Nautilus

I like it! So, I said it. And I am going to explain why I like it.

In a TV world where there is not much offered in terms of variety, it is nice to see this kind of genre coming to life. I mean, do we really need another crime/police/lawyer/doctor/fire fighting series? Is the zombie scene not fully explored? Are the Marvel, DC and Star Wars series not too much by now? Do we need another spin off of some series just because the executives think we will watch it anyway so they can make some more money with the same idea? My answer would be; NO!

Nautilus is a great adventures series and has no real connection, story wise, with the original 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea story by Jules Verne. They focus on the Nautilus and its Captain, Nemo, and his merry mix of crew and passengers. So, just relax, watch, enjoy.

First things first, I don't remember much of the original, reading it in translation when I was a kid. So whatever discrepancies there are in the series with original (of which, I'm sure, there's aplenty), I can't tell. Judging the first season as "based on something", it's a very decent adventure with distinct characters and a straightforward plot and narrative. I liked the character design and portrayal, and most of the acting too. Scene and gear design is also great, IMO - the Nautilus is sleek and swift, the Dreadnought is heavy and menacing, insides of both are also accordingly delicate and utilitarian. It looks great, and complements the story greatly too.

The main downside, as I see it, is the script - not in terms of storyline but in terms of character relationship dynamics. At times, it's unbelievably cringy and stereotypical, with all the cutout mistrust and disdain for no reason, it's just too teenage and cartoonish for the otherwise realistic-looking settings. I mean, it's obviously fantastical and unreal, but it's at no point deliberately magical or superpower-like or anything. Also the ending is a bit too abrupt and haphazard.

I'm not sure there will be season 2, but season 1 is fairly finalised - with a promise of more, of course, but as an extra, not as a cliffhanger. It's a decent watch for a plain but exciting adventure.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is one of my favorite books of all time. As a movie and book lover, I have no mercy for filmmakers who take too much liberty when adapting wildly known works. Even though it is not an adaptation per se, since here we only focus on Captain Nemo, the character himself is the main interest of the original story. Therefore screwing this up would be the same as screwing up Jules Verne's masterpiece.

And after watching the whole series, I'll put it with simple words:

It is BLASPHEMOUS as an adaptation but ENJOYABLE as entertainment material.

Captain Nemo's backstory as a fallen indian wealthy Prince is accurate but...that's it. Really. Apart from that, everything else is pure invention like how he built the Nautilius or how he assembled his crew. There are no women in his original crew but in modern society that would not slide, so they had to include that one typical smart independant woman to serve as a love interest and as a sort of challenger for Nemo's genius. Surprisingly, as much as I hate the modern feminism agenda in modern filmmaking, I realy liked the main female character. Instead of being that arrogant I-know-everything-more-than-anyone-else type that we all hate, they pulled off a character that has a nice balance betweem being feminine and intelligent. Nice job...for once.

The rest of the cast is a nice heterogenous mix of cultures and ethnic backgrounds, that in the context of the story does not feel forced like other films and series we see today.

The acting is descent and the cinematography could have been better if they focused more on the beauty and the wilderness of the ocean instead of the inside of the submarine. I didn't find the CGI to be as terrible as I some other viewers think. There were great and you can see that they put a lot of effort in the underwater sequences.

As a complete fanatic of the original book, I actually enjoyed it but I had to give in after the first episode and admit that it won't be a faithful backstory of our beloved Captain Nemo and his Legendary Submarine.

My advice for you is to watch it as a high-budget fan fiction and not as an actual adaptation. That way you'll get through all episodes without any high expectations and just enjoy the journey with the characters.

...clearly, because it is not just quite good, it is rather excellent!

So far a brilliant adaption to the original story from time honoured Science Fiction genius Jules Verne who, as the better SF Authors have been known to do, predicted technology (in this case submarines) well before they were a reality.

The cast is excellently chosen with the interactions and conflicts not only believable, but enthralling.

All the effects are immersive and cleverly drawn from historical realities mixed in with the fantasy derived from Vernes vision.

The story itself is character driven, with the infamous Nautilus being the biggest of these. Being drawn into the tale is fantastic fun, with the entire cast playing endearing characters from the villianous Admiral to the tormented Nemo and rest of the quirky unique crew of the Nautilus.

With Disney's latest offerings into SciFi, this comes as no surprise that an excellent Series was dropped by them. Bless AMC's cotton socks for picking it up, and I fervently hope enough people are exposed to this that they keep giving us more!

(UPDATED REVIEW: In order to reflect my change of star ratings. I still rate the first 3 episodes a solid 9/10, but it splashes down to a firm 7 until the final 30mins)

I remember this going into production the other year, and really looking forward to it, but I'm finding it hard to figure out what's the target ordinance, as it's not magical enough for kids, and a little underwhelming for adults. It looks like a Disney ride, and there's budget CGI, which dose not help the overall look. The characters are all a little predictable, as are the storylines, which is a real shame. I want to like it, but to be honest have found it a little boring. The touch paper has been lit, but I'm still waiting for the bang, which I'm hoping with come in a few episodes down the line.