Me

I really enjoyed watching the new TV series, Me because it offers a take that I could relate to on tween and teenage years and the ups and downs of discovering who you are.

When 12-year-old Ben (Lucian-River Chauhan) moves in with a new father and stepsister after his mother (Dilshad Valsaria) remarries, his life turns upside down. As Ben is adjusting to a new school and new friends he suddenly realizes he has the ability to shapeshift into anyone around him! The only problem is, he can't control when it happens and who he becomes. Ben and his stepsister Max (Abigail Pniowsky) attempt to discover what triggers the shift and uncover the truth about his abilities, discovering much bigger secrets along the way.

The creators of Me had a brilliant idea and flawlessly executed it. It's not every day we get to see a tween superhero. Me has just the right ratio of fantasy to real life that makes it relatable to tween and teenage viewers. For example, Ben struggles with being bullied, which unfortunately many kids can relate to. He faces the dilemma of whether or not he should use his powers to shapeshift into and expose the bully, Jason, because doing so would mean bullying another kid. The right decision is not always clear, especially to young people, because we are still learning from our experiences. Even though Ben has these extraordinary abilities, in many ways he is in the same boat as the rest of us, discovering who he is, what his values and beliefs are, and how to do the right thing. The "superhero" aspect of Ben's life is balanced by his age. Another feature of the show that caught my attention are the special effects, especially during the storm. The combination of the sight, sound, the actors' reactions, and especially the angle from which it is shot makes it feel three-dimensional, as though you are standing inside the tornado. Special effects are also used to show the special abilities of some of the other characters, such as levitation and the ability to shoot ice on command. Superhero fans will enjoy this aspect of the show, plus it contains fast-paced battle scenes, acts of magic, and an interesting subplot following the secret society of PEOPLE behind Ben's abilities.

The show's message is that we are always learning about ourselves and discovering who we are. Your identity is unique and you should embrace who you are because there is no other person like you. No one can be you better than you can be. Be aware that this show contains many scenes of bullying, both verbal and mild physical violence, but no blood is shown.

I give Me 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 10 to 18, plus adults. Me releases on Apple TV on July 21, 2024. By Ella S., KIDS FIRST!

Dilshad Vadsaria is amazing. Her talented acting and ability to fit the role created an atmosphere for excellent screen presence. Everyone else, very average and basic performance, in the "needs improvements" arena. Each of these actors did ok, but was not really "selling" the role. The writing did not help, as the storyline was way below the standard I would expect from apple production. The show is riddled with painfully obvious foreshadowing, and subtle "hints" to the audience, it's very lazy writing lacking creativity. Overall the production was not terrible, plenty of funding spent and it doesn't look cheap. It's edited well, someone deserves an award for that. Can't say the same for the script.

This is written in mid July 24 just after the official release. The reviews of ME are all over the map, and that's just not fair. First and foremost, it is a teen show show aimed at teens. It is not trying to be the next BUFFY. Second, it is produced in Canada for a fraction of a fraction of what a similar production would cost in Hollywood. The reviews that keep harping on production values and SFX seem to have missed this fact, or deliberately misunderstood it. Third, it is genuinely clever -- mostly -- and offers a fresh take on old problems. The over-the-top reviews are too high, and the trash reviews are unfair, and a bit on the mean side. Try it out for what it is, and give it a chance. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

I finished all 10 episodes asking myself the same questions. Why did I watched it, and why would I want to continue watching any more. The stories are just so incredibly juvenile that it's very hard to find any excitement or fun. Also the supernatural abilities were very poorly used in the plot. The story meanders into ridiculous situations and ends with ridiculous outcomes. Somehow I managed to get through all of the episodes of season 1, but looking back I still wonder how I was able to muster that much patience for it. It was a little like watching Saturday Cartoons, you have to just turn your brain off and go with it. Only the pay off wasn't there, and afterwards, none of it felt worthwhile.

I found that the story telling is not good, like the main star saying about himself at the beginning of the show. The producers in order to make a 20 min show using foreshadowing and review for half of that. So a 20 min show becomes 10 cause we have already seen in other episodes. Then they repeat the same thing through the episodes. It's like they need a filler to make the 20 min show. It's annoying and is very bad story telling.

I just wish they would stop being a cheap company and actually do the filming to make the show full. I think that if this show is not to be cancelled than stop the poor editing and make the show properly.