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"Neverwhere" (1996)

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16 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Neverwhere is finally on DVD!, 24 May 2005

Author: Itamar Katz (itamarscomix@gmail.com) from Israel

After seven years, Neverwhere is finally available on DVD, and can be found on major shopping sites like Amazon. I'm sure many of you heard of it, but much fewer have seen it. This fascinating 1996 BBC mini-series was created by Mr. Neil Gaiman, accomplished and acclaimed author of American Gods, Coraline and Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett) among others, and co-written by Gaiman and the wonderful British comedian Lenny Henry. Gaiman fans such as myself have waited for quite some time to see this series introduced to American audiences - and since Gaiman is now finally breaking ground in the States (American Gods actually won the Hugo award, and was an international bestseller) this seems like the perfect time. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a video of the series a couple of years back, but those are quite rare. If you love Neil's work, take the chance to finally see this lovely piece of work.

Neverwhere is a highly imaginative story of urban legend, rich with Gaiman's special brand of British black humor. The script is really wonderful, and Henry helps with his own experience in screenplay writing. Acting is terrific by everyone involved - I loved Gary Bakewell (frequent Paul McCartney impersonator on various BBC tele-biographies) as Richard Mayhew, the ordinary Englishman drawn into a strange adventure underground, and many other accomplished British actors - such as Laura Fraser, Trevor Peacock, Freddie Jones and Peter Capaldi - give a great performance. Unfortunately, the series suffers from the same problems shared by most British TV series - a budget lower than that of one episode of 'Dharma and Greg'. Therefore, the scenery, though highly inventive and original, doesn't look very impressive. Dewi Humphreys directs like he would direct a soap opera or a murder mystery, and though the directing of the dialogue is flawless, the action scenes are immensely disappointing, especially the 'Beast of England' battle, which is incredibly unconvincing.

Despite these weaknesses, though, the series is still well worth watching, especially if you're fond of the genre, and also if you're fond of British television. A word on two great artists who contributed much to the series: Dave McKean, for one, the great artist who collaborated with Gaiman in works like 'The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch', 'Black Orchid' and Coraline, created an astounding opening sequence to every episode, which is a fascinating piece of work by itself; if you enjoy his work on such graphic novels as Arkham Asylum, Cages and his covers for Neil's Sandman series, the DVD is worth it just for this one sequence. Secondly, the brilliant Mr. Brian Eno, the inventor of Ambient music and musical collaborator of the likes of David Byrne, David Bowie and Robert Fripp, supplies the wonderful score to the series, very eerie and atmospheric synthesized music. Thank god for that, because without him we'd probably have basic British TV music, which tends to be quite awful - and Eno's sound really adds a lot to the atmosphere of the story.

It's important that, if you read and enjoyed the novel Neverwhere, you won't approach this series expecting Hollywood - or even modern American television - production values, because you'll be disappointed. A movie version of this nature, in collaboration with Jim Henson co, has been in talks for some time, but it doesn't seem very likely. If fantasy films are to you special effects and big battle scenes, you probably won't be impressed by Neverwhere. If you love fantasy literature, though, and especially Gaiman's work, you'll find Neverwhere highly rewarding. It's very entertaining, and very imaginative. And in the end, imagination is what fantasy is all about. Isn't it?

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
How on earth did this pass me by?, 9 October 2003
Author: skelk from Notts, UK

After being treated to the first episode of this gritty tale of another world I was left desperate for more! I am quite surprised that this passed me by in the first instance. What on earth was I doing in 1996 when this was being shown?

Neverwhere begins with the introduction of its characters in a less than conventional way. It almost puts you off by its quirky and totally off the rails introduction. Once you get over this and the low budget nature of the program you find that the storyline is quite appealing. There are many familiar faces to discover throughout each episode.

This 6 episode adventure would appeal to fans of Dr Who and general low budget science fiction. This is never going to be mainstream programming and thats where its appeal lies. Give the first 10 minutes of episode one a try, its a pretty good indicator of the general story itself, and it got me hooked pretty quickly.

8/10 LEWIS CAROL EAT YOUR HEART OUT!

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
NeverWhere: A wonderful series that takes you far past Oz and Wonderland., 8 June 2001

Author: (buchichu) from Canada

At first glance you may be turned off by the unfortunate quality, but once you can get past it, NeverWhere will take you to places you've never been. You travel along with it's not too willing participant Richard Meyhew as he desperately attempts to figure out London Below's secrets whilst hoping to, in the process, find a way to get back home to London above. Gary Bakewell (known mostly for his perfect portrayals as Paul McCartney) does an excellent job as the confused Meyhew, with a Scottish accent and always another dumb question, all the characters are portrayed wonderfully - especially that of the Marquis De Carabas. The villains, though sometimes the comic relief, can be quite terrifying as well. Wonderful writing throughout, and although sometimes simplified, the sets give the perfect atmosphere to London below. It will make you think about what you *really* see around you!

