Reviews

Manifest is one of those shows that almost reaches the top but misses by very little.

The genre and tropes are my favorite so I am indeed biased. If you liked Fringe, Lost or Orphan Black then this one is for you. And I can say it almost beats all of those shows.

191 passengers of an airliner disappear in 2013 only to land 5 and a half years later. Only for them, it's only been a few hours. This premise in and of itself has so much potential and the show really explores it. How are their family and friends going to act once they learn the news, have they moved on with their lives? You can really step into their shoes. How would you feel if you found that a loved one had passed away, or that your partner mourned you and then moved on. Or that you can no longer follow your dream job.

Intriguing as all this is, the show also adds exyra mystery after the passengers start having weird visions.

Things do get a bit messy, especially throughout the second season which is on my opinion the weakest. Some.episodes feel like fillers that are not really advancing the main story. It feels like you are in a video game skipping the main story to do the side missions in order to level up. Also, some of the non-scientific explanations given to supernatural events are simply weird.

But if you are willing to overlook them, Manifest is a rare gem with an incredibly cathartic ending that will certainly have you in tears by the end.

From the moment you see the kids you get that eerie feeling. You can't really tell what is making them so scary, maybe it's the albino-looking hair and the pale skin or maybe it's the look on their faces. The kids' acting is simply amazing. So is the lead actress with Jamie Llorente playing himself once again.

It has some common horror tropes so don't expect anything groundbreaking but still a fun slow burn movie to pass the time especially if you like Spanish horror.

It could have been a little shorter in duration though. Some scenes where the kids are planning something sinister really last too long for no reason.

Most reviews seem to be entirely based on the first episode. Yes the first episode is unbearable. It feels more like a first draft version than a complete pilot. The kid is annoying, the husband is aloof and the protagonist seems to be overreacting at everything. Things are improving if you can just bear to watch that first episode. The guy that plays the disgraced officer is amazing, he really saves the show. The lead actress is improving on episodes 2 and 3 and even the kid is less annoying.

The sad part is that this could have been a 10/10 with better casting and simply more dedicated work and attention to detail. The premise and the plot twists are great entertainment and are also rather unique and different than the typical tropes.

The premise and lore are established in a wonderful way lacking any "in your face" exposition. The concept is unique and interesting. 50 years prior to the events of the show a paranormal event called "The Problem" happened that triggered ghosts to be released on Earth. Hauntings are now common and Humans founded organizations to fight the ghosts.

The three main protagonists are part of a lesser known organization/agency that lacks adult supervision and follows questionable practices to combat ghosts and demons. So far, so good

Now, here comes everything that is wrong with the show. It is essentially a YA drama that takes itself a bit too seriously and targets a wider audience. And to that, it fails miserably.

17 year olds present themselves and act as if they are war veterans. Suspension of disbelief cannot possibly work here. One of the kids was orphaned at age 6 and he turned out completely capable of single handedly dealing with ghosts that adults are fearing all the while maintaining a house inherited by his deceased parents and founding a start-up.

I understand that in YA fantasy teenagers are presented as special with over-the-top heroics but when that happens there is a believable explanation. In Lockwood & Co the kids are just talented and adults lose the ability to fight ghosts for ... well... Reasons.

The terrible acting adds to the bad score as well. The girl is emotionless. The Lockwood guy is unrealistically confident, cocky and annoying. The third guy actually does a pretty solid job but is presented as more of a side-kick. And the stereotypical tropes keep going with rival agencies packed with the typical annoying arrogant kids that act like Power Rangers villains.

I have not read the books. I don't know how close the show is to the books. But Netflix made a bad decision trying to generalize this project to a wider audience. Either stick to kids and teenagers and make it a kids show. Or keep the premise and replace the kids with adults. The latter seems to me as the best option considering the fact that cinematography is awesome and the look&feel is very unique.

At the end of the day, this is just another mediocre Netflix show that I cannot recommend. If you want something similar with way better implementation try Lock & Key where kids actually behave their age, they make mistakes, they are clumsy with their new found abilities and when they do save the world that's because of their super powers and not because adults are stupid.

Unique mystery thriller by Netflix. The acting is solid by almost everyone. The plot is unique and interesting. It is what you would consider a bingeable series but proceed with caution or you may be disappointed.

