Reviews

Literally one of the worst films I have ever seen. The writing was garbage, the acting was somehow ever worse. It felt like it sometimes wanted to be a scifi film, sometimes a comedy, sometimes a drama. But it completely failed in all three. A pain to watch. I forced myself to try to continue watching it, because surely it must get good at some point, right? No, it just keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse. If you look a nonsensical film that seems to have been written by a monkey typing on a keyboard, with awful acting, this is the film for you. If that does not apply to you, avoid at all costs.

Bingewatched the show, and I absolutely loved it! Without any spoilers, it is a fantastic story of love, heartbreak, and revenge. It has great storytelling, with a number of surprises in tow, and develops really intriguing characters. None of which are black or white, all of which have strengths and flaws. The first three episodes start off brilliantly. The story develops further in episodes 4 and 5, which are not quite as captivating, but showcase the characters as they try and fail to get out of the trouble they are in. Episode 5 ends in an incredible way. And then there is episode 6, which has got to be one of the best episodes of a TV show I've seen in a while. The way it wraps up the story is surprising, unexpected if you read the book, but utterly amazing, it is Liv finally getting in front of events, brilliantly completing her revenge arc.

Through all of it, Jenna Coleman's incredible acting skills allow her character of Liv Taylor to flourish. She brings so much depth, emotion, frailty, but also strength to the role. Her performance throughout is amazing, she goes through pretty every emotion conceivable and portrays Liv's character arc with incredible prowess. Liv on the page is not necessarily a character you could easily relate with, but Coleman makes her very relatable, and this is the key to the brilliant finale of the show. She is the perfect casting for Liv; she's so cute that no one would expect her to do the things she does in the show, but she has such power in her performance that she nevertheless makes her actions completely believable. She brilliantly portrays the wronged wife, the scheming partner, the fearful woman, and the brilliant role she plays towards the end, which I won't spoil. The show Livs and falls (pun intended) with who plays Liv, and I can't imagine anyone else could bring Liv to life in such a brilliant way.

She played the role so incredibly well, fully bringing out all the complexity of the newly created character. You can directly see how she has moved up and on from her working class roots, has incredibly confidence, constantly swears, and uses deflection as a defence mechanism to hide her true core. How she excels at her craft, treats others, especially Dream with no respect, until things become personal.

Of the single episode characters of the show, Johanna is the most intriguing, and complex. But none of that would work if it weren't for Coleman's magnificent portrayal of her. She completely commanded the screen in all her scenes, and really captured the very essence of the character. This is a very different role from anything she's played before, but she showcases her acting talent yet again.

I really hope we see 21st Century Johanna Constantine again! She is loosely based on John, but has had her own storyline set up now, and that could easily be explored some more. Johanna Constantine has too great of a setup, and Jenna Coleman's portrayal of her is too good for this to be all we get to see of her!

And for those giving bad reviews because John Constantine wasn't in the show, be aware that The Sandman did not have the rights to John, and the producers had a clear intention of having the two Constantines of the Sandman story be played by the same actress. Though Johanna has some similarities with John, she deliberately has many more differences. She should be considered as her own separate character, she's not a genderbent John. What Johanna's story explores is what a successful, trusted exorcist Constantine would be like. And it was done brilliantly.

The Serpent is gripping, enticing, intriguing, fascinating. It's got it all. Fantastic plot, stunning visuals, brilliant acting, costumes to die for, and an amazing soundtrack. The narrative draws you in, and you can't wait to find out what happens next. It still seems unbelievable that this actually happened.

I don't usually like the true crime genre at all, but I throughly enjoyed watching The Serpent. It tells the story of a serial killer, and the attempts to find and catch him. It does not glamourise him, and puts particular focus on his victims, and why so many were unfortunately deceived, and lured into a trap by him. You see his charm, and simultaneously notice his complete lack of empathy, and cold-blooded motives for committing so many murders. This is nicely opposed by the relentless work ethic of Herman Knippenberg, who braves all odds in his attempt to catch the killer who always seems to just slither away.

It does a fantastic job of capturing the atmosphere of the 1970s in Thailand with the costumes, settings, and music. We see young Westerners dreaming of an escape from dull lives, embassadors who despise all hippies, and The Serpent's show of seemingly having a glamourous life, which is just a facade behind which the true evil lies.

Of particular note is Jenna Coleman's character of Marie-Andrée Leclerc, a very intriguing character in her duality of roles, and constant character evolution. Being both a victim and accomplice, we see her try to ignore the truth, and even help to commit some crimes, but also being stuck in a toxic relationship knowing all too well what would happen to her if she doesn't follow Charles' demands. Driven by love and fear, she undergoes some huge changes over the course of the show. Jenna Coleman brings her vulnerability, fear, but also her anger and determination to light in a sequence of powerful performances.

For reasons that are unclear to me, the critical reception to The Serpent has not been nearly as good as it deserves. Many criticisms made by them are either questionable or even definitely wrong. So I would definitely not recommend looking at the critical reception to it, which gives a very wrong impression of what The Serpent is actually like.

Some people criticise the time jumps. I disagree, these just make the show even better. I don't think anyone should have any difficulty in following the time jumps, which always involve different characters and settings, and there are only really two main stories between which time jumps occur. Primarily, we see the crimes and the investigation of those crimes. Sometimes there is also a time jump to properly introduce a new character, but those are also really simple to follow. To all those that critique the time jumps; this is the right way to tell this story. The story covers many years and many different characters, telling it all chronologically would be very confusing, and would require you to know precisely what happened 5 or 6 episodes ago. In episode 5 you would see the investigation of crimes from episode 1. The Serpent instead opts to tell the story in a thematically consistent way, with each episode focussing on one topic, or one particular set of crimes. We see the crimes, and their investigation put together, even though there are many months between them. This is definitely the right way to tell this story. It is much easier to follow than the alternative, and is massive boost to the intrigue and binge-ability of the show.

The Serpent has rightly been very successful already, being the most watched show on BBC in a year, despite little to no promotion for it. This speaks to the brilliance of the show, that it was recommended to so many people with all kinds of different tastes, and received very well. It is a show I definitely recommend to watch!

The Cry brings you on an intense journey through the mentality of two people that face the unthinkable. It leaves you guessing as to what really happened and what will happen next. It is told in a non-linear fashion which really helps the narrative, leading you along some false leads while really just cleverly arranging certain scenes to have you think that way. Amazing filming, and powerful acting. Jenna Coleman in particular carries the tough role of Joanna so incredibly well, brilliantly depicting the huge change Joanna goes through throughout the story. If it were down to me, she would definitely win a BAFTA for this. It is also great to rewatch. Once you know the full story, you can really appreciate how nicely it was all put together.