The Swarm

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 🤷‍♂️

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!

A bit derivative and formulaic, it doesn't really scream top of the line. But, at the same time, there is no nonsense. And viewers are not treated like idiots, as is the case in most productions of this level. Big thanks to the producers for that. Of course, here and there the screenwriting "heavy handedness" forces a naive or illogical "drama", but, for the most part, 90% of what is shown makes sense.

A refreshingly thoughtful and consistent TV product whose current IMDB rating doesn't reflect its true value and one were "why on earth is this character doing what he's doing" hallmark of bad and cheap TV will not pop up every now and than and spoil the overall experience.

I loved "The Swarm". But in its printed form, as the book was a clever and thrilling science thriller that had a few flaws but was nevertheless a page turner. So, I was looking forward to the show, expecting an intelligent thrill ride.

But nope.

This show would've been better off, if one of the bigger streaming services would have given it the right treatment. But this Euro-Production led by German national TV station ZDF is more talking about what happens, then showing it. The effects are nothing special and the changes they made could've worked, if not executed so poorly.

The cast is okay, though, but even they are not able to save the swarm from being a below average thriller/drama that has its moments but is not able to transport the feeling of a global, apocalyptic threat to the screen.

Everything seems "small" and the "possible end of the world" danger is absolutely lacking.

The author himself was not happy with the result and said in an interview "it is more soap, then thriller", and sadly, he is right. I would have given it 6 stars, but the last episode was such a disappointment, that I think an average rating for an average show is just right.

Maybe a bigger studio or streaming service will jump in and make it right. "The Swarm" deserves it!

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.