Reviews

It starts off relatively intriguing, and for the majority of the 1st episode, which was based on a significant news event, it gives a little insight, but this quickly starts to unravel in episode 2 when the 'investigator' or 'documentarian' goes off on a save the world tangent, with no real purpose or necessity, except for their own over-dramatised ego.

There were elements of this show that I just found truly frustrating, but to be blunt, if you dont know anything about the dark web and murder for hire, you may find this insightful, but for the majority of those interested in true crime, the subject matter in this alleged documentary is nothing new nor informative.

Late to the party, simply because a work colleague dared me to watch this as homework, after spending an afternoon procrastinating rather than working! To clarify, I am not a horror movie fan, and have very specific labels for horror - paranormal horror, psychological horror, old school horror etc!

I most certainly have this as psychological horror, it is to me the same style as Saw, as in it is written to build and test the boundaries of your mind and where and when you scare - it is different to me than paranormal horror, which are films like paranormal activity, or the ring, specifically designed to challenge your thoughts on ghosts from the outset, and hit a scare nerve intermittently, so that you struggle to forget!

I felt it necessary to clear the above up, just so you understand my rationale for my review - basically I thought this was really rubbish, I practically skipped and danced through this, waiting for something to happen - BUT that's the point isn't it?! I saw this on a sunny Sunday afternoon, in my living room with a cup of coffee, it didn't even really entertain me, but it wouldn't, because this film was never designed to be watched at home in those circumstances, that is the point of it, your best viewing of this film would be in Delamere* Forest on a cold wintry night, with just a tent, torch and maybe a video camera but nothing else, save for food and drink, then watching it would likely have scared the bee Jesus out of me and that's why people in my opinion, including myself, struggle to understand how other's can rate it soo highly, because context is everything for this type of movie.

There is no point me complaining about aspects of the film, because it was shot purposefully the way it was, with the hope true fans of the genre would watch it as intended and get it, it is for cult horror fans only. I do get, watching this in a dark cinema probably did it more justice, but sadly it's not my thing and my rating reflects this and the fact it simply relies on external factors to bring it too life!

*Other forests are available.

I was really gobsmacked reading the reviews for this series, also a little suspicious, they are all very similarly headed and content, but maybe I just didn't want to like it and cannot understand why I seem to be the only one!

Why, well, I just found it rather silly, far fetched, poorly written, badly acted and just very drawn out with very little substance. It is the kind of series that had we not been in lockdown, this would not even have been watched in my opinion, it was made in a short space of time to quech audience thirst.

I could easily have condensed this show into a 2 part it was lacking such originality and idea that much. I also see many 'raving' about the ending, again, I thought it was just silly and bizarre, and felt like it was just an easy way to conclude the series.

Overall, I struggled to get into the show because I just didn't like any of the characters, the layering in my opinion was not existent, and generally I just didn't engage from the first episode.

All that said, maybe you should make your own mind up, as I do seem to be the minority on this one!

If you are going to write and film a 10 episode blockbuster, in any climate, but especially in this climate, you should be making it oscar worthy, even if it cannot win one!

I was so disappointed by this, but to be an advocate of the devil for a moment, the 4k scenery is spectacular, the empty street scenes where only missing tumbleweeds, and truly are stunning in detail. The acting within is in the most part exceptional, each charachter exuding their positives as well as flaws, athough it did have a number of actors that didnt really get much screen time, and whilst not really cameo, where pretty much under utilised, but thats cool, albeit it does leave you thinking, well what about this bit or that bit, but I can live with that, so it's not a bad series to watch, BUT...

It is so cliched, so much so it is beyond belief, I pretty much knew from the first episode the paths it was going to travel, and the dead ends we would hit, and aside from the odd one, was spot on the money, thats really bad from this level of writing and production, it should keep me on the edge of my seat, but as a perfect example, before the start of the 10th episode, after a previous 9 60 minute episodes, it gave a summary in 30 seconds of where the story is at, and that specifically nailed it all down easily without question and a full understanding. As soon as the 10th episode was underway, I realised I could have saved 9 hours and just watched that! Anyway, I really don't want to give anything away, so will stop at that, but I will say if you want a show that is easy to watch, simple to understand, potters on a bit too long, but you don't mind because visually it is amazing, then this is for you. If you do want something a bit more edge of your seat, then re-watch Tin Star (or watch if you haven't already), it's probably going to give you more satisfaction!

