Rise of the Raven

First of all, if you are not familiar with the late medieval history of Central- and Eastern Europe, you should know that it was very complex and diverse, with many nations, factions, religions, full of heroes and battles, intrigue and treason. The most serious threat to this part of the world was the Ottoman Empire, the strongest military power of that time occupying countries, massacring and enslaving whole provinces. So choosing the proper allies (or even betraying them in the right moment) was a question of life or death.

All of these offer a great basis for 'Game of Thrones'-like TV series, but with real historical background.

The Hunyadi (Rise of the Raven) TV series is set into this context.

The title character, John Hunyadi (1407-1456) was a nobleman later becoming the regent of the Hungarian Kingdom. He served two years in the army of the Duke of Milan upon King Sigismund's order, he fought the Hussites and adopted their tactics. All these experiences helped him to build up a well organised army, and gain success against the Ottomans. His ultimate victory was at the siege of Belgrade in 1456, which stopped the Ottomans' western expansion for about 70 years.

One of the greatest pros in this series is using many languages altogether, most of the characters speaking their mother tongue. Which is not just very unique in the whole film industry, but gives a lot of authenticity, and it is highly respectful toward the diverse cultural heritage of Europe.

This TV series is based on a long and quite popular historical novel series, "Hunyadi" by Mór Bán, with 12 already published books and 2 more to come later.

And yes, unfortunately this leads to the downside. The Hunyadi TV series was perfect if one season would just treat one or two books of the novel series. But I suppose there was no chance for that, and they rather put it altogether into a 10-episode-long, single season series. And that's sad, because this leaves not much time to get to know all the characters, or understand the exact political and military situation of those times.

Of course there are fictitious parts in the series, but most of the story line is based on real historical events, most of the characters are based on real historical figures, and there are many small details which are actually historically correct.

This series is not without errors, but the subject and the multi-language approach makes it very unique and a "must-see" to anyone interested in medieval history.

The series revolving around a major historical character, a Hungarian warlord and governor who lived in the 1400's and played a pivotal role in defending medieval Hungary against the Ottoman attacks at the time. Despite the series is Hungarian, it is obviously aiming international viewers, this is well recognizable by the number of fights, war scenes, conspiracies, and even nude scenes. Even the main title was created with fancy CGI, little bit after the likes of Shogun or GOTY.

At this point , only the two pilot episodes have aired, but we might have a feeling of the tone. It is starting with a relatively larger war scene, also giving a background to the titular character's motivation in the form of a childhood tragedy, plus giving an allegory to the Hunyadi family's Raven sigil. We are going tobve introduced to the hero, the old king, the 2 main love intererests (one of them is a femme fatale with a tragic fate), and some antagonist, amongst one is going to be the main conspirator, just like "little finger" was in GOTY. During the first episode we are also getting a second war scene (which is faily generous that we are getting two in one episode and they are not robbing our time with going-to-nowhere boring conversations) Probably it is fair to say the series has a very strong historical background but the way of the visual presentation and plot setting is heavily influenced by Game of Thrones - possibly with the aim of promoting Hungarian history amongst other nations as well.

In most aspects the creators done a great job. The plot seems mostly OK, the visuals are on the level of the usual international shows (however, at this point we are still waiting for a really spectacular war scene; it isblike tge first season of Vikings compared to later seasons); but we might say they used the budget well. The conspiracies are fairly interesting during the first two episodes. There are some cons as well: the plot mainly OK, but there are some minor holes, like the titular character falls too soon in love with the second main love interest, and could have grief longer because he is denied to have the love of the first one; the visuals usually good, but sometimes could be better (I am looking at the throne rooms), there are many good actors, but some of them just not provide an enough convincing play. Fanni Töröcsik should be mentioned as a positive example, she is a very suggestive female character, "chains" the viewer's eyes with her acting. Sometime the voice of the actors is a bit "lifeless" not containing enough emotion in Hungarian language; this is a fairly common problem nowadays with Hungarian film acting, but this might be solved with dubbing, so foreign viewers probably will not have this issue.

