efreed09

Like the vast majority of the book adaptations, the book is always better. This series would have worked better either more/less true to the book. It would have been an improvement for it to either forsake the book totally and simply let it be "inspired by", or conversely followed it more closely and stay true to the original work. It did somewhat fall into the gray area in between, which may be the cause of many polarized reviews.

That said, if you forget about the book (or never read it) and ignore the similarity in peoples' names, as a standalone series it is still a good story, and worth watching. The acting, directing, music, pacing, effects, etc. Are all on par and what you would expect with with its above-average budget.

TL;DR: Watch it, you will not regret it.

This film somehow managed to evade any mainstream publicity, but easily belongs among the classics of the era. It is a powerful movie that leaves a lasting impression well beyond its runtime. Even if the genre is not your normal choice, but you are still slightly intrigued, then give it a chance.

I was personally a bit hesitant seeing the guy from Game of Thrones as the lead, and not being very familiar with him outside of that series. He has totally earned my respect from this movie, with wide range of emotion and a very raw performance. I am not a professional critic nor have the words to describe the quality, but in layman terms: someone whose eyes convey more than just the words being spoken on screen. You can almost feel what the character is feeling by how well it is acted.

Let me preface this rating: I have never given a 1 or 10 star review, I have never encountered a film/series worthy of either extreme, and have pretty much just considered them a theoretical extreme that is unachievable.

This series has changed my mind. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about it. I confess I didn't make it through all episodes, only the first 3, and that was 3 too many.

Disregard the controversy concerning the anti-Christmas message it tries so hard to push at every opportunity, and there is still nothing. The humor is simply not funny, it is just cringe after cringe. Playground fart jokes offer infinitely more comedy than this heap of garbage.

I am honestly at a loss for words. Go watch paint dry or water boil, it is far more interesting, and much more funny. This is not hyperbole orr exaggeration, I mean this with sincere earnestness. It is literal anti-fun, and will put you in a worse mood than you started, will lower your IQ by at least 10 points, and ruin the flavor of food.

You have been warned.