An archivist hired to restore a collection of tapes finds himself reconstructing the work of a filmmaker and her investigation into a dangerous cult.An archivist hired to restore a collection of tapes finds himself reconstructing the work of a filmmaker and her investigation into a dangerous cult.An archivist hired to restore a collection of tapes finds himself reconstructing the work of a filmmaker and her investigation into a dangerous cult.
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Archive 81 is a fine series that limits itself in many ways.
It never goes full mystery and never tries to bend your mind and leave you confused for a couple of episodes.
What it does most of the time is it builds up to something, leaves it right away, builds up 5 new things and 2-3 episodes later tries to pick up on these but gives up. Some episodes are also tonally very different, which shows in random motivation and attitude changes, like when our main lead suddenly goes Oceans 11.
Surprisingly enough, the most mysterious episodes were done by Benson&Moorhead duo, although I dislike their other films.
If you strip the series of all the basic "cult" shenanigans (overused by Kill List, Hereditary, The Empty Man), the story becomes so simplistic they sum it up in a few sentences in the last episode.
The series has a nice feel to it, the atmosphere is great, although sometimes it's grainy, sometimes not, and color correction changes, there's probably a reason for that.
Acting-wise only the supporting cast performances can be enjoyed (although sometimes completely misdirected), the main archivist lead is wooden and a complete bore, lost girl Melody is memorable, but not due to the acting, she's unique in some way, but I can not say for sure why. Sadly we didn't get enough supporting characters on screen. Even though some of them were barely believable, like the Davenport brother, who is so useless you can't buy him for a powerful company CEO.
The 90ties setting was ok, they didn't go full nostalgia, but kept some of the pop culture references.
If the ending wasn't such a cliched failure, I'd give Archive 81 an 8-9. It is still a good watch, just drags a lot, wasting too much time on boring leads. Additional creativity would've greatly improved this. Like seriously, if the most intriguing part in your series is the otherworld and the demon-god, at least try to make these look good.
It never goes full mystery and never tries to bend your mind and leave you confused for a couple of episodes.
What it does most of the time is it builds up to something, leaves it right away, builds up 5 new things and 2-3 episodes later tries to pick up on these but gives up. Some episodes are also tonally very different, which shows in random motivation and attitude changes, like when our main lead suddenly goes Oceans 11.
Surprisingly enough, the most mysterious episodes were done by Benson&Moorhead duo, although I dislike their other films.
If you strip the series of all the basic "cult" shenanigans (overused by Kill List, Hereditary, The Empty Man), the story becomes so simplistic they sum it up in a few sentences in the last episode.
The series has a nice feel to it, the atmosphere is great, although sometimes it's grainy, sometimes not, and color correction changes, there's probably a reason for that.
Acting-wise only the supporting cast performances can be enjoyed (although sometimes completely misdirected), the main archivist lead is wooden and a complete bore, lost girl Melody is memorable, but not due to the acting, she's unique in some way, but I can not say for sure why. Sadly we didn't get enough supporting characters on screen. Even though some of them were barely believable, like the Davenport brother, who is so useless you can't buy him for a powerful company CEO.
The 90ties setting was ok, they didn't go full nostalgia, but kept some of the pop culture references.
If the ending wasn't such a cliched failure, I'd give Archive 81 an 8-9. It is still a good watch, just drags a lot, wasting too much time on boring leads. Additional creativity would've greatly improved this. Like seriously, if the most intriguing part in your series is the otherworld and the demon-god, at least try to make these look good.
Wasn't sure what to expect from this series as it has quite a few great reviews, and quite a few bad (which mostly complain that its slow and boring). Well, I watched it anyway and Glad I did.
I thought it was one of the better Mystery / Sci-fi thrillers I've seen in quite a while. I don't really consider it Horror, but it is very suspenseful, creepy, and a bit anxiety inducing. I love creepy cult movies, and lots of Victorian architecture, artworks, and sculpture eye candy and Long Creepy Labyrinthian Hallways and eerie basements and such. So scored quite a few points from me just for that. I love Dante's Inferno too.
If you have the focus and attention span of a Mayfly, then this is NOT for you. If your a person who grew up in the 60's and 70's as a kid and are used to tension being built up slowly, then you May well enjoy this like I did.
I just binged 1st season and Loved it and Hope they get a season 2. Can't wait. ;D.
I actually enjoyed the actors, and while I didn't recognize a lot of the actors, seeing Matt McGorry as a secondary character and comic relief was quite fun.
So, if your unsure still, give the 1st episode a chance. You may well find a new series to add to your future watchlist. :D.
I thought it was one of the better Mystery / Sci-fi thrillers I've seen in quite a while. I don't really consider it Horror, but it is very suspenseful, creepy, and a bit anxiety inducing. I love creepy cult movies, and lots of Victorian architecture, artworks, and sculpture eye candy and Long Creepy Labyrinthian Hallways and eerie basements and such. So scored quite a few points from me just for that. I love Dante's Inferno too.
If you have the focus and attention span of a Mayfly, then this is NOT for you. If your a person who grew up in the 60's and 70's as a kid and are used to tension being built up slowly, then you May well enjoy this like I did.
I just binged 1st season and Loved it and Hope they get a season 2. Can't wait. ;D.
I actually enjoyed the actors, and while I didn't recognize a lot of the actors, seeing Matt McGorry as a secondary character and comic relief was quite fun.
So, if your unsure still, give the 1st episode a chance. You may well find a new series to add to your future watchlist. :D.
Because episode 4 changes everything.
Sometimes people need to have patience to see where it goes and don't give up after one episode... Yes! The first 3 episodes are a bit slow which doesnt't mean they are boring and the acting is not bad, but episode 4 gets things in motion in a good way, at least for me.
For now it's a 8.
Sometimes people need to have patience to see where it goes and don't give up after one episode... Yes! The first 3 episodes are a bit slow which doesnt't mean they are boring and the acting is not bad, but episode 4 gets things in motion in a good way, at least for me.
For now it's a 8.
Finally great supernatural horror drama. Yes, it is slow and definitely not for people with short attention span. Also, not for people who look for gore or silly jump scares. But it is super creepy. I started to watch at night and had to stop because felt uncomfortable alone in apartment with this show. Finished the next day when sun was shining. It is well done, the atmosphere is intense, actors are great. Highly recommended for people who like slow burn mystical shows.
I really liked the grainy 80s aesthetic and oppressive, isolated atmosphere. The show starts out very strong with a slow mystery revealing itself reminding me a lot of Lost (2004), the framing of the story, largely through replaying of VHS tapes is clever and disorienting leaving you questioning the reality you're seeing. The 2 leads and very good as is the best friend character and there is a strong emotional undercurrent as well as paranormal and horror elements. However, as I often find with shows like this, it is exceptionally difficult to deliver on the mystery. As the show builds to conclusion I felt some level of repetitiveness as well disappointment as more is revealed and the subtlety is gradually replaced with propulsive action and characters become more archetypal. That said, overall I still really enjoyed it and love that stuff like this is being made with a good budget behind it.
Did you know
- TriviaNetflix announced in March 2022, just two months after its premiere, that the show had been cancelled even though it received good reviews and even entered Netflix's self-reported Top 10 list. Netflix didn't give a reason for the cancellation. Many fans started tweeting requests for other streaming services to pick it up.
- GoofsDina Shihabi's character, Melody Pendras, films her Visser Building research tapes in 1994. The camera she uses is a Sony CCD-TRV65 which wasn't manufactured until 1998.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Half in the Bag: 2022 Mid-Year Catch-Up Part 1 (TV Shows) (2022)
- How many seasons does Archive 81 have?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.00:1
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