Mr. Midnight: Beware the Monsters

This is based on books and so not meant to be scooby doo. Also no dog but it feels like scooby. 4 kids investigating supernatural mysteries.

Even if this is set in (Indonesia I think) and the Fred character is a young Indonesian and the shaggy is a blond sort of good looking white guy, they make a better scooby team than any of the adaptations I've seen (11.2022).

Well filmed, well acted, nice use of the local legends. A change from the US or UK settings.

It's fun, a bit spooky but not super scary.

Any fans of the style should watch this.

I enjoyed it. Each episode got better.

Not sure what else to say.

Aimed at younger teens but Mr Midnight has something for everyone. We watched it with the family and all really enjoyed it.

It's a lot of cheesy fun with genuinely hilarious and spooky moments. I especially liked learning about Indonesian/Singaporean folk tales. A different world which gave quite a new and refreshing take on the monster/teen adventure genre.

The cast were great, the monster designs were AWESOME! Just a really fun ride from start to finish.

Maybe it's a little cheesy and goofy, but nothing wrong with that from time to time.

I recommend it if you're looking for a new show. I wasn't familiar with the books beforehand.

I live in peranakan culture and i know that the Nusantara archipelago has a lot of culture including the assimilation of a lot of culture.

One thing that baffles me is the mismatch reality of how crowded singapore is and how it's potrayed in the series, which almost empty. The problem is that most horror movie does not really goes along with modern technology, its just makes all the mystery illogical.

Second, there's too many ghost that's not even in south east asia. For example Jikiniki is japanese. The chinese hopping vampires are not South east asian culture, and the lore itself does not match it. If you're bitten by a vampire, then you're become a vampire and you are mortally damaged by sunlight. In this case, the vampire immune to sunlight.

The dialogue is attrocious especially when they try to use Bahasa (indonesia/melayu) in the series. They speak even more rigid than a formal news anchor. And i "love" how they have no accent at all, makes it very "believable".

For example, Thai movies are making horror comedy, but they are still scary but funny as well. I don't know what genre is this series. It's not horror and it's definitely not comedy. More like, "look at me! I'm a diverse movie!"

And lastly!! I love it when they somehow can read ancient java/sunda script out of the blue.

I'm not too familiar with Singapore as I've only visited briefly on a layover but the whole corruption and poor infrastructure portrayed in the streets doesn't seem to ring true in not only one of the smallest countries in the world, but one that is also the most developed country in south-east Asia that have rigid rules and laws on social and environmental development.

I think the cheesy dialogue makes sense because from what I understand it's based on a popular children's book series so it definitely fit the intended audience, kids and young teenagers. However, the acting is terrible, especially from Caleb Monk. All he does is suppressing his own laughter, he smiles at the most random moments and it really makes him come off as a major creep from episode 1. The main character (Idan Aedan) is also pretty terrible but definitely not even close as bad.

The props and special effects makeup is really enjoyable and one of the best parts of the show. Love that they are using more traditional means to bring the spirits and monsters to life. Really enjoy that the monsters from many different traditions and cultures are portrayed but it'd be great if they addressed more where they originate from. I also think the story is overall great but I think the poor choice of actors and that sometimes the context gets lost in the rest of plot it takes away so much from the storyline.

While it has it's slightly cringeworthy and cheesy moments, it is a very fun watch! The concept of teens hunting monsters and other supernatural beings is far from new, but this show places a unique spin on it! With likeable characters with realistic storylines and responses to the situations they find themselves in, Mr Midnight portrays a relatable character experience.

Personally, I really loved learning about the different cultural elements of Singapore, especially the different mythology stories. I also liked how each episode contained and almost standalone story, so that you could almost watch any episode and be able to understand it.

I definitely recommend giving this show a try, it is the perfect show to lightheartedly binge watch to relax!