Reviews

No bones about it, this is a cracking show.

The sisters are well written and are in turns hilarious, terrifying, inspiring and piteous. With a likeable ensemble of actors who are obviously having a ball, it makes a great watch.

No spoilers here, but each of them brings a different view of events with but a single common thread; JP is a problem that needs to be solved.

Whilst there is at times a whiff of the ridiculous, it doesn't stray too far and doesn't seem out of place, it just feels fun.

The only reason I didn't give it a 9/10 was JP's character. He is unredeemable evil in every possible way, with no positive traits whatsoever. I think the story would have been improved slightly if we were able to see just a glimmer in him, because as he is he is a bit of a caricature.

But don't let that put you off, this is a genuinely excellent show and everyone involved should be very proud of themselves.

Also worthy of mention I think is the device used to signify jumps in time, an old-school film roll that rolls forwards or backwards between scenes. It is well done and really gives a sense of suspense as we get closer and closer to the "event".

As a final note, please take my advice Apple+ and DO NOT make another series. We've seen it so many times, and subsequent series are never a patch on the original. Don't ruin it.

I understand that this is a low-budget horror and as such my expectations were suitably low. Sadly, this film failed to live up to even those, for instance:

1. Actors should be able to act. Sorry guys, but the acting in this film is bad. Stilted, lifeless and not helped by extremely mediocre writing.

2. Dialogue should be audible. Most of the time the soundtrack is too loud and the dialogue too quiet to be able to hear what's going on.

3. Show, don't tell. A quick flashback covers a whole load of story more satisfactorily than the super-long, whispered monologue given to one character.

4. Short duration = don't waste time! At about 1hr 20, this is a short film by today's standards and it wastes far too much precious time in the first half with meaningless driving scenes, a scene in the woods, long pauses etc etc. This time would have been welcome in later stages explaining what the heck is going on.

5. Short duration = trim story! Too much stuff is shoehorned in at the end as some sort of 'reveal' when it had never even been mentioned before. Reduce complexity and spread the story out more.

As others have mentioned, the effects are not great either but I'm fine with that.

Another MNS movie is released and again you begin to hope...is this the one? The one that restores your faith in him?

Well, in this case the answer is no. Absolutely not.

The warning signs are immediately apparent as the opening scene of the main family is unnatural, stilted and annoying. Sadly it doesn't get any better.

It's hard to describe, but it's almost as if MNS has never heard two humans talk to each other. I lost count of the number of times I rolled my eyes and frustratedly sighed "Nobody talks like that!", but by the end I just laughed out loud at the nonsense spilling from the actors mouths.

Any plot would be seriously undermined by such terrible dialogue and one as chock-full of holes as this one stood no chance at all. Inconsistent application of the aging process makes it almost impossible to figure out what's happening, while characters react to events in the most bizarre ways. Again, has MNS ever actually seen humans and how they behave?

I feel like the movie wanted to say something wise about aging but the weight of the terrible dialogue and unrealistic characters makes that impossible. Instead it ends up saying nothing. Zero. Nada. Ziltch.

Don't be fooled by the higher ratings, this really is a bad film in pretty much every respect.

I'll tell you - really, really bad!

I guess that perhaps I'm not the target audience for this, but I struggle to imagine someone who is. Someone who has never seen a horror movie or show before perhaps, who also doesn't know what acting is?

The main elements of a good show, the script and the actors, are seriously lacking here.

The script is devoid of any originality or spark and often sounds like it was written by a 13 year old, while the acting is as soulless and vacant as an IKEA store.

As if this wasn't bad enough, any ounce of enjoyment there might be in the show was killed stone-dead by whoever did the sound mixing!

Why is all the dialogue like a whisper in the chapel while the effects are louder than a jet engine? I guess the producers knew that it wasn't a good show and that the only 'scares' they'd get is from loud noises!

I doubt I'll bother with the rest of the series.

Given the triumph that 2017's Wonder Woman was, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this film.

I have rarely been more disappointed by a sequel.

