Helen Pain

I'm sad to say that this adaptation did nothing for me. It wasn't the darker themes that put me off, it was the lack of the heart-warming elements that made the original so appealing. Once again, modern writers seek to pull apart a classic by filling it with modern themes and riding the book's coat tails to get their work seen. What they fail to realise is that the original text was light years ahead for feminism and thought-provoking themes. In the book, Anne had a dark past - no one is denying that - but her story was about finding the good in the world, and learning from a host of intellectual and influential women, such as Marilla, Miss Stacy and Josephine Barry. For me, this Anne was not a likeable heroine: she came across as self-absorbed, whiny and out of her time period, like a modern teenager thrown into a time machine and transported back to the late 19th century. In the book, even though Anne is clearly a victim, she remains optimistic and is eager to rise above her misfortune and make something of herself in the world largely dominated by class and prejudice. In short, she refuses to be a victim. In this version, if her opinion was not respected or listened to, Anne flew into a crying rage and didn't snap out of it until the adults (mainly Matthew and Marilla) gave in and let her have her own way. I don't blame Amybeth McNulty for her portrayal as no doubt she was asked to play Anne as a victim, but for me, it made her extremely unlikable. Other characters are very different from their book selves: This Gilbert is presented as having few flaws and being the defender of every conceivable injustice, and while this is admirable, it also guts his character in terms of progression as, in the book, it is Anne who snaps him out of his backward views on courting and they form a solid relationship through first having a friendship. The book version of Marilla is the stability Anne subconsciously craves - she only reveals her emotions when she feels it will help Anne, yet in this adaptation her moods are all over the place and she is often presented as irrational rather than stubborn. Matthew fairs a little better in this version in that he is shy and quiet until he really feels the need to say something profound. I did enjoy seeing new characters such as Bash and Mary. Their plight in an intolerant world was engaging and I found myself drawn to them more than the titular heroine. For me, they should have had their own story marketed as a standalone series and not an Anne of Green Gables series. Unfortunately, this adaptation comes across as a box-ticking exercise rather than an inspiring story of triumph over adversary. For anyone who wants to see a great version of Anne, the 1985 version wins hands down.