Firstly, whilst most are flattering, all previous reviews I have read on here about this film seem to be trying to promote their idea of an answer! Just to clarify, that surely is not the purpose of the film, it wasn't made so we could review and ultimately resolve Children's mental health...If it had been, we would just make films of every challenge in life and leave it to the viewers to resolve!

It does, understandably, raise the ultimate dilemma, that when a child cannot cope in general life, and behaves physically and emotionally inappropriately, how do we deal with the person. Not the people, the people get by, but the individual person.

The film shows what exists in society, that you might have witnessed a mere instance of, maybe lasting a few seconds or minutes, but for the child seems eternal and never likely to end and for the parents and caregivers equally so. It's like a secret recipe that has been lost, how do you add all the parts, in the correct measures and make a happy child?!

I loved this film, perhaps it was a little close to the bone and I am biased, but thats irrelevant, I was drawn to it after watching a different film with Helena Zengel, and was intrigued by the subject. I have to point out the most astonishing aspect of this film, aside from the great writing and production, Helena Zengel was 10 when she acted in this film - TEN years old! What a stunning performance and what a remarkable future Helena has if this is the standard she sets herself (which appears so after her latest film News of the World for which she is Oscar nominated).

I would implore you to give this a go, be ready for some grit, but be ready to question your conscience and ask yourself, would you give Benni a home?!

It's different, and maybe a little lucky. Let's face it, there isn't going to be a deluge of chess TV series in the next few years let alone months, so it is rather niche, which is why it is lucky, this could have landed at another time and place and bombed, but it doesn't! The reason it doesn't in my opinion is because it not once tries to 'inflate' the story or context, except for the main subject. Yeah sure, it has the usual sex, drugs and drink elements, but they aren't the emphasis, the crux always falls back to the main point! Desire to be the best and achieve the ultimate dream. It comes with sadness, heartache, troubles, and many more issues, but ultimately, it follows one young girls dream to achieve against all odds and in this day and age, I think we can all see how it is relatable and relevant. The acting is absolutely amazing and the screenwork is fantastic, akin to the crown style. Would I re-watch it, or want a second series, nope, on either point, I watched and enjoyed, done, and a second series wouldn't work, but would I rave about it if the pubs were open, yes, I would!

I was looking forward to this, especially with the trailers, but it is so bad.

After thinking about it, I can only suggest that it would have been a lot better if directed independently rather than by Kathryn, as it comes across so egotistical, which I get from the title is part of the theme, but this felt like it was self biographical at times, then it was about a power play (what is with the 'Succession' music), then it was a rom-com, then it was about the daughter, it was like they couldn't pick topics so threw everything in and confused the whole show!

If it had been tamed down, it would have been a really enjoyable series, but as it is, it is awful. I am sure Kathryn Ryan fans will be loving it, because Kathryn Ryan is on screen, but that's it!

As a comparison, I am watching 'Meet the Richardsons' on Dave and it is hilarious, had this series been done similar, it would have made a huge difference. It wasn't and it isn't funny!

I do believe, in a time that newspapers are begging for help to keep going, that journalism needs to step up and do the job the public expects and rightly expects, which is to hold institutions and importantly people to account. It is the only way that journalism should survive.

From that perspective, investigative documentaries such as this are important, especially when we consider how important our history is and how easy in such a fast and dynamic world that it is to forget. It has been regularly highlighted recently how our past has continued to influence our present and how it is time for change, to put right wrongs and stop wrongs being the norm.

For this series specifically, I was glad to finally get an understanding of something that happened so long ago, that could have been 'righted', but due to seriously poor failings by metropolitan police, that continue to this day, is still not a closed case. The actual events and aftermath will truly enlighten you as to why, but alas I suspect you won't be surprised by what events have happened and continue to happen to the poor family affected, such is the nature we have become accustomed to these days.

I don't know but do suspect that nothing will change as a result of this documentary, but it's irrelevant, you should watch and understand what goes on inside the institutions we pay to protect us and that often, they shed more blood than they are paid to save.

