Welcome to na's film reviews page. na has written 8 reviews and rated 431 films.
Very slow in places seemingly to pad it out to three episodes. It could easily all have been included in one episode with more judicious cutting. Be prepared to use Fast Forward!!
I read Ben MacIntyre's book, on which the film is based, and couldn't put it down. So I was looking forward to watching the film. However it's dull, dour and downright boring. Despite a sterling cast it just doesn't carry the excitement and suspense of the book. There was too much emphasis on the romantic elements, which weren't the main feature of the book, and too little emphasis on the execution of the intricately planned and very successful deception. The arrival of the body in Spain and the subsequent events in Germany are given very little film time (or perhaps I'd fallen asleep by then!).
A very stylish and visually stunning production however it seemed to concentrate more on the visuals to the detriment of the plot. Fine if you like looking at stunning costumes; rather boring if you're interested in the full story. A much better production is the 2009 BBC version with Romola Garaic and Jonny Lee Miller.
The camera work is undeniably stunning; an impressive technical achievement. However this is at the expense of the plot which lacked plausibility and authenticity. The storyline just didn't seem believable, and it's the cleanest and tidiest set of soldiers I've seen portrayed in the WWI trenches! I was really looking forward to watching this film but it was a huge disappointment. The best bit of the film is the score.
Enjoyed the first 3 series but gave up half way through Series 4. It seemed to lose its way with the loss of James Norton and became more soppy and sentimental.
A very interesting and heart-rending exploration of an immensely difficult situation. A few plot twists and turns to keep the viewer guessing. Sterling performances by James Harkness and Kelly Macdonald. At the end the viewer is left wondering just who the victim is.
I was really looking forward to seeing this series as I've heard so much about it. I watched the first 2 episodes and I was hugely disappointed; I won't be watching any more. The men are busy fighting and establishing their positions of power. The women spend their time on their embroidery, their hair, looking beautiful, and waiting for their menfolk to marry them off in order to enhance their own positions. All very predictable and unimaginative. If you enjoy watching barely clad women prancing around you'll enjoy this one! If you're more interested in plot, interesting characters and getting away from the stereotypes, then look elsewhere.
The essence of this documentary is very interesting and informative. This was a highly organised and lengthy project to map the entire site of the remains of the Titanic wreck. It reveals the full extent of the disaster and allows experts to reconstruct the probable events immediately after Titanic hit the iceberg. The images produced by the remotely operated vehicles are stunning and reveal in great detail what remains of the wreck.
However it is highly repetitive, especially at the start, to the point that I almost gave up watching it. Perseverance is definitely needed to obtain the most from this documentary!