Riggs ap Lewis

This movie was one of the most maddening, off-putting things I’ve ever watched. Draped in clichés like cheap tinsel, careening from time frame to time frame, possessed of breathtakingly cringe dialogue, its 40-something leads behave with the sort of navel-gazing emotional immaturity that, were they twenty years younger, would still be met with scorn. Perhaps were either of them able to pull off more than a single facial expression (an ironic rictus as they crack canned witticisms while exchanging broken hearts), I’d have added a second star. As it is, I’m sorry I can’t give it zero. What a mess.

Adding to the disappointment of not getting Arya the Explorer as the next GoT series, this unnecessary prequel, an exercise in self-indulgence on the part of GRRM, feels like mere cosplay- if with excellent costumes- compared to the original series. It’s somehow more garishly explicit and yet far less sexy; darker and yet less forboding. The characters are flat clichés, as are the plotline and dialogue. I don’t hate it (the acting is admittedly excellent), but remain astonished that it’s as popular and well-received as it has been.

Perhaps the finest thing I’ve ever seen on TV. Breathtaking writing and acting.

Deftly employing cliché in lieu of extensive exposition, this is a wonderful romance, immensely charming, not least due to the two lovely leads, as well as Guernsey’s own (well- whichever island stands in for Guernsey in the film, at least; I understand it wasn’t filmed there) beauty.

Astonished by how well they’ve managed to adapt the source material to a TV show. Brilliant casting, a lot of tremendous acting, and minus a hiccup or two, a wonderful watch.