The Sandman is the newest big budget streaming series, arriving on NETFLIX. The highly revered comic series was one of the first few graphic novels ever to be on The New York Times Best Seller List as well as one of five graphic novels to make Entertainment Weekly's 100 Best Reads from 1983 to 2008. And due to this success The Sandman has had many failed attempts to adapt it.
If asked to define this season in one sentence, it would be "a Season of 2 halves". Across the 10 episode season, there are clearly 2 arcs here, comprising each of 5 episodes. The first 5 episodes are fantastic and some of the best television of 2022. They are rich in fantasy, a stunning visual tapestry weaving between scenes. And the actors play off the interesting storylines and the world build.
But all of that comes to a grinding halt once the first arc ends and the second arc kicks in. While the fantasy aspect still exists, it is grounded in a boring real world storyline. Gone are the fascinating and damaged characters of the first act, replaced with boring human characters that combined with the lackluster material, are just not engaging. But the polish and quality of the series also seems to take a significant drop. Where as the first act rivals the quality of a HBO series, the second act feels at home on a CW show. And surprise surprise, once the fantastical return at the end of Season One, the series picks up again.
I will keep watching because I want to love this revered franchise. The first act is pretty good and the series finishes on a high. I also want to read this series - so all in all, it's a win. But if the future is more of act 2, than I high to draw the line somewhere.
Review by TheLazyReviewerBlockedParent2022-08-13T10:50:50Z
The Sandman is the newest big budget streaming series, arriving on NETFLIX. The highly revered comic series was one of the first few graphic novels ever to be on The New York Times Best Seller List as well as one of five graphic novels to make Entertainment Weekly's 100 Best Reads from 1983 to 2008. And due to this success The Sandman has had many failed attempts to adapt it.
If asked to define this season in one sentence, it would be "a Season of 2 halves". Across the 10 episode season, there are clearly 2 arcs here, comprising each of 5 episodes. The first 5 episodes are fantastic and some of the best television of 2022. They are rich in fantasy, a stunning visual tapestry weaving between scenes. And the actors play off the interesting storylines and the world build.
But all of that comes to a grinding halt once the first arc ends and the second arc kicks in. While the fantasy aspect still exists, it is grounded in a boring real world storyline. Gone are the fascinating and damaged characters of the first act, replaced with boring human characters that combined with the lackluster material, are just not engaging. But the polish and quality of the series also seems to take a significant drop. Where as the first act rivals the quality of a HBO series, the second act feels at home on a CW show. And surprise surprise, once the fantastical return at the end of Season One, the series picks up again.
I will keep watching because I want to love this revered franchise. The first act is pretty good and the series finishes on a high. I also want to read this series - so all in all, it's a win. But if the future is more of act 2, than I high to draw the line somewhere.
Rating: 73 / 100 Dreamers