Savage River

Don't expect anything avant-garde. The story is one that's been done before so it starts out sorta cliche, basically how you'd expect people of a small town to react when somebody just comes out of prison for murder; you're just thrown in the middle of it and begins with more of character introduction. So far it's just about mediocre but interesting enough for a watch, the 'twist' at the end of the premiere episode is set to make things a little more exciting. I'm not expecting it to be a ground breaking miniseries but I'm a fan of Katherine Langford so I'm looking forward to seeing this all goes. She's more known for her American roles so it's nice to see her in an Australian series, didn't even know she was one till now. I don't have high expectations and don't think you should either if you really want to enjoy it because it probably won't live up to or eclipse other bigger productions with a similar premise of just-outta-prison, trying fit back into society stories. It doesn't seem to have a huge budget so it'll have to lean on the story a lot which is good as it should be, but on the other hand makes the show a bit matte to look at, makes the small town surroundings seem more realistic but no pizazz. Still, it's not a bad start and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. Will update rating if anything drastically changes about the show.

I've finished the series now and the last two episodes were really good, turned out better than I thought it would. The show kept it's mystery and suspense really well and the twists and turns at the end were well worth the wait. The side plots are also really developed well and keeps your interest. I'd recommend a watch, starts off decent and it's a show that needs to be watched in it's entirety.

Savage River was a brilliantly paced crime/drama with an incredible cast to back it up. From the outset, the plot line found a grounded feel, and escalated in a suspenseful, subversive manner.

The cinematography was stunning and shots pretty laconic. The soundscape behind it was charming no doubt.

Defiantly emblematic of regional Australia and thematically hit the nail on the head of many issues facing these townships.

The spoiler free ending was deeply satisfying - sticking the balance of answering as many questions as it perhaps raised. Really hopping that along with Mystery Road Origins, we see this renewed for another season.

I really hoped this was just another great mini-series like the ones that are based on Harlan Coben's books. But it really isn't that good. I don't wanna spoil anything, so I'll try to stick to the broad pros and cons: Pros: The surroudings. The scenery of Tasmania is really beautiful.

The acting is pretty good. No complaints here.

Cons: It's a veeeeery slow show. It draws out every scene like it's a drama serie. The pace is the same every scene. You never get some action. And this is really weird for a series that is about a crime. In the end, I kept watching because I wanted to find out who did it. But the last three episodes felt like a choor.

There's one big mistake in this series. I really can't believe the makers didn't see it when they watched it for themselves.

An above-average crime drama mystery series where everything is too mild, whether believable or unbelievable. The best acting in my opinion goes to Hattie Hook (Ivy) who played naturally and with real charisma, wish everyone played as charismatically and with an enough mix of youth naive craziness & seriousness as her, though second best to her was her mother character Rachel Kennedy.

The screenplay plots are so so, the photography and sceneries the "best" in the show as are various realistic/unrealistic relationships throughout.

In one word, it's mildly recommended, but don't expect anything shiny as in Nordic series.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6
• Development: 7.5
• Realism: 6.5
• Entertainment: 7
• Acting: 6.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
• VFX: 7
• Music/score/sound: 6.5
• Depth: 6.5
• Logic: 4.5
• Flow: 6.5
• Crime/drama/mystery: 6.5
• Ending: 5.5.

I found myself really engaged in this series - you know a great creation when you forget its creators and become completely absorbed in the story and with the characters.

Having said that, what a fantastic cast, and beautiful cinematography. It may have been low budget, but the team really made their dollars work for them. I appreciated the time taken to develop the characters, the storyline, and that every thread seemed to be followed through right to the end. I was suprised and disappointed that Virginia Gay isn't listed in the "Top Cast" here on IMDB's listing for Savage River - she played a very significant role and performed masterfully.

The series held my complete attention right to the end, and I was really moved by the final moments - this was so well done.