I recall being in my early years of secondary school, in a history class, and learning about the troubles in Ireland/NI, specifically how they started and the history of media and politics surrounding the 'troubles' (because we don't like to call it a war!). I write that because it is something I remembered whilst watching this TV series. Not because of any direct correlation to the war itself, more so because of the narrative dictated by both the media and political involvement in the events.

If you are considering watching the series, expecting some big end reveal, then you won't be happy, but then I knew that before I started to watch and would expect you to also. Indeed it was something that made me think, do I really want to bother to watch something I know a lot about? And my answer was simply, in 20, 30 or more years time, I would like to know what others may see about the events from a historical viewpoint, and that swayed my decision to give it a watch.

The most telling point is the initial episode, when it is suspected as chemical attack, and a review of chemical attacks is 'Googled'. I think we seem to live in a bubble, even now in a covid world, whereby we believe that no one would be stupid to launch a chemical attack, as the damage could never be contained and would cause risk to all, rather be contained to some. How wrong we are!

We live in a world, whereby we only know what we are permitted to know, where we are told what is decided is good enough for us to know, and whereby we put up with constraints on our lives because we are told that is what is deemed appropriate, with rarely any explanation. That for me was a reason to watch, to explore just what was the internal workings and the aftermath of these terrible events, and whilst I feel it was produced honestly and fairly accurately, simply because of the ending credits, I feel the BBC have sat on the fence a little and left it to viewer imagination, rather than push for answers that are still not apparent to this day, something our media outlets seem to have become accustomed....Since 1968 at the very least!

My first surprise is how this film has not been made sooner, certainly given the nature and story, it is something Hollywood would normally jump on, but that's an aside.

I cannot write this and tell you it was outstanding acting performances, there were some cringe worthy scenes when it was a little over dramatised. I also cannot tell you it will win awards, simply because this type of movie never does. What I can tell you is you will find a heartening reason to wake up tomorrow, feeling a little blessed, because good people, which we all can be, live in the world and pro-actively help others. If that isn't something you want to read, then I don't really know what is!

I am a little unsure how much of the story is just drama and which is truth, but I don't really care, the ultimate narrative about do good unto others still rings true and gives a little hope in an uncertain world. Nobody writes about good things anymore, in the press or on TV, so it is nice to take a little time out and watch a movie like this, based on true events, to remember that we don't have to be superhuman to do good and by all being a little kinder, we can make a difference, even if we don't always know it. Sometimes it feels people do good, because they want a return on that 'investment', but it's actually much nicer just to do good.

If you have some time free, you could do worse than watch this film, though I would urge caution and have a hanky to hand, it does contain emotive scenes!

I cannot really add anything that most other reviews, both good and bad, have touched upon really, except I just wanted my say!

I think this had huge potential to be a lot better, the casting is unusual and the blend of Spanish and English was not very well executed, it is almost as if they had a Spanish casting director and English one and said, right you each get x amount of picks, so they just went for who they could think of, it doesn't really seem like they associated specific actors to roles. At first, this seemed to work, but by episode 4 they all start to lose their identity a little, notably when things start just going really weird!

The early affection for the lead actor by the Spanish fixer is ramped up far too quickly, which makes for some surreal events, but I think we are supposed to blame this on the hedonistic culture we are led to believe Ibiza is all about. I am pretty sure though, if I spoke with inhabitants of Ibiza, they would tell me it isn't like in the movies! But maybe I am supposed to suspend belief for the purpose of the show, however I just couldn't.

And that raises the most important issue, it just became a little farcical concerning multiple story lines, that played out quickly and abruptly, like another reviewer noted, very much like a soap opera. It may have worked better to stick with a serious story and cut back on the dark humour which often feels out of place.

That said, I did watch it to the end, I wasn't engaged to the end, but I let it play out, although I got pretty close in the last 20 minutes to switching off early. That sums the show up really, watch it with low expectations, enjoy the scenery and if not an avid music lover, the sound track which is passable and upbeat, and take it for what it is which is just a Summer murder mystery on a beautiful island, that you probably won't get to see anytime soon!

I think Dick Wolf got lucky once and has been riding that coat tail ever since.