I had written a long review, but I can sumarise it thusly:

Story: OK in parts. Script: Laughable. Acting: They do their best with what they're given. CGI: Embarassing.

If you liked the awful mess that was 'Aquaman' then you might like this too. But if you are a reasonable person, don't bother.

It's bad. Really bad. And not in a good way :-(

It would have been easy to produce a film with this premise and provide a cut-out 'mean girl' as the central character. Thankfully the writers and producers here are much smarter and have given us something quite unique.

Kacey Rohl's performance as Katie Arneson is brilliant. Morally her behaviour is appalling, but is played with such subtlety that I found myself strangely sympathetic.

She is obviously mentally ill, whether by whim of fate or something darker in her past. Her increasingly desperate attempts to keep the lie alive do not feel evil or driven by avarice, but by the need to hold on to the acceptance and love she finds with her 'diagnosis'.

The film lacks the usual Hollywood trappings and as such feels like an almost documentary-like record of a period in Katie's life. Be prepared to be thrown into the story (and out of it again) with almost no exposition or explanation and certainly no satisfying 'gotcha!' ending.

Overall a teriffic piece of work by all involved, which I highly recommend.

What a glorious, funny, mad, slightly surreal, break-neck paced film this is!

Great performances from all with stand-outs Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton and Hugh Lawrie giving it everything to make a terrific script zing. And it really does, as the film flies along at a furious pace. If you are expecting navel-gazing and 'woe is me', look elsewhere!

Beatiful production, every scene looks lovingly created and wonderfully shot.

Is it a faithful adaption of Dickens' novel? No.

Is the casting period-correct? No.

Is it great fun? YES!!

Go into it with your mind and heart open and you will be rewarded with a joyous experience.

I watched this the night after re-watching Manhunter for the 4th or 5th time.

I have rarely seen such a quality cast turn in such lacklustre performances. Bereft of any soul, investment or urgency they seem to merely 'say the lines' as they appear in the script. Not one of them meets, let alone exceeds the performances of thier counterparts in Manhunter.

Because of this, the whole movie seems flat and pointless. Critical moments are robbed of their impact because not only do the actors not seem to care about what is happening, neither do I.

I was not impressed to see Dollarhyde's character turned into a cheap Norman Bates rip-off, although I haven't read the book so perhaps this is how he was written? I'm really not a fan of the new ending either, but again, perhaps this is nearer to the book?

On the plus-side(!), the early scenes between Lector and Graham in Lector's office were new and added something to the story.

In summary, go and watch Manhunter instead. Although definately pinned in the 1980's (not such a bad thing IMHO), it is immesurably better than Red Dragon in every respect. I'm at a loss to explain how at time of writing they both have the same IMDB rating.

After suffering through the 80's and 90's with lackluster interpretations of King's works, and to a lesser extent even the recent big-screen version of IT, I finally find myself in his universe...or at least one of them :-)

It's as if the creators of this show have looked into my imagination and put that down on film. It is exactly as I pictured the places, people and happenings.

Although this is an original story, it has all the hallmarks of King that fans will recognize.

I can understand why some people have found this show slow, or confusing, or that is has an unsatisfying ending. But these are not really flaws, they are King. I defy anyone who has read his work to say that at some point they haven't said to themselves "What the heck is going on here??", or "Why are we spending so much time on such-and-such??" or even "Hmm, I'm not sure what that ending means!". Most, if not perhaps all, will be revealed in time.

Obviously I loved all the little cross-references (any other King fans have a horrible "True Knot" moment when the two guys in the camper showed up?), along with the superb acting. Skarsgard and Spacek in particular were great. It was also good to see Melanie Lynskey again, given a decent role to get her teeth into.

I understand that movies make money, but to me this is the way King stories should be told, not hacked up and flash-fried in 90 minutes but left to simmer and stew over 10+ hours. If only The Dark Tower could have been treated the same way :-(

I absolutely loved it and can't wait for the next season to start. I think it's a must for King fans. I would have given it 10/10 but for the fact that I need to keep a point in reserve, just in case next season is even better!! :-)