Katla

Katla is a chilling new eight-part Netflix series that has recently dropped on the streaming platform.

In Iceland, after the subglacial volcano Katla has been erupting constantly for a whole year, Gríma is still looking for her missing sister who disappeared the day the eruption started. As her hope of ever finding her body is fading, the residents of the surrounding area start to have visits from unexpected guests. There might be something hidden under the glacier no one could ever have foreseen. One year after the violent eruption of the subglacial volcano Katla, the peace and tranquility in the small town of Vik is dramatically disturbed.

The intensity in this series is high as it slowly builds a haunting mystery against this beautiful landscape. One of the better Netflix shows quite disturbing in the end . The film score is first class with some excellent haunting cello orchestration.

I finished this series up and the Dolby Vision cinematography is pretty incredible highlighting the different shades of gray in the in the Smoke of volcanic ash from the seismic disturbance . The visuals of the landscape is worth the price of admission. Katla is some really gorgeous TV Cinema.

From a cinematic standpoint, this is beautiful! I get why people might not like it since it's very slow, but if you have an eye for good cinematography it's a must-watch. The series is well written and produced with excellent acting. Worth the watch ! Now Bring on Season 2 .

I don't really get some of these lower ratings as I just finished the finale a few minutes ago and was throughly engaged throughout all 8 episodes. For what it was I will give it a very high rating because while the mystery was certainly very interesting, the show makes its real mark in its characters and their internal conflicts and relationships. I really can't wait for a 2nd season and hope it gets renewed!

20 plus years ago I had the honor of meeting show runner Balthasar Kormakur here in the states and then later in Iceland. The Icelandic government was trying to pitch him as the new Bergman. He certainly wasn't that but his work had it's own qualities that were great. So it was a surprise to see his name on this series after not hearing anything about him for so long.

The show is really engaging and certainly unusual due to the setting of a nearly abandoned town slowly getting covered in volcanic ash. Some parts of Iceland look like another planet in normal times but the addition of an active volcano really pushes the unreality to another level. I wonder how much of this is taking advantage of circumstance and how much has been created by a special effects team.

While the pacing might be slow to some people, it's not out of line with other Scandinavian series or movies. The characters are all interesting and lead me to wonder how I would fare if presented with this same situation.

I have called this an Icelandic Solaris. If you are not familiar with the Tarkovsky film or the book it came from, I will not get into spoilers trying to explain that. For those who are familiar with those works, you'll see what I'm talking about but that will not diminish your enjoyment of this series. One fair warning; the series ends not where you would expect it if this were made in the United States and might be upsetting to some.

The storyline moved at a snails pace but was utterly captivating. The premise was unique and the conclusion was poetic. The cinematography and special effects are magnificent throughout the series. Overall, a well made and well acted sci-fi/drama.