"The End" is an Egyptian TV series that easily stole the thunder of all other shows aired in Ramadan 2020 and the years before. And while the number of series aired that year were overwhelming viewers with their formulaic soap operas that lacked fresh ideas, Youssef Al-Sharif's return, after a year of absence, brought a brand new concept to the Egyptian drama that has never been seen before. A pleasant change from the absence of science fiction films in Egyptian drama, due to production costs and lack of attention to detail or a good script, or whatever reason, but Al-Sharif seemed to be aware of that when he made this.
Set in Jerusalem, the capital of the Arab bloc, in the year 2120, after its liberation from Zionist occupation, and focuses on a range of topics, including an energy crisis, the government's rejection of free education, and the building of robots.
The atmosphere is a mix of modern days and ancient times, and while the city retaining its historical character, the government officials use modern rides, weapons, gadgets and technology. And new jobs are introduced, such as Amr Abdel Galil's character who installs artificial body parts.
Each episode lasts for a hefty of nearly 50 minutes, without any dull moment; it's a challenge you don't get to see that often in other Arabic series.
The soundtrack is a mix of techno and electronic effects, as well as traditional qanun music, reflecting the originality where the story took place, and hinting at future delimmas that might occur in that time.
While the series shows the superiority of Arab civilization, the language used in devices is in English, which seems like a directorial oversight, or was he hinting at something?
The actors, including Youssef El Sharif and Sahar Al Sayegh, perform well, but Ahmed Wafik lacks charisma as the villain.
In the end, 'The End' promised an engaging series right from the start, and boy have they not delivered!
