Alex Rider

After the disappointing Stormbreaker movie in 2006 I was feeling nervous going into it but it's really good faithful to the book. My only complaint is they didn't use the "I'd rather kiss the horse" line. Other than that as a longtime fan of the series I'm feeling pretty pleased about it.

This is a pretty good show. Not your usual spy show. It's dark and intriguing. The actors are pretty good. Slow burner. Oh and the background music and soundtrack is an absolute treat, it so friggin good.

Unlike other teenage spy iterations, this one is not as goofy, and is actually done a bit more believably and with cool scenes and above-average production values :-) However, there are also a bit of convenient writing and campy scenes that hurt the credibility of the show some :-(

Alex Rider was a major part of my childhood, so I had high hopes and expectations going into this show. Safe to say, I wasn't disappointed.

Salient Features:

1. Otto Farrant - Otto Farrant does an incredible job as Alex, and he is everything the books made you believe. His physique and that superb run is just what you imagined Alex would have.

2. Casting - The casting for this show is great. Everyone does a very good job, especially Miss Jones, Jack Starbright and of course Tom.

3. Adaption - While they didn't meddle with the source story, significantly changes were made to fit times and make the show less childish. And they were mostly great choices.

Downsides:

1. Takes time to kick off - The show doesn't find it's pace immediately, and takes a good 3 or 4 episodes before it becomes intriguing. So PLEASE just watch the whole season before leaving behind a negative review, cause it really does get better.

2. Lazy writing - At times it feels like things happen too conveniently for Alex. There are a couple plotholes and inconsistencies, but nothing glaring.

3. Smithers - Not having Smithers is one thing, but calling someone Smithers and making his traits completely different is just unacceptable.

Conclusion:

Most of the bad reviews I've seen are people complaining about the show not getting you hooked and them leaving it after the first 2 episodes. Someone even gave a 3 stars for a poor synopsis. The show despite a rocky start finds its footing into episodes 4 and from there it's exactly the Alex Rider action the novels always promised us.

Tl;Dr - It's a great show. Just don't get discouraged by the first few episodes cause it really gets better. And if we get more seasons, the following books have some really great content so buckle up.

I watch a lot of TV -- check out my reviews -- and this is one of the best first seasons I have seen in years. The writing, the suspense, the tension are at a level as good as or better than the best spy films. WOW