The Darkness

I'm Icelandic and worked crew on The Darkness. This was a big one for us, with many local people involved - all the way through to post. Even though it's in English, it still feels Icelandic to me. The silence, the light, the landscape - the feeling.

Most people don't know, but the first scripts had Huldakona - real hidden people - and I loved that. The director tried hard to include things that are deeply Icelandic, even if some parts were cut later (I don't know why). There was more of our culture in this story than what ended up on screen.

I just hope people stop attacking it. If there's no season two, we all lose. It was something good for Iceland. Don't kill it from pride.

This show just isn't worth your time. I tried to give it a chance, but after watching two episodes, I couldn't bring myself to continue. The pacing feels sluggish, and the story lacks any real hook to keep you invested. The characters are uninspired, and the dialogue often falls flat, making it hard to connect with anyone on screen. Additionally, the predictable political correctness woven into the narrative feels forced and unnecessary, detracting from any potential intrigue. Overall, the series feels unoriginal, lacking excitement or depth. It blends into the sea of standard content without leaving any lasting impression. Save yourself the time and skip this one.

...which appeared out of the blue here in Denmark on SkyShowtime.

I was pleasently surprised by the plot and twists, episode after episode. I won't spoil anything, but I bet ya that you can't figure out whodunnit. Love the cold setting that Island is too. Very vibey, moody and beautiful.

I've always liked Lena Olin, who I really "discovered" when watching "Romeo is Bleeding", also starring Gary Oldman. She gives a heartfelt, stellar performance in this series, as a mom and tough detective. It's really top notch.

Also very good performance from Jack Bannon, which I haven't seen before in a major role. Note to self: Check out his other work.

And as the cherry on the topping is that the series is directed by Lasse Hallström, which also directed the excellent "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" from 1993 starring Johnny Depp and other great movies. And it shows. The directing is tight, beautiful and to the point.

Definitely recommend this series.

Here's hoping for season 2.

Some absolutely great parts here - the photography, the field locations, Reykjavik looks beautiful. There are also some weak red-herrings in the plot. Also, some real acting talent is available but Doug Henshall from "Shetland" is completely wasted in a nothing and pointless role. But it's all squandered on a poor and poorly stitched-together narrative that felt rushed to a conclusion. Too many plot lines went nowhere, too many ideas thrown in (misogyny, indigenous and migrant bigotry), character motivations were poorly articulated and the lead actress had a cryptically explained personality and background too say the least.

Really disappointing.

We watched other Icelandic crime series before so we had high expectations, especially seeing Douglas Henshall's name amongst the actors, but we were soon disappointed. The conversations were absurd at points, serious plotholes, unexplored themes. The acting was terrible, especially Lena Olin. It was theatrical and ridiculous. The only actor who was almost good was Jack Bannon. We really wanted to believe that it could get better as we watch but no; it got worse and worse, to the point where we could not watch the last 20 minutes. Everything was cringe. It is sad that this story was butchered, it could have been good if it was done differently.