I have refused to watch this series for some time now,
because I thought it would be one of those cheap vampire stories. At some point
I decided to give it a shot and I realised how wrong I was!
Penny Dreadful is one
of the best TV series I have even seen!
Penny Dreadful is gorgeous in every aspect; Expensive production,
fantastic atmosphere, great costume design and superb cinematography. Especially
the night shots of Victorian London, when the fog starts creeping through those
narrow alleys, are really gloomy and nearly every frame looks like a beautiful,
gothic painting. As for the actors, I must say that all of them are playing
their roles very well, but there is one star that shines brighter above all
others. This star has a name: Eva Green. She seems as she was made to play this
role, or maybe it was the other way round? Her performance is simply
astonishing! But it would be unfair not to mention also some of the other
actors who are giving great performances, such as Timothy Dalton for example,
in the role of Sir Malcolm, an explorer who
needs to bring together this group of mysterious individuals in order to locate
his missing daughter Mina; or Harry Treadaway who plays the role of Dr.
Frankenstain in a very dramatic and convincing way. I should also mention Josh
Hartnett as Ethan Chandler, the “Yankee” of the series.
As for the main story, is the usual and never ending
fight between Good and Evil, but in many occasions it is given in a very poetic
and dramatic way. While some scenes are genuinely scary in a tension building,
"old school" kind of way, we also get blood soaked action sequences
that will probably put off some viewers, but seem entirely appropriate given
the show's title (in the 19th century a "penny dreadful" used to be a
booklet of cheap, sensational fiction printed on pulp paper which could be
purchased for a penny).
Penny
Dreadful draws its setting, characters and general inspiration mainly from
some famously dark tales written by Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde
(and to a lesser extent from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories).
The script is one of the best on any TV
series at the moment, in the fact that
every line of dialogue is loaded with meaning, coupled with the Victorian
setting means that everyone is hiding something and every word is crafted.
Penny Dreadful lasted for 3 seasons,
having a total of 26 episodes. Each episode is between 50 and 60 minutes long,
so you will need about 23-24 hours in order to finish the whole series.
If I had to complain about something,
I would do it only for the 3rd season, because it is the “weakest”
of all 3, that in my opinion only decreases the average rating. They could add
2-3 more episodes in the 2nd season for example, and finish the story
there.
If the style of the above description
matches your taste, you will most surely be enchanted by this series. If it
does not... well, don't let my point of view to be an obstacle in watching this
truly magnificent piece of art. Give it a shot at least.
Because Penny Dreadful is more than just a TV series; it's music, it's image, it's literature, it's poetry. In a few words, it’s art!
Because Penny Dreadful is more than just a TV series; it's music, it's image, it's literature, it's poetry. In a few words, it’s art!
My rating would be:
Season 1: 9 out of 10
Season 2: 9
out of 10
Season 3: 7 out of 10.
IMDB’s overall rating is: 8.3 out of
10.
By clicking on the following link you will be able to see the trailer for Season 1:
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