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Warren (2019)
Man Behaving Atrociously
Clunes' Doc Martin is a curmudgeon, but he at least has some redeeming features and a possible underlying autistic spectrum disorder to excuse some of his behaviour. Warren has no such excuses, the character is an extremely unlikeable person that makes you cringe to the point of revulsion.
Within minutes I disliked the character and by the end I decided I couldn't bear to suffer a second episode, it was that bad. The cast do a decent job with their parts and Clunes' plays the role well... he must, as I usually like him and wanted him to be the victim of a terrible car crash in this, which in my opinion is the metaphor I would use for the show.
I imagine the scriptwriters have imagined a David Brent like character, and if you were a fan of The Office, then Warren's cringeworthy bad behaviour and the consequences that result from this may suit your sense of humour. If you didn't like The Office, I think you'll hate this. I did!
Legends (2014)
From a story of legends comes mediocrity...
Centring on the work of a specialist division of the FBI that builds cover identities to get its personnel close to terrorists, drug dealers and other unsavoury sorts, Legends attempts to give us an insight into the psychological effects of the work that they do, whilst keeping things entertaining with some action. It is a plot with potential that the scriptwriters fall short of being able to make anything of, as the story and characters lack depth and viewers are at times left to suspend disbelief unnecessarily, when the writers use less than subtle queues to draw attention to the important parts of a scene.
For the most part, the talent do an OK job with the two dimensional characters that they have been asked to portray, with Sean Bean taking the lead and bringing a bucket full of his trade mark Yorkshire grit to Martin Odum, the deep cover operative that is his to embody. Unfortunately, I have at no point in the series felt either one way or the other for Martin or any of the characters and, at the end of episode five I am apathetic to how the series is going to pan out, though will continue to watch in the hope that the big secret that is being alluded to in each episode will turn out to be something that makes me emote a little more than the 'meh' that I am currently feeling.
If you thought that Strike Back was a great show (nearest comparison for quality that I can make) and you are into a bit of mindless action to pass the time, then by all means while away a few hours with Legends but, if you are looking for a well-crafted story and an intelligent script that leaves you to do a bit of thinking for yourself, I don't think you need waste your time here.
Utopia (2013)
What a trip...
This is a subversive conspiracy thriller like no other I have seen before. It is arresting in so many ways, from the shocking violence to the bizarre, yet clever plot twists and revelations, leaving you on the edge of your seat in anticipation for the next reveal. The style is also quite different, with the quirky, off-beat score that would be quite fitting in a cartoon and the stunning, slightly over saturated cinematography that reflects the graphic novel that is central to the plot.
There are some great and some awesome characters, all brought to life by a talented cast, with my favourite being Neil Maskell's portrayal of Arby, the most emotionless, inhumane character that I have ever felt any empathy for.
The second season is just as gripping as the first and the only minor criticism that I have was a fairly obvious plot mechanism employed at the end to make way for a third season, and that I can easily forgive and will not allow it to detract from the 10 that I feel it deserves. I could wax lyrical about Utopia endlessly, but I don't want to give anything away. I will close this review by urging you to watch it and decide for yourself, once you have seen Jessica Hyde.