A lot of one and three star reviews here on IMDB already point out the main weak aspects of this series. I can only emphasize them strongly!
But lets begin with the few positive aspects. The production design, the uniforms, special effects, the whole optics are just great. Also the music is very nice, although it is used a bit sparsely, aside from the intro. And in the end it's nice that anyone at all cared to make a movie / series about the war of 1864. European history of that era is almost non-existent on the cinema or TV screen - in stark contrast to e.g. the american civil war. But here we are already at the end of the positive aspects....
The worst aspects in "1864" are surely the script and especiall the dialogues, which are just stiff, unrealistic and ahistoric. People mostly don't talk this way. Not now, not then. A lot of dialogues are just monologues (mostly one-line sentences) directed at the audience, to either tell the viewer the opinion of the director or to explain the political or military situation to the audience. A few examples: In episode 3, minute 8:35 King Wilhelm I, Moltke and Bismarck talk about the political situation. But why would the King ask his prime minister if the incorporation of Schleswig into Denmark would come down to a declaration of war? King Wilhelm would have known perfectly well the diplomatic implications. He wouldn't have needed to ask. The whole scene is just akward and stiff and the dialogues are not directed from one character to another, but at the audience. Another (maybe even better) example is episode 4, minute 17:00 - the dialogue between General Wrangel and Prinz Friedrich Karl, prior to the attack at Missunde. Wrangel wants to attack, the prince does not. Again, the dialogue consists of one-line sentences only and serves only the purpous to convey to the audience what a pompous jerk General Wrangel is in the oppinion of the director. The reader should compare this scene to the 1993 movie "Gettysburg", when General Lee talks with General Longstreet about the attack on the center of the union line. Lee wants to attack, Longstreet does not. But they talk about the in-depth tactical situation, like real people would do. They really talk WITH each other - not for and at the audience! This scene is so much more realistic and "alive". No dialogue from "1864" comes even close.
Another grave error is the aim of the Ole Bornedal to convey his political opinions to the audience - especially when the focus comes to the matter of the horrors of war. In general it is of course a noble goal to point out the brutality of war and his series isn't the first anti-war movie, of course. But he does it so crude and clumsy and with such an "in your face" attidute, that it borders on the ridiculous. Subtlety is surely not a concept the director is familiar with. Two very well done series in that regard, are "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific". Especially the latter had some scenes which actually moved me to tears. The only tears I could shed over "1864" are from anger over such incompetence.
In the end, this series is unfortunately a wasted opportunity - because no one will make another movie or series about that part of history, any time soon. So the only one is now a bad one.
But lets begin with the few positive aspects. The production design, the uniforms, special effects, the whole optics are just great. Also the music is very nice, although it is used a bit sparsely, aside from the intro. And in the end it's nice that anyone at all cared to make a movie / series about the war of 1864. European history of that era is almost non-existent on the cinema or TV screen - in stark contrast to e.g. the american civil war. But here we are already at the end of the positive aspects....
The worst aspects in "1864" are surely the script and especiall the dialogues, which are just stiff, unrealistic and ahistoric. People mostly don't talk this way. Not now, not then. A lot of dialogues are just monologues (mostly one-line sentences) directed at the audience, to either tell the viewer the opinion of the director or to explain the political or military situation to the audience. A few examples: In episode 3, minute 8:35 King Wilhelm I, Moltke and Bismarck talk about the political situation. But why would the King ask his prime minister if the incorporation of Schleswig into Denmark would come down to a declaration of war? King Wilhelm would have known perfectly well the diplomatic implications. He wouldn't have needed to ask. The whole scene is just akward and stiff and the dialogues are not directed from one character to another, but at the audience. Another (maybe even better) example is episode 4, minute 17:00 - the dialogue between General Wrangel and Prinz Friedrich Karl, prior to the attack at Missunde. Wrangel wants to attack, the prince does not. Again, the dialogue consists of one-line sentences only and serves only the purpous to convey to the audience what a pompous jerk General Wrangel is in the oppinion of the director. The reader should compare this scene to the 1993 movie "Gettysburg", when General Lee talks with General Longstreet about the attack on the center of the union line. Lee wants to attack, Longstreet does not. But they talk about the in-depth tactical situation, like real people would do. They really talk WITH each other - not for and at the audience! This scene is so much more realistic and "alive". No dialogue from "1864" comes even close.
Another grave error is the aim of the Ole Bornedal to convey his political opinions to the audience - especially when the focus comes to the matter of the horrors of war. In general it is of course a noble goal to point out the brutality of war and his series isn't the first anti-war movie, of course. But he does it so crude and clumsy and with such an "in your face" attidute, that it borders on the ridiculous. Subtlety is surely not a concept the director is familiar with. Two very well done series in that regard, are "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific". Especially the latter had some scenes which actually moved me to tears. The only tears I could shed over "1864" are from anger over such incompetence.
In the end, this series is unfortunately a wasted opportunity - because no one will make another movie or series about that part of history, any time soon. So the only one is now a bad one.