dan-abbot

Thoroughly enjoyed all seasons of this series. The storyline was an excellent take on Thor, combining mythology with everyday modern life. The actors and setting in Norway were perfect - they all did an amazing job. Humor was great too with the mom and sons. The only questionable scenes were when several characters picked up the hammer. The last episode was a surprise, but they did a great job of interspersing struggles with his mental breakdown. It was actually quite refreshing to see a more human side and deeper meaning to the standard superhero stories, and it doesn't limit where they go in the future if they wanted to.

The show held some promise, but it didn't work for a few reasons, mainly the writing. The storyline was slow, and the characters were weak, not authentic to the 80s (except for their clothes). Only Paul Reiser and Ennis Esmer were engaging. The lead character just drifted, always depending on other people to push him to do anything, whether it was getting a job or going on a date. All the females were written as unrealistic teen male fantasies (eg., the "artist" interested in painting male nudes, or the "naive blond" only focused on marrying 1 guy, or the "fit lifeguard" interested in an unhealthy stoner). If you want to see realistic characters of the 80s, watch Breakfast Club, Ferris Beuller, or St. Elmo's Fire instead.

Our family very much enjoyed this documentary. Amazing cinematography and animal close-ups, engaging story lines, and moments of suspense and surprise. The naming of the animals was very helpful when following the complex family dynamics and interactions with the various generations. Don't worry about the "anthropomorphism" mentioned by another reviewer - this technique was pioneered by Jane Goodall, and is now very much accepted by the scientific community (it was shunned back in the 60s because of people wanting to believe in the superiority of humans). As primatologists and neurobiologists have said, animals and humans share behaviors, and giving animals names has helped us understand their unique communities, cultures, and emotions. Very inspiring series to help us appreciate the natural world around us.