Les Mystères des guerriers de terre cuite

Giant infomercial for China, how great they are, how great the archiaological dig is, the big building, etc. Lots of hyperbole. It's a little insufferable.

The main narrator/ researcher resembles and speaks like an animatronic character at Chuck E. Cheese. He sounds like a voiceover, but it looks like he speaks English, so it wouldn't have been necessary to translate the speech. It's very disturbing. Several methods are used to translate Chinese into English but it's inconsistent doesn't make sense. Some Chinese doesn't get translated at all.

I'm sure that China is very proud of the terracotta warriors, and rightfully so, but this whole production should have been a documentary instead of this ham-handed drama.

The bottom line for me is that this site was discovered during the cultural revolution when people lost their heads for talking about or paying homage to old things or old people. Who know how many of artifacts just disappeared because they showed China in some unfavorable light?

Hard pass.

Alright, being the first commenter without any archeological knowledge besides the odd documentaries I watched through the years, my opinion is rooted in ignorance yet awe for the people who attempted and are still working on this gargantuan project to search for the facts behind this massive find. It started out with archeologists unearthing the first find which they show as a clay face poking through the soil. I was hooked. The commencing footage gave me goose bumps. I was in my 20s when this site was discovered and of course I was amazed to see those individual restored soldiers standing in rows. Totally forgot about it until this documentary with life action appeared here at Netflix. With all the low quality productions emerging lately on Netflix this is standing out. I'm thrilled to learn about a part of Chinese history from over 2000 years ago. The conspiracies and brutalities used in politics to annihilate your opponents used in other civilizations were also applied here therefore it's not an easy watch. The discovery of yet many other tombs and the methods to determine whose they were kept me glued to the screen. A must watch for anyone interested in history!

This one is better if only compared to the many poorly done Netflix 'documentaries'.

As usual, what mars all these so-called "documentaries" are the inclusions of totally unnecessary and distracting theatrics which add nothing except to eat up time so as to cover up for the lack of more interesting factual information.

The chunks of time taken up by cringy re-enactments (of which there are already plentiful Chinese movie saga that do much better) could have been much better spent to provide graphical clarity on the inter-relationships of the historical characters involved and their placement in China's history in that period, as well as provide better visual understanding of the layout of the sprawling burial complex.

This one does provide more focussed interviews on the subject at hand compared to the meandering pointless interviews of the Saqarra Tombs that doesn't relate directly with the content at hand.

Both could have done with more properly written and professionally narrated content that link up the things talked about in the various interviews - as it is, much of the content seem rather incidental hotch-potch rather than following a clear focussed narrative thread that a good documentary should have.

Still hoping Netflix will one day come up with actual real professional documentaries without the glob of cheap theatre plonked in.

MYSTERIES OF THE TERRA COTTA WARRIORS is a first-rate documentary exploring one of the world's great archaeological finds. Created to guard the tomb of China's first emperor, the warriors are an artistic and cultural marvel. This film, however, goes far beyond the statues themselves, providing a riveting look into Chinese history, specifically the history of the Qin Dynasty.

Much of the history as it is told in this documentary has remained unproven, some would say apocryphal. Now, archaeologists are poised on the brink of proving that these stories and the historical figures they portray are very real indeed.

Careful archaeology and science are at the fore in MYSTERIES OF THE TERRA COTTA WARRIORS, yet the documentary never gets bogged down in scientific detail and remains accessible to a general audience. Dramatic reenactments of the past add interest without getting overly speculative and losing their educational value.

With excellent organization and pacing, the filmmakers have brought a bit of the history of what may be the world's oldest known civilization to life. This window into the China of two millennia ago can be considered nothing less than awe inspiring.

MYSTERIES OF THE TERRA COTTA WARRIORS truly is an outstanding documentary that will delight viewers of all ages. Recommendation: Strong watch.

As an archaeologist and an educator who visited the terracotta warriors site, as well as the other places in this documentary, over 10 times in the last 13 years, I was really excited to watch this historical mystery puzzle slowly putting pieces together. James Tovell, the documentary director behind Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb, delves into the enigmatic world of the Terracotta Warriors in his latest project. Tovell, known for his work on shows like I Am Killer and Cradle to Grave, brings his expertise to unravel the mysteries surrounding these ancient artifacts.

Excellent job presenting the topic and highly informative documentary!