Neverwhere

You probably have to know London a bit to fully enjoy the story of Neverwhere (the series or the novel for that matter). The whole story relies on knowing a bit of the city layout, above and below :) And it's understandable that US viewers can be surprised by the low budget BBC production (unless they were familiarized with it through stuff like Dr Who which seems to be popular at the moment). Most European TVs don't get to sell their productions abroad so they won't invest as heavily as the US productions.

I read the novel long before I could get my hands on the DVD (actually way before I was even aware of anything being available in filmed form, much less as a DVD). For some reason the only release seems to be for the US market.

Regarding the Neverwhere series, yes, while the cast is mostly good, some of the actors are so-so. Even with the obviously shoestring budget, the sets and costumes are quite inventive and convincingly used. The directing unfortunately is really poor and it does quite a bit of damage to the effectiveness of the whole.

If you have read and enjoyed the novel, you will find the series to be something imperfect yes but also something that you can watch with fondness. Possibly a proper adaptation by a proper director with a decent budget would be nice. But it's unlikely it will ever happen. Isn't it better to enjoy what's available even if it could theoretically be better ?

At first glance you may be turned off by the unfortunate quality, but once you can get past it, NeverWhere will take you to places you've never been. You travel along with it's not too willing participant Richard Meyhew as he desperately attempts to figure out London Below's secrets whilst hoping to, in the process, find a way to get back home to London above. Gary Bakewell (known mostly for his perfect portrayals as Paul McCartney) does an excellent job as the confused Meyhew, with a Scottish accent and always another dumb question, all the characters are portrayed wonderfully - especially that of the Marquis De Carabas. The villains, though sometimes the comic relief, can be quite terrifying as well. Wonderful writing throughout, and although sometimes simplified, the sets give the perfect atmosphere to London below. It will make you think about what you *really* see around you!

this novel was one of the better dark fantasy books i have read, a very modern Hero Epic. Anyone who has ever lived in london (as i have) will certainly appreciate this. Fans of Neil Gaiman is a must. Its flaw is that some of the performances are only so-so, and it us unfortunately incredibly Under-funded. Not that big budgets are a must (look at Blair Witch Project), but this looks a little too cheap, a lot like Dr. Who.

Books are usually better than their screenings. This is somehow logical, because the adaptation changes the source material to accommodate it to another and completely different medium, whose explicitness could never be compared with the infinite possibilities of crossing the imagination of the author with the imagination of the reader. But it seems that even when things are going in the opposite direction, the books still win.

"Neverwhere" is a British mini-series that Neil Gaiman wrote directly for TV, and then subsequently turned its scenario into a novel, which changed from release to release until it became one of my favorite books, which series on which it is based exceeds in every respect. Although it's BBC, the series is low-budget or at least looks cheap. Also, there are only six half-hour episodes, and the potential here is quite enough for at least ten times more, which would allow a more detailed story and better character development. But that does not mean it's bad. On the contrary, I liked it, because it very convincingly fits quite original fantasy world into our reality. The main problem is that the actors can not play, the director cannot direct, and studio and filming locations cannot look as good as I can imagine when I read a book.

Any attempt to give you a brief idea about its plot finished as a spoiler, so I'm giving up on that intention. The mere fact that it's written by Neil Gaiman should be reason enough for you to take a look.

9/10 for author's imagination 5/10 for the technical realization

This series will both surprise and delight you...the quality isn't the greatest, like that of a British soap opera, but you'll be hooked after the first 10 minutes. The writing is great, the characters are wonderfully written, each one with it's own personality, back round, life - you tend to feel you know them by the end, and an emotional connection is unavoidable. Perfect acting by ALL involved. Highly recommended.