The Swarm

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!

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!

The Bad: stiff and badly written dialogues, awkward voice acting, annoying accents that aren't even cliché like a lot of things in this adaption

The Good: an intriguing story about a biological/environmental threat and how to deal with it (different than your standard zombie apocalypse show) with the right amount of nerdiness to my liking.

The portrayal of the story's philosophical/spiritual aspects was executed too cautiously, imho and deserves more focus.

By the way: I hereby offer my services as voice acting coach for (German) actors.

Years of experience and a fine ear for subtleties. ;-)

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.

Here's the thing if you have read the book "The Swarm" it sounds like you might not be a fan of this TV adaptation. If you haven't then enjoy it like I am. It seems common for book fans to trash any TV/movie version of the work they love, so use your own judgment and don't be swayed by the naysayers.

Three episodes in I'm' really intrigued. I love the different global locations and the sense that nature is rebelling at human's ecological destruction.

The budget must be major considering how well it's shot and looks, acting is good, the suspense is building and I love how slowly things are revealed. I can't wait for future episodes.