two hostages and several police officers; they got three of their own number killed (though the writer presumed to shift plain to the police).

Perhaps it would be a different to a Spanish audience, but for me the writer's premise, that the theft of cash that the very clever criminals printed themselves at the Spanish Mint would involve anti-establishment and anti-police/authority sentiments among viewers, totally failed.

There were other weakness beside the above dramatic failure. Perhaps these were more relevant in the English language version than the native Spanish. However to me the characters tended to be implausible, especially the mastermind, "The Professor". Likewise various various events were implausible in context. Most of all among secondary faults, the English voice actors in were poor choice and their director was terrible.

The flick is pretty lame. I realize that historical dramas take liberty with the details but his goes 'way beyond and acceptable norm. On top of that it's full of 'B' movie clichés, (bare-armed, helmet-less warrior heroes, etc.).

Most egregious, perhaps, was Mehmed entering the Hagia Sophia (by himself) and declaring peace & love -- in fact he ordered it sacked. Mehmed also allowed his troops three days to pillage the city, (a standard practice admittedly); thousands of Christians were massacred and over 30,000 sold into slavery. Only after that did Mehmet declare an amnesty and eventually invite Christians and Jews as well as Muslims to return to the city.