Christine Bode

I wanted to love this show because I’ve always been interested in stories about the Fae and other fantastic creatures but despite the incredible sets, costumes and make-up, I found it to be tedious, not written as well as I expected, and by the end of the season I wondered why I bothered to watch it all. The basic storyline is nothing we haven’t seen before and I’m really sick of serial killer “mysteries”. Wonderful performances were given by Jared Harris, Indira Varma, and Tamzin Merchant and Cara Delevigne was good and well-suited for the part, but Orlando Bloom was a big, one-dimensional, one tone disappointment. It’s so dark and depressing that the love story element isn’t strong enough to save it. I don’t think I’ll watch another season.

Taron Egerton was sensational as Elton John! Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin and Richard Madden as Elton’s manager/lover John Reid were also excellent but the movie itself was a disappointment to me because I felt that the director lacked a unique vision for it. It was really nothing that we haven’t seen before, and it sadly, fell flat for me. It covered Elton’s early life and meteoric rise to fame as well as his battle with alcohol, cocaine and his quest for love but ended by the 1980’s “I’m Still Standing” phase. Much of it felt contrived and the joy that is so evident in Elton John’s music was hardly felt at all which was a huge disappointment for me although Egerton’s showmanship in his live performances was great. You can make up your own mind though if you see it.