Essexgirl 1955

There are certain classic stories that each generation wants to reinterpret; think how many versions there have been of Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, and of course, Frankenstein. This is Guillermo del Toro's version and apparently it's been his life long ambition. I loved the movie but it is about 10 minutes too long and could have benefitted from slightly sharper editing. Visually stunning and with excellent performances, although I did occasionally find some of the dialogue a bit unclear - possibly a reflection of the theater acoustics rather than the acting? I'm not sure. About the editing; I had to exit to the bathroom in the second hour of the movie, and when I came back 5 minutes later I quietly asked my husband what I'd missed. "Nothing" he said. But certainly it's a labor of love from this director and well worth 2 hours and 30 minutes or so of your time. I'm sure in 20 years someone else will make it again (if movies even exist then) and everyone will complain that it's not as good as the last version... ok I'm off to contemplate the new version of Wuthering Heights that's out soon... just saw the trailer.

Very nicely made and I cannot fault the acting which is excellent all round. But quite honestly I found watching it painful. I wanted to title it 'unpleasant people from the upper east side ruin their children'. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion..! I cannot pretend that I really cared much about any of the characters except the kids. I found all the adults utterly unsympathetic and kept muttering 'oh grow up!' under my breath. (And I speak as someone who also endured a couple of difficult births that upended all my carefully made plans about childbirth.) My question really is why did these people have children- which is a choice these days especially in a place like NYC which still has reproductive rights - when none of them were really interested in being parents? I have plenty of child free friends and admire their choice even though I made different choices. But in this show, well made though it certainly is, the children seem to be a universal nuisance dealt with by spending money on them. Depressing yet compulsive viewing!

Excellent! Great cast and phenomenal production values.

Excellent movie. Having been raised by parents who lived in London during the Blitz, with stories of fire-watching and trying to put out house fires with buckets of sand, I could really relate. Astonishing performances from Elliot Heffernan as George. Very good blending of CGI with live action. Not exactly light entertainment but worth the effort.

Gripping and beautifully filmed, if this doesn't get Ralph Fiennes an Oscar nomination then I'll eat my surplice. (Ps I'm an atheist so have no axe to grind from the religious viewpoint.)

Great! Well written, acted and edited. Really enjoyed it.

Not as good as Bordertown that’s for sure, but quite entertaining. Very complex plots revolve around so many murders (especially season 2) that it makes Finland seem like, well, the USA…. No, that’s unfair. But I find it hard to believe there’s really so much bloodshed in Finland. I agree with other commenters that the editing is a bit jarring with snow in some scenes absent the next day apparently. The female lead seems prone to wandering around dark, abandoned, creepy buildings alone at night without telling anyone where she’s going. And the whole helicopter escape was pretty far fetched. But I’ll watch season 3 having made it through the first two.

Really enjoyed this one. Violent but funny. Fast, witty and entertaining. Would have been a five but the sound wasn't great and some of the dialogue was a bit muffled.

Excellent! Very entertaining. Great cast, very atmospheric. Loved it. I didn’t give it 5 stars because some of the dialogue was a bit muffled.

Long but absorbing. Amazing performances from an A list cast. This is a serious movie, not a 90 minute frivolity, so be prepared to concentrate. It’s worth it. Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey jr are astonishing.