The Case Against Adnan Syed

Definitely not up to the high standard one expects from HBO. The producers seem preoccupied with making the doco "entertaining". The fancy graphics, the animation, and the editing, all distract. It's ultimately a wasted opportunity to present the case in a clear, considered and constructive way, for the benefit of both those who are for or against Adnan Syed.

Dragging out a story that has been told a million times before, by a million other mediums, makes it boring and uninspired.

There is also one inexcusable misrepresented fact: "Because of new evidence unearthed after SERIAL, Adnan Syed has been granted an appeal". Unless I'm mistaken, this new evidence came about through the "Undisclosed Podcast", specifically through the hard work and legal acumen of lawyer Susan Simpson. While this new evidence was unearthed "after Serial", the statement gives false credit to that podcast.

Disappointing. Was eagerly waiting for this to watch. Sadly it was not worth the wait. Poor camerawork. Cheesy music/sfx. Cheap animations. Lazy phone I/V with Adan. And distasteful re-enactment V/O for Hae. It's always easy to be the armchair critic however the sleights of this doco are all valid. Peace

Incredibly one sided information that doesnt have the same professionaliam and objectivity as Serial. Its great hearing more about this case and putting faces to the voices, but i feel like this was a wasted opportunity to give another unbiased accounting of the story. Instead this feels like propoganda to help exonerate Anand.

Regardless of whether Adnan is guilty or not, it's proven many times that the justice system is broken. Many people consider it as sacred but in reality, it's just a man made system and doesn't always become successful in delivering justice. It works on the ability of people to present the truth in order to serve justice, but people can be biased, easily manipulated, and influenced. This includes everyone in the justice system. The many innocent people, who were put in jail and later exonerated, and the people who were let go freely even though they were guilty, are the biggest proof of it. The system prefers the rich and powerful. If you have the money, you can hire the biggest lawyer with the biggest mouth, whether you are guilty or not, and that lawyer will try to manipulate the system to prove your innocence.

Writing a short review to counterbalance some of the more negative reviews (of the armchair detectives that happily pass judgement). Though, I do agree the documentary doesn't present the case particularly well, or their argument of the case's failures, and without Serial and Undisclosed, this documentary wouldn't receive any attention/acclaim, which is a pity.

I have no idea if Adnan is guilty, but what is clear is, that the police investigation, trial, and succeeding actions of the judicial system, have little interest in providing justice on the basis of evidence (which should be of concern to everyone). Is that due to it being an inconvenience, general incompetence or institutional corruption?

In any event, reviewers should look to the title of the documentary, and then consider whether the state made its case (based on information/evidence available) before offering their opinions. The documentary highlights that it didn't, though this could have been argued better.