The Institute

Haven't read the book so can't comment on adaptation but haven't watched such a well paced tension builder in a long time. The characters are likeable and the sci-fi concept sound, if you are a sci/fi fan you won't be disappointed with this one. The scenes with the kids can be a bit hard to watch and the villains are a bit OTT but it was a very enjoyable watch nonetheless.

SK adaptations have always been a bit mediocre, but I think its because its impossible to get the way SK writes to transfer to the screen. This one is quite good, better than a lot I have seen and I have seen pretty much everything. I read this book, it was pretty good but a long term King theme / hobby horse so nothing new. He does a lot of ESP based books, Carrie, Firestarter to name two well known ones. I can't be bothered with the naval gazing novels about Authors he had a thing about for a while but this is a return to classic King and it is a perfectly reasonable show.

I was born early 90s.. I have seen almost every tv show released since 1999.

Feels like after the pandemic tv shows started to show cracks that were not as common when there were more "gate keepers".

Netflix model has caused the death of good writing, good directing, good acting and I feel like movies and tv shows may have peaked in the 2010s later end.

Movies and tv shows are not old as time, gone with the wind was 1939..it's 2025 and even with more money and higher picture quality...substance seems to be lacking?

MGM? What are they doing? The lighting of the scenes looks weird, I feel like I'm watching a YouTube show? I use to look forward to shows, Hollywood feels dead.

At the time of this review there are four episodes available to watch.-

This show is pretty good. For me it mercifully buries a number of cliches under a layer of creative approach. I'm also a fan of the TV show "From" so use that to inform you what my tastes are like.

Some of the dialogue is cringe. Most of the acting is pretty good. One actor in particular is just reciting lines, Arlen So. Not really in the role at all.

Currently I'm looking forward to the next episode.

Lots of hype at the beginning, with a strong atmosphere, intriguing setup and characters that seemed to have great potential. But halfway through the 8 episodes, everything starts to fall apart. It feels like the writers couldn't keep the tension or properly tie things together, and what promised to be a truly gripping Stephen King adaptation ends up losing steam. By the end, you're left with the frustrating sense of wasted potential and an unfinished story that could've been so much better.