Reviews

Slow paced suspense drama based mostly around the time in days and years after the abduction of a young English boy in France, the parents are faced with the terror of the abduction and a police system which is different from their own in a language which is not their own. Lines can be drawn in a small way to a famous real life kidnapping of an English child overseas. I think that is where the similarity ends though. Elements of the drama seem a little far fetched but not beyond belief. I found its pace to be generally just enough to keep me engaged, yes is it slow and drawn out, like True Detective and The Fall and Top of the Lake. It doesn't make for a bad drama, I'm quite content that the grit of the story was more important than a fast paced US style drama. Unfortunately the ending was a bit clumsy and I think they left the door open for a 2nd series. This is probably a poor choice as the series sits better as a stand alone production. It is hard to see how a 2nd season could add realism.

Nesbit was gritty and at times annoying and perhaps occasionally overreached but overall a solid performance

Engaging and gritty

I'll make this short, the movies were long and to be honest although I read the "Lord" trilogy when I was a teen, many times by the third movie I had enough. I was only mildly interested in the Hobbit. My eldest daughter though had the bug and we saw the Hobbit series.

I was a passably good movie, the sets elaborate, the acting excellent, the fight scenes predictably too long and the ending somehow almost too soon.

I think that it was important for Jackson to wrap this up on a high because although his movies are spectacular in every way there is only so much high fantasy that one can take, only so many Orc's to kill and only so many hours that one can devote to a series without becoming worn and jaded.

It is an enjoyable indulgence but in the end I think I'm glad that it's all over.

OK, OK, I didn't do my homework, I saw it was based on Grimm fairy tales which my teenage kids love and I enjoy. I didn't have high expectations but perhaps something with a darker twist, say Van Helsing for example (not great but passable) I paid my $45, got the popcorn, watched the opening titles and then they began to sing! Oh no, a musical, I'm not a fan of musicals in the first place although Rocky Horror and Grease have their place. I'm not familiar with the stage show of Into the Woods and neither am I ever likely to become. The singing of some of the characters (although true to note) was like chalk on a blackboard to me.

Rapunzel disappears half way through with her prince. Cinderella's mother and sisters disappear in the forest with a warning from the witch but nothing occurs. There seems to be some parable in here about stoning old women to death being perhaps not a good thing (as the giants wife is a person too) but then they do it anyway with an us and them mentality. Not sure why Jacks mother had to die except to give the impression that the Baker and Cinderella may shack up at the end with all the orphans and the Bakers son. The Bakers wife dies after kissing the married Prince but he does not (is this a lesson in morality for children?). At least in the waterfall singing prince scene someone woke up to the ridiculousness of the situation and even they couldn't take themselves seriously. There was some semblance of Grimm provided by Johnny Depp who plays a suitably pedophile like wolf but I suspect he was happy his exit was very quick. Streep was good no doubt but how hard is it to play a villain anyway. There is something inherently simple about playing the bad guy and I think there was an opportunity to flesh out more complexity than just a bad witch. Her love for Rapunzel for example. I really don't know why Jacks cow was resurrected and not the Bakers wife?

Really my votes are for costumes and sets as well as some clever lyrics that I did pick up on throughout the show.

2 hours lost, one of my daughters was mildly amused by it and the other hated it more than I. We did laugh a lot on the way home about how bad it was.