Probably the number of the sex scenes or nude scenes is a bit too much, but of course the show is aiming to have international audience and they must have felt it is a necessity. It is a bit interesting, that the second episode even contains a lesbian scene, which is surprising, considering where the funding comes from; - however it is almost a copy of a specific Game of Thrones scene with the young Daenerys,- so again, obviously aiming for a larger audience. We are also having our main conspirator, whonis a historical figure, but the preeebtation of the character is heavily based on "Little Finger"; - and this Historical character is interesting, but not as compelling yet as his GOTY counterpart.

All-in-all, after first 2 episodes, it is a promising series, and I am definitely going to follow the new episodes. At least it will be an interesting and mainstream presentation of Hungarian history.

I was pleasantly surprised by this series. It starts strong, then slows down a bit, but by episode 4 it sucks you in and you can't stop watching. What I liked most is the strong emotions it stirs up and that all sides are portrayed as likeable, yet imperfect humans. And of course there are the battle scenes, the executions that seem that you are right there with the characters. A couple of times during the series I thought the film was pure genius, but I don't want to give away the plot. Episode 10 is epic, I watched it many times. Don't miss it! I hope for a sequel. At least now I know why church bells toll at noon from Europe to Latin America to all over the Christian world.

As a fan of historical films and series, and as a Hungarian, I've been waiting a long time for a series that finally brings our history to the screen in a similar fashion -so I'm genuinely thrilled about Rise of the Raven.

While it's not a perfect show, it has plenty of strengths that make it well worth watching, especially for those interested in Central and Eastern European history. The pilot may be the weakest episode, but the finale - Episode 10 - is easily the strongest. That's why I recommend that if the trailer or the premise caught your interest, but the first couple of episodes leave you unsure, give it at least until Episode 4 before making up your mind.

The first three episodes focus more on the private lives of the main characters, while the political and military conflicts unfold slowly in the background. But from the middle of the season onward, the story truly finds its stride - with richer political intrigue, battles, and unexpected twists.

The show's biggest weakness might be its pacing, which likely stems from the challenge the writers faced: compressing John Hunyadi's eventful life and the era's political complexity into just 10 episodes due to budget constraints. (Fans of similar historical dramas - imagine trying to tell the full life stories of Ragnar Lothbrok, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, Henry VIII, or King Taejong in just 10 episodes... You get the idea!)

There are a few other minor flaws as well: some weaker dialogue here and there, occasional theatrical overacting, and a handful of historical inaccuracies. (One of the most notable is the use of a German translator for Sigismund of Luxembourg, despite the well-known fact that German was his native language - a detail that drew criticism from Hungarian viewers.)

That said, I honestly can't stay mad at the show for its imperfections, because the effort behind it really shines through. And its strengths - like the strong performances, the visual production, well-crafted story moments, and professionally executed action scenes - more than balance things out.

If I had to rate the episodes individually, most would be either a 7 or an 8, but I wouldn't hesitate to give the final episode a solid 9. Overall, I'd give the series a confident 8 out of 10.

On a personal note, I'm genuinely happy that a Hungarian historical series of this quality has finally been made. So thank you to everyone involved in its creation! :)

I'm really rooting for a second season-hopefully centered around King Matthias, who led an equally eventful life like his father - ideally told over even more episodes. :)

A roughly historically accurate series from the 15th century Hungary with monumental battle scenes and traditional male image. During the Osman-Turkish invasion of the Balkan, the vaivode of Transylvania, János Hunyadi tries to expel the muslim conquerors from Europe. Although he has Christian enemies as well (the Habsburgs and their vassal, the sly Count, Ulrik Cillei, who is the "Littlefinger" of the series and Vlad "Dracul" Tepes, the orthodox vaivode of Wallachia), he achieves many legendary victories on the Turks and as the elected Governor of Hungary, he becomes the saviour of Christian Europe and the father of the mightiest Hungarian king, Matthias Corvinus. The castle of János Hunyadi is watchable in Transylvania in our days as well: the Vajdahunyad castle is the most beautiful Gothic fortification in Central Europe.