Le secret de la plume

I've watched many children's shows with my girls as they grew up and thought this series would be fun. Watching the 1st episode I thought something was off. By the end of the 2nd episode I believe it is the acting. Stiff, awkward. The flow between actors is missing.

I find the children actors are not connected, hesitant acting, missing the flow where they work off each other. Instead GW feels amateurish. The principle is flat, like a stick character re-sighting lines (cannot act). As other's state in their reviews, no magic, no energy. The role of the queen is also flat like she just woke up from a nap.

The only two character who have energy are the Rabbit - excitement in his voice and this is a voice over. The 2nd is the little sister. The actors don't work well together. A puzzle with the wrong pieces.

I'm not a huge fan, but my 7 year old likes it ... so the show has hit the correct target audience .... generally speaking most Apple TV shows are very slow .. at least this one is better than amazing stories ....

As a lover of the original series, I was/am excited about this remake and couldn't wait to watch it. Episodes 1-4 were a bit too slow but the show starts picking up some speed around episode 5. If I'm honest the show does seem a little lackluster and missing some of the magic from the original. The secret pact, the pen necklaces and secret notebooks, all made it feel more like an exclusive club in the original. This one lacks that feel and fails to knock on the nostalgia heartstrings so far. ( It's modernized, I get It but I wish it had some of that feel) I do enjoy this remake though and although I'm not a huge fan of the books characters coming to life, I like that it might get a kid to pick up a book they might not have. All in all, if you can watch this and not compare it to the original you'll enjoy it more in my opinion.

It's a pretty clever reimagining. They've taken the core elements from the original show and given the damn ghost and the characters something new and different to do. It's nice to see some beloved stories come to the forefront and play a role in the plot of each episode and how their themes tie into the situations the kids are dealing with in the present.

Some issues to point out; the acting from some of the adults is pretty meh. Namely the grandfather (book store owner) and a nurse in episode 3.....And I don't know why, but in a lot of the closeup shots the cinematographer decided to leave a lot of negative space, to the point it seems like the actors faces are about to leave the side of the screen. Why did anyone think this was a good look? It's pretty amateurish and jarring.

Other than that, the show itself is find and a wonderful 20 something minutes for kids. KIDS. That's right, the bad reviews for this seem to think this was made for them and are judging it as adult programming. The original show, had it came out the same way today, would have been panned. I guess the onslaught of adult cynicism never ends its cycle, huh?

I'm not really sure why this show has gotten such terrible reviews. Maybe it's because I actually watched the original series, but I think this remake is highly enjoyable. I find the acting to be super believable, the writing is charming and heartfelt, and I even think the special fx are decent. Now, I do think that this show is more intended for young children, since they often present each episode's narrative as if you won't know pretty famous book characters, like Alice in Wonderland. If you're looking for something yo watch with your kids, or you're just in the mood for something different, I think Ghostwriter is a great show to enjoy.