If you ever watch his earlier shows, such as law and order, then you will realise what script writing, indeed writing generally,. is all about...repetition

That isn't a bad thing in fairness, we all tell the same story, particularly in law enforcement, but using the exact same script is lazy, but I guess if it works, it works! And it does for Good Ol Dick (GOD)!

I could waste my time thinking of clever ways to admonish GOD, but it is pointless, he serves a purpose, he produces tv shows that are prime time and that people watch like a soap opera, which generates ad revenue, which funds the cycle. What is the problem? None, except a lack of quality.

If you are happy watching hd whilst everyone is watching 4k and thinking of 8k, then you are at home with his shows. But if you want 8k, then you should probably think about what type of shows burn out your oled, and FBI: Most wanted isn't one of them.

Wild animals are wild for a reason, by nature they live in it and are such, they should be left as such. It is my personal opinion and maybe shared by some or no one at all, but ironically, this viewpoint is irrelevant, as this documentary series is not about the animals. Instead it is another show that typifies the mental illness pervading human nature, which is to seek attention by any means necessary.

It probably has everything that you want to see, drugs, drama, outlandish behaviour, irony at it's highest level and more besides, but it is for all these reasons I would suggest you avoid this series. When I was growing up, it was quite often a staple of end credits to state 'no animals were hurt in the making of this show', yet you never see that these days, and I hazard that if you were it would be a lie. It certainly is in this case. The ill treatment of so many animals in this documentary series is abhorrent and the filming suggests this treatment continued throughout the filming, with no intervention at any point. I get that a lot of material is archival, but you continue to see animals during the interview phases clearly treated like a pet cat would be by a child.

And this leads me to my overall point, this is about grown human men and women, behaving like children, using wild animals in an attempt to elevate their status in the world, all for financial gain and ego, each belieivng they are morally better than the other. The actual result of this is just horrific and I have tried to balance out the fact that they are clearly all suffering from very serious mental illness, but the main issue with this for me, is that as humans we have a choice, if we want to act like utter fools, we make that choice with either the knowledge that this may be viewed as unacceptable, or someone will be there to do this, however as a wild animal in captivity, you don't have the luxury of that choice, all your choice is taken away and you are merely a prop.

I feel ashamed for jumping on the bandwagon and effectively supporting the goals of those involved in this production, because it was never about the animals, it was just another way for netflix to air a shockumentary to boost their subscriptions, shame on you netflix.

It isn't M*A*SH, no show ever will be, it isn't realistic, if it was it wouldn't have a dry comedy element to it. Is it always funny? No, but then I rarely watch a comedy show these days and laugh through out, and I like Man with a Plan!

Yes, it is a little predictable, but it also has glimpses of unexpected incidents, such as the goat, which I expect come straight from the Army memoirs of a serving soldier.

Ultimately, if you want a realistic portrayal of life on the front line for Men and Women in a medical fighting unit, then just re-watch M*A*S*H, you don't need a show to replace or mirror it, however if you want a different perception of Army life, with dark humour and relatively new actors cutting their chops, then give it a chance.

My only biggest gripe with the show is Beth Riesgraf has been, in my own opinion, badly miscast in her role. Unfortunately she doesn't do the prudish, stuck up, letter of the law type characters very well and it shows in some episodes. Episode 5 has a perfect example with a moment of anger and frustration taken out on some innocent desk paperwork, that was rather strange and poorly shot!

Otherwise I recommend giving this a chance, as judging by the 4.4 rating it currently has, it probably won't get to see a second season!

Welcome to the most relaxed ER/A&E in the world, I presume that is the strapline for this hospital, unique from the rest of the world, because I have never witnessed such a quiet, relaxed, easy going and subdued ER/A&E either in real life or on Television.

Even the first crime scene looked like it was 3 days old, and not just an immediate aftermath of a major incident.

I turned it off after the patient property scene approx. 10 mins in, when I have never seen such a ridiculous exchange.

I can only presume the intention of this is to make it readily available to a younger audience...possibly kindergarten, as it most certainly is not real life, of any I am a witness to in the past 40 years, very bizarre!

This is not comedy. Simply look at the Netflix specials for solo comedians, then this rabble and you will see its just a hit and hope test!

