Reviews

I attempted to maintain interest in this production and found it at least an adequate treatment for insomnia. I am a diehard science-fiction fan and appreciate character development as a necessary component of a good film. However when the character development is 95% of the film I find tiresome. Naturally, we had to have a token gay couple to appease the woke audience and some of the individual performances were occasionally interesting. That being written, I cannot recommend this unless it is the last thing on your list and you've run out of socks to fold.

Every so often an incredibly thoughtful, heartfelt film and mildly quirky film comes along. With a relatively small cast that is well developed, this film displays the brilliance of Cumberbatch as one of this generation's great actors. The supporting cast is excellent too. For many years I have credited the Brits for great "small " movies. Small is not derogatory, there seems something in these productions that we can all relate to in the microscopic/intimate examination of another one's life. This is reminiscent of an equally wonderful and somewhat eccentric film, Dean Spanley. I recommend them both.

I think this is a promising new show, it does have strains of X-Files and possibly Fringe. It keeps the viewer guessing and I can see that might not be appealing to those whose intellect is not at least one stand deviation above the mean.

The first episode or two was rather hooked, yet as it progressed it became more and more evidence of this was influenced to much greater degree plot and even cinematically by Stephen King novels and ourselves. I'm on episode six, but again it's OK except for the obligatory gay sex which seems to be the norm in every new production because naturally we have to pander to 3% of the population. If producer/directors only realized what an incredible turn off this is for millions who do not live on the east or west coasts and is wholly unnecessary in that it generally does nothing to contribute to the plot. One little plot hole seemed very notable. In this day and age none of these characters including the lead female possesses a cell phone?

Mildly entertaining, but as usual another attempt to pander to "modern" sensibilities at the expense of crediting Henry Coxwell, the actual fellow aeronaut.

An interesting contrast to the recent Catharine the Great with Helen Mirren. At times witty , though as many modern historical pieces it gives way to modern social and casting engineering which seems to only travel in one direction, altering European history to suit modern needs for inclusion. I imagine this trend will continue until someone tries to cast Anthony Hopkins in the next great film about Martin Luther King Jr.

Enjoyed Redsbad, but with s grain of salt. It seems that this genre of film (Vikings, The Last Kingdom, etc) insist on portraying the Nordic, Danish, Frisian, whomever) as superheros on the battlefield. As a student of history, I can acknowledge their prowess (even with the need to exaggerate the tiny percentage of women who actually engaged in battle or raids) within limits. It seems that Saxon warriors or Frankish troops are relegated to incompetent or unskilled (scene after scene of some Nordic warrior slaying 4-5 enemy combatants) in so many of these films. It must be remembered that they too where warrior cultures which eventually subjugated these invaders, a task which could not be accomplished without military acumen. The portrayal of the Christianization of pagan peoples also seems greatly exaggerated. Were there abuses and at times over jealous clerics and nobles, naturally, however to paint such a skewed portrait in a film attempting to convey historical events may lead the less scholarly viewer to accept this without question. The perspective in production after production of painting pagan, bellicose, raiding peoples as "noble savages" while casting Christianity in a negative light seems more a reflection of the producers and writers' agendas than fact. I look forward to these same film makers creating a series of films illustrationing the centuries of slaughter, slavery and forced conversations at the hands of Mohammed and his religious descendants, though they would likely be prevented for fear of the Muslim response.