TurnWolf Reviews

Lost in Space (2018–2021)

Powerhouse of a great SciFi tail

[8/10 · 13 April 2018]

Netflix yet again delivers an exciting new show which while I felt took a few episodes to truely get invested in is well worth your time if you are looking to binge on a fun scifi show which has been sorely lacking in today's roster of must see tv. I will admit going into this that while I was aware this was a reboot based on an old tvshow and film I have never watched the prior material though I feel for anyone in the same position as me that will not hinder the enjoyment of the show.

Starting off the show looks gorgeous, when I first saw the trailer I mistook it for a film. This show is another great example of how the gap between film visuals and visuals on the tv are almost indistinguishable. There are some beautiful locations shown here and a variety to, from great ice glaciours to black Rocky Mountains to alien forests and wide open planes all the areas are often given beautiful wide shots and used to their fullest and changed up enough so they don't get boring. Visual effects are outstanding and it was a treat to watch some amazing flying space ship sequences.

Characters I found a little rocky, especially starting off. I enjoyed the children's characters however early on found some of the parents and adults rather bland and annoying though they all grow in interesting ways and I found myself invested in each of their stories after getting through a few episodes. The villain is a character I don't feel will garner many peoples admiration, she is a fairly unlikeable character though has enough depth to be interesting.

Story was for the most part excellent, it does have some dips here and there with some roll of the eyes moment solutions but for a show which Ai feel isn't trying to be super grimy realistic the fun of the story is a real nice change to some of the grittier shows I've been watching of late. There are some genuinely good plot twists and interesting developments especially later in the series.

Overall this was an excellent show which felt imaginative, brilliantly executed and brings back some sorely needed scifi fun. I'd strongly recommend this show for a good binge watching and let me tell you this show looks amazing on the big screen. I'm excited to see what Netflix brings for the next season and I'm now totally hooked on the story of the Robinsons.

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

A spectacular mash of E.T, X-Files and 80's.

[9/10 · 15 July 2016]

With its amazing 80s atmosphere and creepy X-files meets E.T feel this show is set to impress. Within its first 8 minutes of run time I could tell I had found something special here in Stranger Things.

Its intriguing story gives information at a great pace and I never felt myself getting confused of bored and there were enough twists or turns to keep me interested. This also had some rather great horror sequences and their use of lights flickering while yes a common trope fit so well in to the story I was on the edge of my seat every time the crackle of electricity shot through my speakers and the lights flickered.

The characters of the show are the true stars here, I loved every single one of them. They were all great with amazingly interesting flaws and the way they mix and clash with one another was fun to see unfold. They certainly help to carry this show although I would say that the government antagonists of the show felt a little flat and under developed and not nearly as memorable.

Production values are also quite good with some beautiful cinematography, editing, lighting and sound. My goodness I loved their music choices. I would say that the CGI does look a little obvious and from time to time I did notice some issues where the scenes didn't look quite up to scratch. I do think however I've been spoiled for visual quality since Game of Thrones so I would take that criticism with a grain of salt because it certainly didn't detract from the overall experience. The setting and style of everything in the locations where also great to see and felt real and interesting. The way everything was shot also captures every moment expertly and really helps to draw out those story moments with greater emotion.

Stranger Things is one of those special shows that I stumbled across and after the opening I knew I was hooked. Its exciting dark tale is expertly woven through its 8 episode run time and I know I will be back to re-watch this one. The ending is fairly well rapped up with a few loose story threads left hanging, with a promise for potential follow on seasons but the story is quite satisfyingly rapped up by the end. Memorable, exciting, dark and haunting Netflix knocks Stranger Things out of the park, 10/10.

In the Flesh (2013–2014)

A Brilliant Zombie Show with a lot of heart.

[8/10 · 12 December 2013]

\Going into this series i knew only one thing about this show and that was it had zombies in it and I needed something to tie me over until the next season of Walking Dead arrived. What i got was an emotional roller coaster which not only takes the typical zombie gore fest in a new and less mindless direction but provides an inescapable emotional roller coaster ride which i would highly recommend.

The series focuses on Kieren Walker a recovering zombie who is placed back with his family and has to deal with his new condition as well as the prejudice and hate that comes from the accepting community around him. The concept itself is very interesting and many of the subjects it touches upon has real world and often very relative implications.

In The Flesh is not a TV show to watch for mindless entertainment, it looks deeply at real world issues and can get quite dark, looking at ideas of prejudice, suicide, sexuality and extreme religious views. What ever you do don't watch In the Flesh for loads of gore or violence because you wont get much, however this I think serves the show well and its sparing use of violence and gore even more impact when situations do escalate to deadly results.

Visually the show is a treat and beautifully shot, with excellent locations and a diverse range of settings its hard to falter the production values of this show. Acting is top notch and every cast member gives memorable performances and I think this is what really brings in the flesh to life. It creates these living breathing characters that you feel for and understand, which makes their problems even more relatable and interesting.

I have to warn you though that this is not a feel good tap your heels and skip off into the sunset type of show and I often tell people that if you get into this show there will be more than a few tears shed by the end. To me this show has positioned itself quite comfort next to some of my favourite TV shows. Well worth a check out. Bring on Season 2 is all I can say!