davebeverley

Overall, i think the show was just, okay. Though having recently rewatched the original few seasons, this one is definitely my least favourite. Overall, this season didn't deliver the same quality of writing. It felt a bit all over the place, had some pretty uninteresting side characters & not enough of the originals. I also found myself eyerolling many times at overly convenient moments. Just silly & lazy writing.

The cinematography & the action/fight scene's were also fairly poor compared to the original show in both choreography & the way in which they were shot. It relied too much on CGI which was also very poor & an overuse of slow-motion. It's also one of those seasons that ends like an unfinished book, pretty disappointing & anti-climatic.

Hopefully the negatives of the show are down to the messy production issues & will be resolved for the second season.

One of my all-time favourite films is 'Page Eight'. A Bill Nighy led spy thriller with a noir-esque style. Something that 'Black Bag' closely matches.

A film like this, you have to be in a certain mood & you have to be open to experiencing something far more subtle. I.e less action. This isn't your typical cinema pick but i entirely recommend it.

A great cast with some classy acting. A slick screenplay which is directed & shot beautifully.

As for the reviews mentioning that the film is 'slow', 'dull' or even 'too short' in a negative way. I completely disagree.

The film is captivating even when nobody is talking. Each subtle facial movement or camera cut means something in this film & I found myself looking for clues in the characters faces & listening for the way someone would say something because in a film like this, you're intrigued & want to solve it yourself.

I'm also glad it's not +2hr film for a change. It tells it's story in 90mins & i was only left wanting more.

It's a real shame that this film will end with a fairly poor box office performance despite generally, very good reviews across the board. I, like many of friends didn't see any marketing for the film & nobody knew it existed until i saw a random film review on youtube. When you aren't a known franchise film, these days you'll get nowhere without marketing.

Generally & up until the recent season i've been a big fan of the show. However, i think season 4 frustrated me more than it entertained me.

Halfway into S4, my overriding thought was that nothing had really happened, in that we'd had an episode worth of content stretched out into three with writing meant to fool the dim.

By the end of the season I'd scrunched my eyes in annoyance & had my head in my hands in bewilderment more times than i can remember with how many foolish, unrealistic & clichéd things had happened. Mostly in relation to characters actions or inactions through bad, lazy, somewhat cheated or biased writing.

Whilst i mostly enjoyed the overarching (main) story. I did also spend much of the season wondering who thought a story that barely involved River & Lamb was a smart idea. Instead, the show seemed to focus on everyone else. Whether that was the mostly competent female characters or the ever increasing list of incompetent male characters, which is starting to get a bit weird.

Before S4, i would've rated the show an 8 or possibly a 9. Now it's at a 7/10. Another season like this one & that would drop to 6. I really hope it returns to it's previous quality.