Some of the twists and turns feel forced. It feels like the exist to shock and surprise the audience while lacking realistic motive. Character development is strong but when said twists happen you can't help but feel like you wasted your time exploring other more plausible explanations and paths.

Regardless of those downsides this show is still worth watching as it maintains it's addictive whodunnit identity till the very end.

Very pleasant to watch. It may give out a childish vibe or perhaps that of a teen/young adult show but it can become quite serious in certain points.

The cast is excellent, the siblings are a joy to watch, remarkable if you consider their young age. Some may say that Bode can be annoying but I believe the character has some very strong traits that make him my favorite.

The first season and the cliffhanger are both amazing. The third season was shorter and that's understandable since it seemed unnecessary but even it was decent with the introduction of new keys.

My favorite part about Locke & Key is how it can make you attached to the characters, really understand their struggles even in a metaphysical setting.

Solid 7, it could have been an 8 if it was a bit more carefully planned and lacked some frustrating back & forth in the story.

I understand that most of the hate comments and 1hstar reviews come from the fact that the townspeople seem too calm and ordinary for the situation unfolding before their very eyes. I don't believe that this is unrealistic. If anything it's a good depiction of the numbness people feel after tragedy and how they do their best to find a routine and stick with it. It also provides the absolutely necessary contrast in behavior between the people that have been enduring this for months and the people that are suddenly thrown in it. They are in denial! The acceptance if the situation they witness from the rest of the town is contributing to the creepiness of it all.

Overall the show feels like a Stephen King novel and deals with complex topics while maintaining its true identity, that of a horror/mystery show. I rate it with a 9 for the first season with the potential of getting a straight 10 if it improves some of its very limited pain points.

This show claims to be a documentary yet episodes 2 and 3 are as close as you can get to insulting your audience intelligence. I could not finish those episodes as they reminded me more of a budget horror movie from the 80s. And that would be ok if the show was not presented in such a serious and official tone.

First and last episodes are decent with adequate evidence presented.

It's a shame because it could have been a way better show if they actually presented both sides of the debate. Instead it seems to be targeting people that already have a bias towards the supernatural. There are so many theories on surviving death like the multiverse, quantum immortality, simulation theory, etc. And yet they choose to present scammers that take advantage of grieving parents by disrespecting the kids they lost.

The entire background of this movie seems shallow. The motives of the protagonist remind me of old video game characters with justifications like "the common good" and "the resistance" thrown around as acceptable for near criminal behavior.

The "villain" backstory also seems very poorly written and that too, reminds me of video game villains that just want to watch the world burn. Several coincidences and some unnecessary fillers ruin a good fast pace.

With that said, several plot twists and solid acting make this movie fun to watch.

Hugh Bonneville really signs in the role of ex-judge Hector Blake. It could have been 10-15 minutes shorter but still it provides a good flow of action, but so not expect horror elements.

Young couple moves to a new apartment. Woman has some creepy experiences. Tells husband. Husband thinks she's being paranoid. Typical thriller scenario right? Well yes, but, Watcher executes with such a refreshing way that the movie easily shoots up close to the top of my list of thrillers.

I don't usually like slow movies but this one really hooks you for good. The entire movie is set on the Romanian capital, Bucharest, which is one of the reasons why this is so refreshing. The couple is not moving in an isolated state-of-the-art house in the woods like you would expect. They move in the heart of a city, in a typical Balkan apartment with electricity issues and no curtains. The cast is really talented, especially the lead actress whose range of emotional responses contributes to the overall feeling of uneasiness.

Throughout the movie you can feel how lost someone can be when moving to a foreign country without a job, friends or good grasp of the language. From a taxi driver to people on the supermarket, to weird neighbors the paranoia keeps increasing until the final release as everyone is a suspect in a case that may be completely made up. 100% recommend this movie.

This movie starts out brilliantly presenting the 3 main characters. Amazing acting by all 3 of them, the comedy element was very much appreciated but faded completely during the last part of the movie. The ending was a bit too serious and felt rushed. Overall very fun to watch, ideal for a family movie night we really enjoyed it and the acting was top-notch. On the horror front it does not innovate and cannot compete with the best Spanish horror movies like The Orphanage. Don't watch it if you want jump scares, a well developed atmosphere or simply to get scared. Would have been an 8 if it didn't take itself too seriously.