Cruel Intentions

Three stars for the first four episodes, but it got better after that.

Still not good enough to even come close to rivalling the 1999 Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Philippe, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" movie. (Written as a kid in Year Nine in 1999, and enamoured with a few scenes in that movie in particular!)

Sarah Catherine Hook is the best thing about the show. She is perfectly cruel, devious and manipulative as Caroline Merteuil, one half of the step-brother/sister focus of the series.

If you stick out the first four episodes, it does get better. But by then it's too late for the series as a whole.

Sometimes Amazon should just leave it alone. This and "Roadhouse" are two examples of modern treatments that should have stayed on the cutting room floor, so to speak.

I'll start by saying I don't usually write reviews. However, as someone who typically only watches shows with an IMDb rating above 6.0ish, I felt compelled to share my thoughts. I hope my review encourages others not to skip this show solely based on its current ratings.

This show deserves at least a 6.5 rating. Its main issue isn't the quality itself but the inevitable comparisons to the original Cruel Intentions movie. Remakes or spin-offs rarely live up to the original, and the low ratings seem to reflect that bias. Had the show been titled something else, allowing it to stand on its own merit, it likely would have received a much fairer reception.

I thought the cast was well chosen, with Caroline and Lucien standing out as compelling "villains." Their performances added depth to the story, and I hope the show gets a second season.

Give it a try!

Where did you find these actors and why are you trying to redo this Iconic film again! Do you really think any of these people can possibly play these parts better then or anywhere near as good as, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon or Slema Blair. I don't think so. I guess for the kid these days that aren't used to seeing really good acting may think this is good but it's not. Sorry but I think this 3rd attempt at this should be your last it just doesn't get it. I don't know where these young actors are coming from but they are not being taught by the people that formed the older group of actors. They just done cut it. I'am sorry, maybe it's because I'am older and I grew up with the best. The new ones are few and far between. In my opinion.

Other than Sara Silva who played CeCe, all of the actors were terribly cast. To say the acting was subpar is an understatement. Not to say they aren't decent actors... But the main characters definitely weren't suited for these roles. The storyline was decent, and while it is understood these aren't the same characters as the original movie, they are loosely based on them. It's not a completely different story.... They mimicked certain scenes from the original, like Caroline kissing Annie. Lucian was meant to be a sexy character like Sebastian was, but how it was thought Zak Burgess was the right look and actor for this role is lost on me. Sara Catherine Hook, who played Caroline, did a decent job of playing a bitch, but like Zak and the Lucien character, they didn't really pull off "sexy and seductive". It would have helped to not use the Cruel Intentions title, for the show, but regardless, these actors and actresses just missed the mark.

Seriously. What are they doing? What were they thinking? The worst is the guy playing Lucien. Why would the girls think he's attractive? He looks 14 and is neither suave or debonair. In the scene where he got the attention of the VPs daughter, he looks like a child trying to look like Ferris Bueller. There are some redeeming characters, but not enough to keep you watching. I miss the days when a movie or series did not intentionally try to cover all their bases by including every social demographic and sexual preference. Or at least do it in a way that doesn't come off as forced. Maybe they should have visited a few colleges to get some perspective. If they did, and that's what they found... we need help.