Krieg der Welten

I like this show. It grows on you. It has now whizzy special effects and if you want those, watch the Tom Cruise film. The tension here is that you don't see the aliens. Throughout you are left wondering who they really, why are they here and what do they want? It is a drama about people and what they might do facing the end of the world. Good cast with plenty to work with and they bring out the human element to the story. Dramatic tension is maintained and there is a haunting soundtrack. Interesting British/French co-production which brings out the idea that this is something across the whole world and not just a corner of it. If you feel it is a bit slow at the start, stay with it. It's worth it.

I am a native French speaker and speak English quite well, so I looked at the version with both languages.

This is not a action series. Spielberg fans, go your way! So we have here a free adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel, which I read a number of years ago, and we must remember that the 2005 movie was too. The story is interesting and includes a British and French cast, which is new to me. We find the progression of 3 groups of people in this post-apocalyptic world between the Alps and London who are trying to find meaning in what happened to humanity after the surprise attack of the 1st episode. The motivations of the main characters are divided between pure survival, the search for relatives and the search for reasons and justifications for the attack rather than eradicating the invader.

Concerning the scenario, it was chosen to unfold the story in a rather intimate way by focusing only on the 3 groups as well as to develop some personal aspects, sometimes too much. I would perhaps have preferred to see more references to human nature (selfishness, individualism...),which was criticised by H.G. Wells, there are a few but not many. On the other hand, I have noted some inconsistencies concerning travels, sometimes too fast, and one or two script inconsistencies that sound weird.

For the realization, we will also note the profusion of plans with the dead people on the ground which reinforces this feeling of "alone in the world " The dominant colour in the different shots remains grey which is common in Canal+ series.

The acting is often good but I have a lot of trouble with Léa Drucker and we will also notice from time to time some unconvincing dialogue.

The soundtrack is minimalist and unpretentious and it should be remembered that it is not a blockbuster, that it is useless to put epic music on a series that wants to be cold and dark. Not everyone will like it, but it was enough for me.

As for the last scene, although it is surprising, I was expecting it with the rare clues crumbled during these 8 episodes.

Great acting and script across the range of actors. I'm usually quite immune to most tired out horror tropes, but this series is thoroughly chilling and uncomfortable to watch in parts - some images from this series haunt me - it's certainly not for the faint-hearted. The series includes an obvious callout to the perils of weaponised AI. However, the tech angle is a bit disappointing - some of it was just too far-fetched, and others too primitive for a foe capable of interstellar travel.

Overall, this was a great story that kept interest up all the way, but I felt the season fell flat at the end with a disappointing final episode ending. Not sure I can weather another season after this one.

I enjoyed the first half of this series a lot. Even though is shares next to nothing with the book (if anything its closer to Day of the Triffids) the characters were original and much of the set up didn't go with the normal tropes and characters you see in this kind of programme.

But about half way through the story seems to stall and the whole thing is just spinning its wheels and going nowhere. I felt we needed a bit more investigation as to the what and the whys (I was hoping for some tripods too!)

The end of the final episode was just nonsensical, I guess it is supposed to make us want to learn more, but we have seen so little and so much of it is without explanation you feel more that the writers aren't sure what is happening any more than the audience.

None the less I enjoyed this so much more than the recent BBC adaptation which was itself very far from the book. I wonder if we will ever see a faithful adaptation of the novel in the period and place where it is set.

I have to say I had an advantage in that I speak both English and French fluently, therefore I did not need subtitles, but the story itself is interesting enough that I don't believe subtitles would diminish the experience.

It was refreshing to watch an apocalyptic event that had nothing to do with Americans, and although the action is fairly minimal with more attention being paid to human interaction, it was fairly enjoyable with mostly good acting throughout.

I also enjoyed the fact that someone in the show actually pointed out what I always think during this type of story; Why would aliens attack Earth when the resources available here are readily available elsewhere in the galaxy? Although the question is not exactly answered at the conclusion of the first season, we come to have a general idea as to what is going on, if not the details.

I would recommend this so long as they produce a second season.