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11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
An Excellent Series!!, 15 June 2000

Author: (buchichu) from Canada

This series will both surprise and delight you...the quality isn't the greatest, like that of a British soap opera, but you'll be hooked after the first 10 minutes. The writing is great, the characters are wonderfully written, each one with it's own personality, back round, life - you tend to feel you know them by the end, and an emotional connection is unavoidable. Perfect acting by ALL involved. Highly recommended.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
An absolute crime that this wonderful mini-series appears not to be available in the UK, 23 November 2006

Author: mimi-137 from United Kingdom

I was blown away back in 96 when I first watched this TV series. Not only was the story-line way out there compared with most of the rest of the TV output at the time, but also the casting and acting were both superb. I was already a fan of Peter Capaldi, which was one of the reasons I tuned in at the beginning, but I was soon swept up in the whole story and found it one of those strange stories that is completely believable although obviously fantastical. I have always been sorry that it hasn't been repeated on terrestrial TV and was thrilled last summer to find the book freely available. Reading this I found that many of the image from the original broadcast were firmly fixed in my mind and I have been searching websites for information about a DVD. To my amazement the BBC website denies all knowledge of the series at all! What's that all about? I have finally found a supplier in Australia for the DVD - but that's not much use is it? Has anyone else also watched the brilliant Gaiman recent work Mirrormask?

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
A good british mini series, excellent novel, 13 December 1999

Author: funeral7 from newport kentucky

this novel was one of the better dark fantasy books i have read, a very modern Hero Epic. Anyone who has ever lived in london (as i have) will certainly appreciate this. Fans of Neil Gaiman is a must. Its flaw is that some of the performances are only so-so, and it us unfortunately incredibly Under-funded. Not that big budgets are a must (look at Blair Witch Project), but this looks a little too cheap, a lot like Dr. Who.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Not everyone can make it to the Underworld, 27 July 2006

Author: Fred_Paris from Paris, France

You probably have to know London a bit to fully enjoy the story of Neverwhere (the series or the novel for that matter). The whole story relies on knowing a bit of the city layout, above and below :) And it's understandable that US viewers can be surprised by the low budget BBC production (unless they were familiarized with it through stuff like Dr Who which seems to be popular at the moment). Most European TVs don't get to sell their productions abroad so they won't invest as heavily as the US productions.

I read the novel long before I could get my hands on the DVD (actually way before I was even aware of anything being available in filmed form, much less as a DVD). For some reason the only release seems to be for the US market.

Regarding the Neverwhere series, yes, while the cast is mostly good, some of the actors are so-so. Even with the obviously shoestring budget, the sets and costumes are quite inventive and convincingly used. The directing unfortunately is really poor and it does quite a bit of damage to the effectiveness of the whole.

If you have read and enjoyed the novel, you will find the series to be something imperfect yes but also something that you can watch with fondness. Possibly a proper adaptation by a proper director with a decent budget would be nice. But it's unlikely it will ever happen. Isn't it better to enjoy what's available even if it could theoretically be better ?

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
My God! It's Neil Gaiman!, 4 April 2000

Author: Morpheus-20 from Sweden

This is simply incredible. At the same time dark and brooding, funny and silly, and outright weird. In a nutshell: True Neil Gaiman.

I did not read the book before I saw the series, but now I have read the book and I was struck by how well made the series is. It feels the same way as the book -- and I don't think I need to say how rare that is... Very Neil Gaiman! Now I just wait for the adaptation of The Sandman...

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Neverwhere = AMAZING, 8 May 2005

Author: childofGod317 from United States

I loved this series. Sure, it's not a Hollywood production budget or anything, but that almost works more in its favor than against it. The world that this series creates is bizarrely believable. From the first few moments when the innocent-bystander hero Richard gets sucked into the adventure to the couldn't-be-more-perfect ending, we get transported into a world of people as real as they are strange, of terrifying beasts and myth-like quests and ordeals, of twists, turns, tricks, and surprises. The book version is, of course, a little better just because it allows you to go deeper into Neverwhere by seeing it all from inside these characters' heads, but that isn't meant as any slam on this series. In fact, this is probably the best filmed version of a story that's also a book that I've ever seen. Totally worth seeing, buying, treasuring. Gaiman is a master of storytelling, and this is one of his first and greatest masterpieces.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Wow! The BBC can still make classy SF!, 27 May 2000
Author: Spike Nesmith from A Scotsman in West Virginia, USA

Too much pressure is being heaped onto film makers these days. The filming of "Neverwhere" on video rather than onto film was an incredibly good decision, if one made by budgetry consideration rather than one of style. Video gives one a much more intimate feel on a programme as opposed to the distance and unreality in film. So London Below had a much more realistic atmosphere with its filthy corners and occasional bright patch.

"Neverwhere" is a stunning idea, stylishly filmed, confidently written and (for the most part) perfectly acted. Exquisite performances by Hywell Bennett and the Marquee - dreadful, appalling, hideous acting by Richardrichard Mayhewdick. Bad, bad, baaaaaaaaaad casting decision there. Laura Fraser's alien distance giver her performance a truly detached and often unhuman feel, whilst retaining attraction and (dare I say) cuteness with her huge shimmering eyes. If she ever needs rescuing again, I'd give up *my* credit cards.... =)

Nice ending, not a surprise as such, but a very satisfactory closing to the story.

7/10 (it would've gotten 10/10 if it hadn't been for the lead man's crap acting.......)

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