allegro brio

I wanted to like this series, but after three and a half episodes, I have called it quits. I agree with the observations of other reviewers who were less than enthusiastic about Katla, which reflect my reaction to the series: -- good acting, very good cinematography, good original music -- intriguing plot premise But the pace of the plot development is painfully slow (dare I say glacial?). The plot points revealed in the first three and an half episodes could have been covered in one episode. I ended up not caring about where the series was headed because it just became too tedious to watch.

This movie had promise (although its premise reminded me a bit of Rosemary's Baby), but (spoiler alert) the scene depicting an act of torture (at roughly the 39:00 point) left me feeling sickened. I watch movies to be inspired, thrilled, amused, informed, challenged (in terms of my biases)... above all to be entertained. I am puzzled by the mostly positive reviews of this movie. Have we become so numb to depictions of human suffering that it is acceptable -- even entertaining -- to include graphic scenes of torture in a movie?

I stopped viewing it midway through the second episode, and frankly, my rating of two stars is generous. I found it to be highly derivative; beyond the direct connection to One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, I saw hints of The Shining (lighting, indoor sets), Chinatown (period dress and cars) and A Clockwork Orange (remember the Ludovico treatment and its tie-in with an important political figure... well, there are echoes of it here). And the music was more than derivative; portions of it were lifted note for note from Bernard Hermann's theme music for Cape Fear. This series appears to be lavishly produced and well acted with appealing visuals. The problem for me is that it wasn't the least bit suspenseful. I found the plot to be slow-paced and became not at all curious regarding where the story was headed. Your time would be better spent watching any of the movies I've cited above, even if you've seen them more than once or twice. As for this series, don't waste your time.

Potential viewers beware: this movie is not for the squeamish. There are a couple of scenes, albeit brief, that depict absolutely gruesome, sadistic acts (which I won't describe). After the most gruesome scene (which occurs very early in the movie, I almost stopped viewing (it's that graphic). The scenes are meant to be repulsive and the movie succeeds in that regard. They are an important part of the story. Most of the main characters are not the least bit redeeming. They include (but are not limited to) a sexually exploitive pastor and a pair of serial killers who prey on young men (and who mix in some sexual depravity for good measure). This movie is not uplifting, nor is it intended to be. I'll add that the acting among the principals was consistently very good, however, and the movie on the whole kept my interest-- hence my four star rating. This puts it above most of the content that's on Netflix (or any other streaming service, for that matter). But because of my aversion to gruesome images, it's unlikely I'll ever watch this movie again.

I watched the first two seasons and on the whole was entertained. I found the plot to be mostly believable (there were exceptions but not enough to make me want to stop viewing.) Overall, the acting was very good. In particular, I thought the two principals -- played by Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan -- were excellent, and I also consider the performances of Aisling Franciosi (as the teenage love interest of the antagonist) and Bronagh Waugh (as the wife of the antagonist) to be noteworthy as well. On the downside, however, was the very deliberate (read: slow) pace of the storyline. I made it to the end of season two (which resolves the fate of one of the characters in distress). But I gave up at that point-- the thought of sitting through yet another six episodes just doesn't appeal to me.

I gave up on Dr. Foster after viewing an episode and a half because several story elements were not at all plausible. When viewing a movie or a tv series, I'm willing to suspend some disbelief in my desire to be entertained, but the storyline here led me to quickly conclude at several points that 'there's no way that would happen', or 'she (the protagonist) wouldn't have said or done that in that situation'. One professional reviewer referred to Dr. Foster as "preposterous." I couldn't agree more.