The Swarm

I just don't understand all the negative reviews for this show. Every single scene is beautifully photographed and directed. The pace of the story is that of an old time apocalyptic disaster movie and there are definite references in the style to Jaws and 2001. The look of it is high class with astonishing camerawork. Maybe the negative reviews come from a desire to see more visceral action and drama. I think that this is similar to classic movies such as The Exorcist, a slow start that builds and builds. Even here though there are moments of real drama. There are clearly expensive location shoots and all are brilliantly done. I rate this show highly and congratulate the production team on their work. UPDATE: I posted the above review after watching the first three episodes and I stand by all I said. However, the subsequent five episodes all display a marked reduction in each of the elements that made the show so impressive. The photography, direction and editing all changed to become far more mundane and less engaging. The references to 2001 are still there, very obviously so and there are also clear influences from James cameron's The Abyss. The overall idea is no more silly than originally expected but the diminished quality prevents any meaningful buy-in.

None of the critics like this series. I do! The book, which I read 20 years ago, was at the level of a penny dreadful, with amateurishly crafted action scenes copied from movies and implausible characters. All this is no longer present in the first three episodes of der Schwarm, or has been completely deleted from the script. No more military saving the world, no more Wolfgang Emmerich doomsdays on the screen. Instead, slow plot developments with small, subtle catastrophes. This makes you want more and is decidedly different from the usual German series you see on TV. And fortunately, different from the book!

Some really grumpy reviews, here. Some people should ask themselves why they expect so much. Personally, if I like the concept, I can pretty much use my own imagination to fill the void and, in this case, the concept is an interesting one. 'The Earth fighting back' is slowly developing into a thought provoking genre. One that's highly relevant to today's global discourse; the earth will live on without us if we don't kill it first. If, like some others here, you need your movies/tv/music/art to do all the work for you, then yes, give it a miss. If not and you've got some hours to kill, give it a go 🤷‍♂️

A few scenes of activity split by LOTS of boring dialogue between characters so two-dimensional that it is hard to relate to them. The personal interaction relates to previous, unknown events which do little to add to the storyline.

Scenes filmed are very dark, even those shot outdoors. Unnecessarily irritating. The jumping from suggested location to another creates a discontinuity which shouldn't exist.

I forced myself to watch all episodes. Instead of saying "wow, that was great" I was left thinking that something was lacking and I felt unfulfilled as an audience. I hope there isn't going to be a follow-up series.

I heard a few bad things before watching. I don't agree with them.

Having seen three episodes so far, it seems to be a good show. Of course, there are five more episodes to go. We will see if they change my mind.

What's good so far is the build up of suspense. You get the idea that there is something up pretty fast, but you are kept clueless about the details. Some think it's a bit long-winded, but I like the pace of the first three episodes.

They saved money and kept the action/disaster scenes a bit short, but I don't mind that too much.

I read the book when it came out, almost 20 years ago. I don't remember much, so I don't mind that there are differences.