The Edge of Sleep

I listened to the Edge of Sleep audiodrama as it came out and really enjoyed it, everything from the premise to the audio design just really came together and served as great weekly entertainment. Seeing that it got a TV release I instantly went to watch it. I liked it and walked away happy that I saw it, but there are 2 major issues with it...

To be clear: I am a Markiplier fan so don't downvote this I have the best intentions. I went to one of his tours, wore a Markiplier themed backpack in High School, and watched all of his content when I was younger. His performance in the audiodrama was also great, the deep quality of his voice was able to sell a miserable and exhausted character. And I love the campiness he reaches with his acting in Youtube originals, he sells cocky characters well.

However as good as his delivery was in the podcast it did not translate well to visual acting. Everyone else was fantastic, I particularly enjoyed Matteo, Linda, and the Dream Doctor as characters, but next to them Mark fell short. It looked like he was reciting lines instead of embodying Dave and it never really felt like I was watching a serious scene with him in the shot since he just wasn't selling the misery well. The only time I felt like he did a good job was during a hallucination where he sees a copy of himself that delivered a campy and lighthearted line. That one sentence was the only thing that worked for him and that's unfortunate considering he's trying to be serious. Hopefully, his Iron Lung performance is better and this served as a good teaching lesson.

The second huge issue was the camera work. Something felt unpolished and flat about the shots, I don't go to film school so I don't know how to describe it, but something about it just wasn't TV quality. I liked the use of colours and imagery, but the field of depth was just strange, something wrong with the lenses I think. Was consistent throughout and made the film feel amateurish.

As a whole though I enjoyed what I saw. The overuse of the shape of a triangle, overemphasis of 'The Elephant', and hallucination scenes going on for a bit too long also detracted but weren't as big of an issue. Again most of the acting was great, I was really invested in how they'd tackle the premise compared to how they did in the podcast, and I definitely DO want to see more. I WANT there to be more and I WANT to see a better performance from the lead. Glad it exists. Just wish those two major issues as stated previously were fixed cause as it currently stands I can't really recommend this to someone who isn't a fan of Markiplier.

7/10.

For a series that I assume was produced on a shoestring budget and headlined by a youtuber, TEOS does an incredible job of telling a really compelling story, albeit a bit different from the original podcast. In the first few episodes, it is definitely a bit of a harder watch and harder to get hooked into-- the acting and the script feel a bit awkward and forced, but nearing the last half of the series you really begin to feel the weight of their situation as they struggle to stay awake.

Now obviously its not perfect-- from a filmmakers standpoint, there are some spots that I felt like could have been done better, cuts and bits of dialogue and whatnot, but like i said before: once the crew and cast get their sea legs out under them, its such a interesting watch. Absolutely would watch again and cant wait until the new season comes out in 5 years lol.

I wasn't completely sure what to expect going into this, but i'm so glad i watched to the end! (summary of my review at the end)

what didn't work for me: the first episode especially was a little rough to get through. The character introductions and dialougue had me cringing at points as a writer myself. Some of the graphics/gore at points felt unrealistic, as well as some of the acting. I learned after my first watch that the show was low budget, so i can obviously give some grace for that sake, though i feel it is unfair for fans to blindly give 10/10 ratings just because mark was apart of it. There were a few questions i had left unanswered, (i'm unsure if there will be a season 2) and some points of the plot and pacing were a little confusing. I was expecting the edge of sleep to be a movie, so i was surprised to see it as a show, though i think it would've done just as well as a movie. It still doesn't make complete sense to me why it was chosen to have six 20 minutes episodes rather than a continuous film, especially when all of the episodes were released at once and not aired weekly like a show.

What DID work for me: my GOODNESS, the way the really intense scenes were set up, especially towards the end! I'd love to go in depth about my feelings about how much i connected with certain scenes, but i'd like to keep my review spoiler free. Still, i CAN say that i had my jaw drop at three or four specific parts lol. The cinematography, the soundtrack and ambience, and some of the visuals were all breathtaking for an indie production. As mentioned in the title of my review, i've been watching mark's content online for about 8 years now, but i keep my opinions unbiased when i say i was pleasantly surprised by his acting in quite a few of his scenes! I could really engage with the emotions he was portraying, and it really felt like i was watching dave rather than mark! Besides mark's acting, i was greatly impressed with eve's as well. Everyone had very good chemistry on screen. And again, i learned after the fact that the show was low budget, but at some points i legitimately wouldn't have known the difference! :o

summary: all in all, even if you're not a markiplier fan, i'd give this one a go. It's not perfect, and i could really see it falling short for you if the thriller/apocalypse genre is your bread and butter, but i can say that i'd personally watch it again! The edge of sleep has it's flaws and strong points, with some aspects working really well and some not so much at different points throughout the series. Overall i feel that everyone who worked on the edge of sleep, both the show and the podcast should be very proud of what they've created, and for being low budget no less!

I can't think of a show like this one, it's paving its own way in a really interesting form. An amazing show with clearly a lot of love thrown into it, Edge of Sleep deserves praise for a well written plot, incredible directing, and an engaging cast. It captures this idea of dreams on film in a way I don't think I've seen before. Their disorganized shots of these dreams captures the surrealism and disorientation of night terrors, and the cast also acts very well as their exhaustion progresses. The characters start out exhausted and emotional, but as their exhaustion grows you can see their emotions and reactions fade in a way that's clearly both intentional, and incredible acting wise.

I really like Mark, so I really wanted to like this. The show isn't bad but it's okay. Each character doesn't play their role correctly in my opinion. I feel as though I can see how each character should've been played compared to how they were. So the acting is a bit rough. But overall the show is okay. It's a bit predictable. The way it's edited is a bit bleak. I feel like i could've been sucked into this world a bit more than I was. By no means is this show bad though. I enjoyed watching every episode and I finished it in one sitting. It made me a little scared to take a nap. You should definitely watch it however, just know the acting is a little mediocre, and the plot is a little predictable.