Slow start but a great resolve. This is another great premise with some interesting twists and turns. The leads, Sorcha Groundsell and Percelle Ascott, are fine actors and their characters' love story anchors the whole piece. Still so much to explore with a future season, I hope. Just as a side note, I'm really appreciating how Netflix is making pieces in several languages. I find the fluidity between English and Norwegian to be rather exciting and a bit of a levelling between cultures in this great big, global, village we now inhabit. Good storytelling. Great performances. Well drawn characters. Excellent love story. Beautiful locations. I give this film an 8 (great) out of 10. [Fantasy based Mystery, Drama]
From Netflix comes the supernatural series The Innocents. In season one teens June McDaniel and Harry Polk run away together hoping to escape their small town and start a new life, but June soon develops an ability to shapeshift into other people and becomes trapped in their bodies unable to control her power; meanwhile a genetic researcher who runs a sanctuary for shapeshifters and studies them sends his people to find June and bring her to him. The cast gives fairly good performances, but the writing is a little uneven; as the research sanctuary plot quickly loses its intrigue and becomes confusing and tedious. However, June’s plot is quite compelling; showing the terror of losing one’s self to a new body and its mental and physical toll. Season 1 of The Innocents has its problems, but is entertaining full of thrills.
The Innocents explores a nice concept that could have been more explained through the show and maybe (if we had the chance) in other seasons, but for what we had, The story is not so much of a thing from the other world you can see the same thing in other shows.. It takes time to get into it, it felt like for me they were just throwing a lot of information and I lose interest at the beginning, making a comeback after 2 years to finally finishing this show.
Do I recommend this show? Yes, it is a short story that you can enjoy it or not but don't expect to be the best experience.
I might have enjoyed this show more but the central concept is presented in such an unbelievable way that it makes it hard to enjoy. Obviously the concept of someone being able to transform into another person is nothing new but typically it's the result of something supernatural whereas this show presents it as more of a medical condition. The transformations themselves take a few seconds and are perfect. To present this ability in a more "believable" light it would have to take days or even weeks to transform and have various side effects and criteria. The idea that it's a natural condition passed down genetically but it operates as if a magical translation, just doesn't gel.
Adding to this is the inconsistent manner in which the metamorphosis happens both to the character changing and the target whose likeness they are taking. Sometimes it just seems like the writer had a plot point he wanted to fit in so they just decided that the "shifter's" ability could work differently in that scenario and no sense needs to be made of it because it's an absurd idea anyway.
Beyond this the show has some decent performances and general themes that seem interesting to start with but often aren't seen through in a satisfying way. Characters often react in unusual ways and either don't ask the most obvious questions or they exert their own restrictions even when all the evidence in front of them says it doesn't work that way.
Not his finest work but always nice to see my countryman Guy Pierce in something. His presence in this show has the added advantage of being able to force the Norwegians to speak English for the dumb Aussie quack.
If the core of the series had something more interesting to say and the Shifting ability was just a means to do that, I could accept it much more but it seems that the Shifting is meant to be the focus of viewer interest.
I'm yet to watch the last episode but hopefully it lives up to the the other reviewer comments about it.
Well that was interesting, I guess. The show made me think of The OA, this is kind of like a tamed down version.
Last episode was excellent. Also the music and choice of locations and filming is great.
Just started watching the first episode - showing a lot of promise. Back later. Turned out to be a great show - enjoyed it a lot, typical UK style show.
this is gonna be so awfully bad wie i know it :-D netflix quality.
Review by Andreas Storvik StraumanBlockedParent2018-09-13T08:36:58Z— updated 2021-05-12T05:42:31Z
###Summary
If you don't have anything else to watch, you might as well give it a shot.
This series lack a little depth, but is definitely watchable! Lack of intensity makes it right on the borderline to boring.
The last episode was actually pretty good!
Main storyline quality: 6/10
Not really getting in to it and it's somewhat superficial
Originality: 8/10
The story is new to me, but classic underlying plot, I guess.
Side storylines quality: 3/10
They just pop up from no-where, and there aren't that many side storylines though. Lazy writing?
###Agility: 7/10
The plot stays the same throughout-ish, and it's fairly interesting. But dragged on a bit too much.
Intensity: 2/10
I think they kinda want you to be on the edge of your seat, being worried about these characters. I wasn't. At all. Noting that this show would be way better if they didn't show the "sanctum" side of it all throughout the series. That would definitely make it more interesting!
###Acting and directing: 6/10
Something is off on the directing, and it shines through on most of the lines.
I do think that the acting might've be good if it wasn't for the directing, but it's hard to say for sure.
Other scores
Progression: 7/10
Characters: 5/10
Drama: 4/10
Mystery: 3/10
(Please like comment if helpful, and I'll keep writing them this way)