None of these comedians are funny, they don't have a presence and you sure would not buy a ticket to a gig of theirs after watching this, such a waste, it could have been an opportunity for upcoming comics, but this just spoils it all with round the block comedians already passed over for not having enough!

Netflix, you are better than this!

At a time when TV studios are releasing a LOT of drivel (Macgyver, Magnum PI etc), this is a welcome change and fills the gap (as one reviewer mentions), that was left behind by Leverage. It is the same style and format and has a similar set of characters, that all work well together on screen. The stories are fairly simply, but engaging and the feel good factor at the end is nice for this type of show.

So why oh why would you cancel it, especially after a cliffhanger in the last episode?!

Crazy decision and I do hope that it is picked up by another studio, as with some investment in a longer term script, this has legs to last a few years...Plus it is always a pleasure to watch Lauren Cohan!

If anything, this series goes to prove that you cannot just stick a few well known actors into a show and expect a hit....In fact in cases like this it is a big miss.

The actually concept is tired and old, but does work when written well, just sadly this is very poorly written. The acting is in most parts really bad and you could have probably cut down the characters by half and not missed any and made a better show.

I understand the point is to try and build/weave individuals into the story to create an air of mystery and more questions as to 'who dunnit', but whilst I didn't guess the ending, which is usually a good thing, by the time it came I just didn't care...And that is the biggest problem, the obnoxious nature of all the characters meant that I just did not buy into the series from the outset!

If, as a previous reviewer has pointed out, it had been done over a couple of episodes rather than 4, it maybe would have been more suspenseful, but alas, it wasnt and errr it wasnt.

In my opinion, tv series as a whole have got a 'netflix' complex, they want to build a story. but at the same time they want the conclusion far quicker than the build up allows. It is not uncommon to see ITV, BBC One, and now 5 serialising shows over a week, but it just doesn't work, you only have to look at recent TV successes (Line of Duty, Game of Thrones etc) to know that to build tension, you either go week by week, or to give people a fix, you drop it all at once, this whole 4-5 night approach doesn't work and invariably leads to making the show too long and too boring to satiate a viewers appetite!

Absolutely nails this, it is woeful!

Maybe we all prey on our inabilities, just to get an edge, but we are now in a society where you should choose, accept and become better for natural talent, or just be lazy and work what little you have to your benefit....Sadly it seems the latter is now commonplace!

A disability is no longer an excuse, yes, you have a right to demand and expect respect, but you certainly do not have a right to expect special treatment unless the situation is called for.

It does seem to me that tv companies are focusing on the minority still, when it should have now realised, it is unacceptable and we are all equal, but I think that would give script writers in this day and age too much of a head ache...Maybe that is irony on my part and their disability should be addressed...But lazy TV will always win for most people (not prepared to write a review!).

The show is quite simple...Swear as crude as possible and reference sex as much as you can, whilst referencing women as sex objects!

It is probably one of the last shows on TV that has an undertone of sexual exploitation to it, which in partly is due to the fact it uses bodily humour as much as sexual humour, to be specific, if it was just demeaning to women it would have been canned a long time ago!

Sadly it has just become a show for C lister celebs to try and garner some attention, usually when having something to 'plug', and the humour element is now tired and dated. I often think that the show would be better suited as a chat show format, as the quiz element has long gone and the majority of challenges are now just tired, dated and unfunny.

Keith Lemon, as he likes to be called, does have a naturally funny style of questioning and as such could be probably do better trying something new, before he is eclipsed by funnier people with a fresher format of TV.

What ever happened to decent script writers in America is probably a TV show that would garner an amazing amount of viewers and positive reviews (if they can find the answer), because for the past few years, this show has declined in quality very heavily, in no coincidence to the demise of similar shows like CSI and Law and Order, whilst at the same time seeing a massive surge in quality comedy shows, such as It's always sunny in Philadelphia.

The actual attempts to keep the show going are becoming more and more embarrassing, with the current long term cast now unlikely to ever see acting jobs after this show ends in the likely next year or two.

The fact they have taken on actors from shows that were canned, more likely due to the appalling acting from themselves, is even more testament to the shows demise.

