tom_undeb

This is an utterly extraordinary piece of television. The writing is nothing short of masterful, asking serious and complex about what it takes to do the right thing. It is a complex look at rebellion in the face of authoritarianism.

Each character has such nuance driver and compelling development, constantly asking the viewer "what would you do?". It is not always possible to be a good person while trying to do the right thing.

Look all great sci-fi it mirrors our current political climate. As a viewer it is a powerful reminder that one cannot be passive in the face of totalitarianism.

The masterful writing is met equally by in its direction, cinematography, performance and art (the world building is exquisite).

Congratulations to all involved. It is truly a masterpiece.

A truly remarkable book of nuance and humanity turned hammy blockbuster.

I'm a fan of director Shawn Levy's work on Stranger Things but he was the wrong choice for All the Light We Cannot See. The subject matter needed a director capable of capturing the truth of a scene but Levy's skills lie elsewhere. It's impressive in its scale but it ultimately leaves the viewer cold.

The script is stuffed with on the nose metaphors and misses the deeper context to the story. It dumps the more interesting aspects of the story for a the more suspenseful elements of the books and it is weaker for it.

A talented cast but for whatever reason, the acting is pantomime. The Nazi's in particular feel like something ripped out of an Indiana Jones film. And again, maybe that's Levy? His talents lie in the Spielberg-esque joy of filmmaking. That's why his work on Stranger Things is so brilliant. But All the Light We Cannot See required a director who understood that the story is about human connection in the face of suffering and not about explosions, villains and impressive crane and tracking shots.

So, so disappointing.