Colin McDonald

Demands a lot from the viewer in terms of where it’s all going. If you like anticipating how characters evolve…the unity arc…then this is well written and fascinating.

Unwatchable. Performances are unbelievable because the writing and direction gives no reason to suspend disbelief. It’s Baywatch meets 90210.

If you loved the graphic novel you’ll love the series and go out of your way to suspend disbelief. If not, it’s unwatchable. I know because I reveled in Asimov’s Foundation, produced by Apple, while so many hated it. Sandman is pedantic, pretentious, but worst of all predictable. Where diversity of culture comes naturally from a piece of literature it’s transformative. That’s it is the female Captain Marvel who emerges as the most powerful superhero, upending patriarchal expectation, does not shock. In Frozen the insignificance of the male characters in solving the essential conflict does not shock. But! When a piece—in this case an adaptation—patently goes out of it way to manipulate the audience? It feels fake and, well, manipulative. As I said to start: if you know and love the graphic novels you will love this. However, very few new fans will be turned on to Gaiman or this series. The audience won’t build when it sees the levers pulled behind the curtain to manipulate its emotions.

Many reviews criticize the actors for speaking English (with a British accent, nonetheless!) instead of German; thus, the verisimilitude of the piece is irreparably destroyed. The other negative reviews are because the pace of the film, which is designed to unfold in realtime, is so b-o-r-i-n-g. One claims Conspiracy isn't real enough and the other claims it is too real. Both criticisms are idiosyncratic: this is not a documentary. It's art, and, as art, it's remarkably effective in reconstructing the Wannsee conference. The few notes that remained of the secret meeting aren't as dialogue so we live the episode through the imagination of the writer, director, cast and crew. If you'll permit yourself to experience and revile such terrible sights, you'll discover a different self after. This is how it happens and will happen again if we do not recognize it in any language and in any form.