If you really want to watch this show, check out the early days, series 1- 10, and be enthralled by good TV, but after that just leave this one alone, it is so embarrassing to watch that even Canadian TV does better!

Absolutely astounding!

When you let the credits play out so you can saviour as much as the film as possible, you know you have watched a truly defining film!

Firstly, forget what you expect, it isn't, so just enjoy!

Secondly, it's not all about the music, but the music will engross you!

Thirdly, if you can watch and not associate personally with it, then you lost out on a great film....But I hazard that wont happen...Enjoy!

No!

If you like your TV, with no attention to detail, during a midweek afternoon, when there really is no other tv show to fill the time slot, then this is for you. It is in the vein of murder diagnosis, Monk etc

You can pull the show to shreds for what it isn't, but ultimately, if the above is your kind of thing, you will enjoy it, but if those types of shows bore you, then you will hate it...I hate it!

Oh my, is this all it takes to get a paycheck in American Television, if so, I am on the first flight out to Hollywood, or rather the Bronx!

Truly awful B movie style acting, I don't know what they are doing with the audio, but it is awful throughout, the only saving grace is visually it is shot quite well, if you can forgive the jerky camera movements and the weird repetitive scenes, as if it is rewinding then playing again over the course of a few seconds...Bizarre!

I didn't really know the actors/tresses but there was no stand out performance and it was all really poorly done. One scene were the female lead cop is in a bar, holding a whisky shot and just looks really weird, not sure if the idea was to suggest she was struggling to cast her demons aside and drink it, or if it was supposed to suggest she was so drunk she couldn't drink it, I just wish I looked that sober when drunk! Then the following scene is so cringe.

I have never seen such glamorous drug addled prostitutes with such perfect teeth and total lack of track marks or even a blemish of dirt either, and what punter sits in a car after a mouth muzzle and just acts like a knife to his throat is like getting a drive through burger, even stating he will 'see you tomorrow!' after?

I have no idea who watches stuff like this and thinks, yeah that is akin to law and order SVU or Criminal Minds, or any similar show, I do know it seems to be a sad state of American TV these days, as its probably no worse than the likes of 911 or any other similar show released in the last year.

Maybe the joke is on me and this was just a jokey style script for some telethon event, but even then, just can it and move on!

I have read some of the low score reviews and also some good score reviews, and can understand both points of view! I should start really by stating that I am not a comic book reader, so have not read any of The Walking Dead (shame on me, not a true fan etc etc, I get it!) books.

As such, my viewpoint is a little one-sided, and that's from the TV viewer point, and given the critical following this show has internationally, on a scale with Game of Thrones, then I think the readers of TWD are a little unfair and unrealistic to expect AMC and also the writers to follow the books to the latter, which seems to be a huge cause of disdain! As a TV fan of the show, I can understand how difficult it must be to make this show and continually come up with new ideas, if you take Game of Thrones as a case in point, there is so much going on with all the different families, that it must be a script writers dream come true...However now look at The Walking Dead, set in a time when there are not so many walking living, that it narrows the script writing substantially AND to highlight what some have already raised, most of the early seasons were along the same theme...Bump into a bad guy, play a mental chess game of is he good is he bad, then a big showdown at the end! There are only so many times that you can show that before it becomes boring!

So kudos to the writers for the bold move not to kill off Negan...And let's face it, out of all the bad guys, Negan has by far been the best adversary and major cap doffing to Jeffrey Dean Morgan, I don't think any character comes close to matching an on screen presence against Rick, than Negan does and it is down to the acting! So haters, you just want him to die?! Don't you want to see more?!

Of course, the whole premise of keeping Negan alive is to build the better future for all, and we are already seeing discontent in the camp, so I suspect a bitter rivalry to ensue in the next season that is going to bring a lot of change to the series ahead...Hence my subject heading, sometimes you have to shift it up, change things around, to continue a great show and you can't just have the same old style of bad guy comes along, battle for 10 episodes, then defeat him, it has to be more than that and this is the great opportunity ahead for the show.

I do however share one grumble, the episode just was not long enough, we are used to big episodes for end of season and this was far too short, this should really be considered in future, even if you have to cut down the episodes, similar to how Game of Thrones did!

Looking forward to season 9 already...But Fear the Walking Dead will do for now ;-)