Nautilus

We've all heard of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus. This adaptation of that story is going to disappoint the Jules Verne fanatics. However, I found it to be a breath of fresh air.

It reminded me of The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen which I absolutely loved. Nautilus has all the elements required to be a big hit. Fun, adventure, sea monsters et al. The characters are vivid, engaging and very likable. Every episode moves the story along and it has a great ending (and possibilities for another season). It's also suitable for all the family, something that is all to rare these days. Give it a go, you will know after the first episode if it's for you or not.

I remember this going into production the other year, and really looking forward to it, but I'm finding it hard to figure out what's the target ordinance, as it's not magical enough for kids, and a little underwhelming for adults. It looks like a Disney ride, and there's budget CGI, which dose not help the overall look. The characters are all a little predictable, as are the storylines, which is a real shame. I want to like it, but to be honest have found it a little boring. The touch paper has been lit, but I'm still waiting for the bang, which I'm hoping with come in a few episodes down the line.

...clearly, because it is not just quite good, it is rather excellent!

So far a brilliant adaption to the original story from time honoured Science Fiction genius Jules Verne who, as the better SF Authors have been known to do, predicted technology (in this case submarines) well before they were a reality.

The cast is excellently chosen with the interactions and conflicts not only believable, but enthralling.

All the effects are immersive and cleverly drawn from historical realities mixed in with the fantasy derived from Vernes vision.

The story itself is character driven, with the infamous Nautilus being the biggest of these. Being drawn into the tale is fantastic fun, with the entire cast playing endearing characters from the villianous Admiral to the tormented Nemo and rest of the quirky unique crew of the Nautilus.

With Disney's latest offerings into SciFi, this comes as no surprise that an excellent Series was dropped by them. Bless AMC's cotton socks for picking it up, and I fervently hope enough people are exposed to this that they keep giving us more!

(UPDATED REVIEW: In order to reflect my change of star ratings. I still rate the first 3 episodes a solid 9/10, but it splashes down to a firm 7 until the final 30mins)

I'm only a couple episodes in and the plot changes are questionable... Did the story need a female character? Probably... Does changing the backstory of the ship etc benefit the story? Not really... Beyond that the production is fine...kids will be quite happy with the FX and sets and won't mind some of the weak acting and derivative dialogue. The cast are ok although no-one is really standing out for me but sometimes that helps the story develop without actors 'overdoing'.

So, overall a bit cliche and unmemorable for an experienced viewer but definitely something that can be watched with kids who aren't too precious.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is one of my favorite books of all time. As a movie and book lover, I have no mercy for filmmakers who take too much liberty when adapting wildly known works. Even though it is not an adaptation per se, since here we only focus on Captain Nemo, the character himself is the main interest of the original story. Therefore screwing this up would be the same as screwing up Jules Verne's masterpiece.

And after watching the whole series, I'll put it with simple words:

It is BLASPHEMOUS as an adaptation but ENJOYABLE as entertainment material.

Captain Nemo's backstory as a fallen indian wealthy Prince is accurate but...that's it. Really. Apart from that, everything else is pure invention like how he built the Nautilius or how he assembled his crew. There are no women in his original crew but in modern society that would not slide, so they had to include that one typical smart independant woman to serve as a love interest and as a sort of challenger for Nemo's genius. Surprisingly, as much as I hate the modern feminism agenda in modern filmmaking, I realy liked the main female character. Instead of being that arrogant I-know-everything-more-than-anyone-else type that we all hate, they pulled off a character that has a nice balance betweem being feminine and intelligent. Nice job...for once.

The rest of the cast is a nice heterogenous mix of cultures and ethnic backgrounds, that in the context of the story does not feel forced like other films and series we see today.

The acting is descent and the cinematography could have been better if they focused more on the beauty and the wilderness of the ocean instead of the inside of the submarine. I didn't find the CGI to be as terrible as I some other viewers think. There were great and you can see that they put a lot of effort in the underwater sequences.

As a complete fanatic of the original book, I actually enjoyed it but I had to give in after the first episode and admit that it won't be a faithful backstory of our beloved Captain Nemo and his Legendary Submarine.

My advice for you is to watch it as a high-budget fan fiction and not as an actual adaptation. That way you'll get through all episodes without any high expectations and just enjoy the journey with the characters.