Une nature sauvage

Untamed attempts to create a raw nature drama, but it gets bogged down in clichés and artificial production. The alcoholic park ranger, with his fake, hoarse voice, seems forcedly dramatic, and his relationship with the tame horse feels like cheap symbolism. The cast-ranging from a directive commander and an understanding chief to a redneck ranger and a young, inexperienced female colleague-seems plucked from a screenwriting workshop rather than from a believable reality. The biggest shortcoming is the sound: dialogue sounds detached from the images, as if poorly narrated later. As a result, scenes lack impact. Untamed aims for poignancy, but remains too easygoing on all fronts. Visually beautiful, content-wise, tame.

Beautifully shot, apparently often not in the Yosemite where access is difficult but in stand-in British Columbia. The settings are still beyond breathtaking, wild and glorious, fitting of the Untamed moniker.

This series is not an action thriller by any stretch. There might be action moments, and moments of unbearable tension and suspense, and even numerous twists and plot turns, but this is not really an action or crime series. This is a series about grief, human relationships and especially family - the relationships of parents to children - and the lengths people will go to and the suffering they have to deal with when those family bonds fracture.

Reviewers who complain it is a slow burner, or that the premise is not exactly fresh (murdered young Jane Doe in an effective and shocking early scene, so stoic but secretly angst-ridden macho style lawman Bana investigates) are missing the point. Or rather, looking in the wrong place. Even the Guardian reviewer criticizes that there is too much time looking at a young dead woman on a slab (intimating voyeuristic) and that the other women are kind of a nuisance in the way of the super hero guy on whom they all depend. This is simply not true. Colleague Vasquez literally saves Turner's life when he idiotically troops off into the wilderness alone to take down a drug-dealing super-sniper with a high-powered rifle; his ex-wife takes out the killer of their child. Besides which, both women are superbly acted and profoundly realized individuals. As is Jane Doe; through flashbacks and snippets, we achieve a sense of her that is real and profoundly poignant, incredibly rare in victim portrayals. She feels like a person of joy and potential that was lost to a life of needless tragedy.

The acting is top-notch from all, especially Eric Bana and his ex-wife Rosemary DeWitt. Their nuanced relationship, the understanding each can only receive from the other despite the pain and the ruin of their marriage, is terrible and yet wonderful to watch.

Performances, setting, cinematography, pacing, script and character development are all a cut above.

If there is a flaw, it is in maybe too much being squeezed into the last episode. The Sean Sanderson running mystery: solved (not resolved), but Jill killing her child's murderer seems like a huge thing, not something to be squashed in belatedly and then forgotten. And then the Souter (Sam Neill) murder of his daughter does not fit with his character at all, nor is the manner of her death plausible. He accidentally shoots her with a high-powered rifle at distance while trying to talk to her? It just doesn't work, not even with the "saving his family" rationale. Sometimes the final twist is just a twist too far, and this is one of those times. Plus they've wasted a perfectly good character, one of those grounding anchor characters, who now can't come back in season 2.

Despite the caveats, enthralling stuff brilliantly acted in a great location, what's not to like?

I just binge-watched all the episodes and loved the beautiful and breathtaking nature as well as the cinematography. The plot was interesting and kept me engaged until the end. The actors' performances were solid, though not particularly memorable. Unfortunately, the twist at the end was somewhat unsatisfying and felt implausible.

While Turner has previously been known for tying up loose ends, this miniseries didn't quite manage that. The pacing felt rushed, and the editing prevented the story from building any real suspense. Certain scenes were predictable, and some of the minor subplots had potential but were not developed to their fullest.

I appreciated the personal stories of Turner and Vasquez, but I was left with many unanswered questions about the murder and the events that led up to it.

All in all, a solid production and time well spent-but not something I'll remember or feel the need to watch again.

Untamed is a good watch-the stunning backdrop alone, will make it worth your while. Bana delivers an intense performance, embodying both vulnerability and strength, while Santiago adds emotional depth with her portrayal, creating a strong chemistry that will draw you into the story. It was also good to see Raoul Max Trujillo (Apocalypto). The cinematography is great, and captures the majestic landscapes, enhancing its menacing atmosphere. However, the pacing is a little off, it feels somewhat rushed, with key plot developments and character arcs lacking exploration, which will tend to leave you wanting more depth. Despite these issues, it's engaging with a blend of suspense and emotional resonance, making it captivating. Give it a shot.

This review is only based on the first two episodes. Bana as always gives a good watchable performance and Neil is always solid. Also good is Santiago from the La Brea series. Beautiful landscapes though I've read it's not filmed in Yosemite where we've been to so that's a shame. It is a slow burn but so far not the least bit boring. Good mystery so far and there was a twist not related to the crime which was shocking but makes sense in the proceedings. So far the only detraction is the pining of the ex wife who obviously still cares for him but settled for some boring dude. Perhaps this will become relevant in succeeding episodes but for now the scenes just drag. Despite that at a short 6 episodes this is an easy watch. Don't let the haters of virtually just about everything except of course when it's pretentious junk ( which is the only thing they like) deter you from a good show. Try to give it a chance and you might find some great entertainment here. Highly recommended so far.