*NO SPOILERS AT TOP* Minor Spoilers after first section
This is a very unfortunate show. Not because it doesn't follow the books, but because it is just executed so poorly. Let's start with some positives first though!
The main actors are so perfect for the roles they play! Olivia Dudley, Hale Appleman, and Summer Bishil convincingly pull off their book adaptions, with solid acting that really gives their characters some much needed depth. Their performances even make you care a little more about them than the other characters. Additionally, some of the set locations are gorgeous and the effects the production team has used for the magic is top notch!! The costume design (which is great! Except for some super dodgy choices here and there), magic effects, sets, acting, and lighting really make this show feel like an A-grade contender.
Unfortunately though, this show falls short of greatness for a number of reasons. (MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW) Some of the acting is just plain pathetic. I don't feel its the actors fault, but more the directors and they way their story has been written. Sometimes it really feels like you're watching them act out a draft cut rather than the final cut that should be on screen and it just doesn't feel good. Some of the sets really need some work as well. Embers Tome is an example of this. The huge stone/cement slab jutting out from the rock wall just doesn't fit in with the rest of Fillory. All it needs is a little work from their arts team to touch it up and make it look weathered, but they haven't, and it's continued laziness like this throughout the show that's let it down. Ember is also a joke! He is a god in the books, a mighty bipedal ram with a serious demeanour, yet in the show they have made him some perverted Satyr. Why they chose to do this is beyond my comprehension as it seriously detracts from the show!
Another huge fault is the story continuance and the depth. Some episodes are literally meaningless in the broader scheme of things and it's very disappointing. I in no way expect the show to be like the books. I didn't expect it with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The 100, or Game of Thrones. However while those shows followed the major plot lines and characters of the world, The Magicians has failed miserably to do the same. The plot is all over the place and never feels continually connected, relevant, or important. Because of this, there is a considerable lack of depth to this show that other adaptions have managed to hold onto. It's honestly a shame because the world of the Magicians is so vast and deep and there were so many additional stories that the writers could have explored that the books steered away from.
All in all, The Magicians feels like a wasted opportunity. Which is such a shame, because it could be so much bigger and better than what it is. Changes to the plot and story aren't for the better. Character changes aren't beneficial. And the world they've created is a shadow of what it should (and could) have been. Season 2 hasn't improved this show at all, and unless they seriously pick up their game, I have little hope for season 3 :(
1 out of 2 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Tell Your Friends