fragleswamp

As of writing this, many of the reviews here are 1/10 or 2/10 which in my opinion can't be legit reviews. I suspect they are reviews in large by folks that don't like that Arthur is black or they are people who will go on about agendas and not wanting female protagonists and the like. It is ok to not like a show, don't get me wrong but it should be judged on its merits. I feel context in this case is important. First, I'm not a fan of the Arthurian legend. Nothing against it, I just don't know it by heart and so I'm judging what this show is based on its own merits and not where it sits in comparison to how faithful it is to other tellings of the Arthurian legend. To be fair, I thought the show started a little weak and it took a while for the characters/actors to find their personalities and get comfortable, but once they did it all of a sudden became really good. Some elements were great. The acting is well done. The effects were really good, the plotting and story progression were well paced. I guess, a couple of minor critiques around the effects would be that in some cases I felt there should have been more people on screen and the costumes could have looked more worn and dirty to be believable. It wasn't too bad though. This is understandable and overall they did a good job. The animated interludes (used between scenes) grew on me and in the end I rather enjoyed them. I wasn't expecting them and I had to warm to them, but some are quite cool. I felt at points the plot slowed but I feel those points were necessary for proper development and they paid off. The world building was cool too. For example, I enjoyed the rules around magic in the world, the powers and development around the sword, the underground king, Cailleach, the fey tribes, etc. Also, as someone who doesn't appreciate whiney and toxic "romantic" relationships in shows and movies I was happy that this show didn't have any of that. There was no back and forth love triangle or abusive jealousy that we as an audience are supposed to somehow think is good and be entertained by. The main relationship comes off as equal and balanced to me which was refreshing and the side relationships are also balanced. I totally recommend this show to anyone who isn't looking for a "faithful retelling" of the Arthurian legend (whatever that would be) but for a good fantasy series with cool world building, cool characters, well done effects, good acting and some epic moments. Note, there is also some gore which I'm totally down for. It isn't much, but if you aren't into gore then this is a warning that there is a bit. Hopefully it gets a season 2 but I can recommend watching it as is. There is certainly a lot of territory that could still be covered, but it can also stand on its own. I'd play this D&D campaign.

I was drawn in by the synopsis and how it simply sounded like a horror movie that was connecting the dots and going to a next logical place. It was a well done reflection of where we are and modern fears. It also did a great job establishing the characters. The setting they were in was also thankfully unapologetic and nonjudgmental. Highly entertaining and very well put together!

A solid movie in all aspects. However, Nadia Alexander kills it. An actor who can anchor a scene and bring intensity and believe-ability to most anything. The film touches on some dark themes and subjects throughout and does a good job of revealing what matters to the story. No spoilers, but the ending did what I was hoping for and not what I thought it might do instead which would have had it perhaps take a more tropey direction. The set was great and the make-up was exceptional.