TV Series Review: Strike
For as long as there have been mysteries, there have been people to solve them. Private detectives, police people, consulting detectives, army types, Mi5, Mi6, spooks, G-Men, CIA, its easy to get lost in the myriad of them all.
Which makes it all the harder for a new one to stand out from the rest.
Cormoran Strike, ex-army, fits the bill of the usual with an interesting character and mysterious backstory that gets tantalisingly dripped out and sprinkled in with the case of the week, but what makes this character different and stand out from the rest, for me at least, is his sense of humour.
Plenty of detective films/series have one, but sometimes it just the plot with the comedic elements, or the characters themselves.
Not both, like this one. And another element that goes hand in hand - the humanity. Both Strike and his new receptionist/assistant, Robin Ellacott - have it, but not overly so, or barely showing.
Its a real person, people that they're portraying here and that is refreshing in its own right. As well as that, they don't see everything in the first few seconds right down to what they had for breakfast. Its honest, old fashioned of chasing down leads and questioning suspects and friends alike.
I've seen a few reviews of this series, some are fair, others dismissive, of those some because it isn't Harry Potter and clearly not worth their time.
I'd like to be fair in this review, not just because this is a quality series that I hope will continue for some time.
The plot line is good, based on the source material, changes some elements for the format of the small screen, which helps keep the pace fast and the editing tight. No unnecessary scenes or shots here. That said, what's most important is that they kept the spirit of the books. The essence that makes them rereadable and now the series is just as watchable, even when you know the end.
The acting is top notch, helped that the casting is perfect, Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike and Holliday Grainger as Robin as the mains, all the supporting characters are excellent too and well casted.
Well worth tuning in, as yet Australian and US audiences will have to wait a little longer.
Which makes it all the harder for a new one to stand out from the rest.
Cormoran Strike, ex-army, fits the bill of the usual with an interesting character and mysterious backstory that gets tantalisingly dripped out and sprinkled in with the case of the week, but what makes this character different and stand out from the rest, for me at least, is his sense of humour.
Plenty of detective films/series have one, but sometimes it just the plot with the comedic elements, or the characters themselves.
Not both, like this one. And another element that goes hand in hand - the humanity. Both Strike and his new receptionist/assistant, Robin Ellacott - have it, but not overly so, or barely showing.
Its a real person, people that they're portraying here and that is refreshing in its own right. As well as that, they don't see everything in the first few seconds right down to what they had for breakfast. Its honest, old fashioned of chasing down leads and questioning suspects and friends alike.
I've seen a few reviews of this series, some are fair, others dismissive, of those some because it isn't Harry Potter and clearly not worth their time.
I'd like to be fair in this review, not just because this is a quality series that I hope will continue for some time.
The plot line is good, based on the source material, changes some elements for the format of the small screen, which helps keep the pace fast and the editing tight. No unnecessary scenes or shots here. That said, what's most important is that they kept the spirit of the books. The essence that makes them rereadable and now the series is just as watchable, even when you know the end.
The acting is top notch, helped that the casting is perfect, Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike and Holliday Grainger as Robin as the mains, all the supporting characters are excellent too and well casted.
Well worth tuning in, as yet Australian and US audiences will have to wait a little longer.
This quote comes from another tight, brilliantly made TV series based on a book.
ReplyDeleteGeorge: I knelt by his body, and I wept, and I prayed to God to send vengeance upon them all.
Thomas Cromwell: There's no need to trouble God, George. I'll take it in hand.