Friday, July 8, 2016

TV Series: Penny Dreadful (The complete series). My review...




I have refused to watch this series for some time now, because I thought it would be one of those cheap vampire stories. At some point I decided to give it a shot and I realised how wrong I was! 
Penny Dreadful is one of the best TV series I have even seen!
  Penny Dreadful is gorgeous in every aspect; Expensive production, fantastic atmosphere, great costume design and superb cinematography. Especially the night shots of Victorian London, when the fog starts creeping through those narrow alleys, are really gloomy and nearly every frame looks like a beautiful, gothic painting. As for the actors, I must say that all of them are playing their roles very well, but there is one star that shines brighter above all others. This star has a name: Eva Green.  She seems as she was made to play this role, or maybe it was the other way round? Her  performance is simply astonishing! But it would be unfair not to mention also some of the other actors who are giving great performances, such as Timothy Dalton for example, in the role of Sir Malcolm, an explorer who needs to bring together this group of mysterious individuals in order to locate his missing daughter Mina; or Harry Treadaway who plays the role of Dr. Frankenstain in a very dramatic and convincing way. I should also mention Josh Hartnett as Ethan Chandler, the “Yankee” of the series.
  As for the main story, is the usual and never ending fight between Good and Evil, but in many occasions it is given in a very poetic and dramatic way. While some scenes are genuinely scary in a tension building, "old school" kind of way, we also get blood soaked action sequences that will probably put off some viewers, but seem entirely appropriate given the show's title (in the 19th century a "penny dreadful" used to be a booklet of cheap, sensational fiction printed on pulp paper which could be purchased for a penny).     
  Penny Dreadful draws its setting, characters and general inspiration mainly from some famously dark tales written by Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde (and to a lesser extent from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories).
The script is one of the best on any TV series at the moment, in the fact that every line of dialogue is loaded with meaning, coupled with the Victorian setting means that everyone is hiding something and every word is crafted.
  Penny Dreadful lasted for 3 seasons, having a total of 26 episodes. Each episode is between 50 and 60 minutes long, so you will need about 23-24 hours in order to finish the whole series. 
  If I had to complain about something, I would do it only for the 3rd season, because it is the “weakest” of all 3, that in my opinion only decreases the average rating. They could add 2-3 more episodes in the 2nd season for example, and finish the story there.
  If the style of the above description matches your taste, you will most surely be enchanted by this series. If it does not... well, don't let my point of view to be an obstacle in watching this truly magnificent piece of art. Give it a shot at least.
Because Penny Dreadful is more than just a TV series; it's music, it's image, it's literature, it's poetry. In a few words, it’s art!
                           My rating would be:

Season 1: 9 out of 10 
Season 2: 9 out of 10   
Season 3: 7 out of 10.

IMDB’s overall rating is: 8.3 out of 10.
By clicking on the following link you will be able to see the trailer for Season 1:

No comments:

Post a Comment