Jungle

A tv show about black drug dealers that break out into rap .

I don't like it it. I don't like hip hop or rap at all. But do like British gang shows .

So the Rap that they do during the show is distracting uninteresting and made me shut it off.

Could have been decent instead they thought let's ruin this tv show and have the actors do rap.

So it's a gang musical with rap which is not music but rhyming words to explain themselves , idea , or thought.

Regardless I think this show will appeal to a small viewership .

Which will probably grow based on what is happening in Britain and Europe . I say NO!

Jungle brought some really creative heads come together to give us something fresh and unique. However, I felt more effort went into the style of the show than telling a solid story.

My main issue with the show was that it felt rushed and things didn't really pay off, instead story arcs were left at lose ends and even though the show tries to bring things full circle at the end, for me it didn't work as I wasn't given enough time to care for the characters involved.

This show gave us the idea of the characters breaking out into drill in certain scenes. This is an interesting idea and sometimes it really works, however there were times where it took me out of the scene as it felt forced on some occasions. As a drill producer, I really appreciate the effort to bring drill and mix it with a crime drama. However, this idea can be improved upon.

The setting of Jungle is also really interesting. A near future London looks visually pleasing but that's where it ends. The setting or technology shown in this series isn't used to push the story and while it seems they're going to do something with it at the start of the series, it didn't go anywhere which is something I quickly got used to.

I would like to see another season as I feel it can be significantly improved upon as the ideas are good but don't help to push the narrative. While I have my issues with the show, I appreciate the effort gone in to create something different hence my 6 star rating.

The series Top Boy is the benchmark for British London urban black gangster drug dealing gang drama tv. When I saw the trailer for Jungle I expected something similar. Jungle is very different! Set in the near future the series focuses on the characters personal suffering. The drug/gang violence is prominent, but the individual struggles of the working class broken home adolescents is the main theme. The ad lib rapping is fresh and unique and it works wonderfully. The show is not about glamourising the gangster lifestyle but more about highlighting the hardships of the younger siblings that get caught up in the gang culture. Yes, some may argue that the show is more style over substance but I enjoyed it immensely. It is stunning from a cinematography point of view, and at only 6 episodes long I highly recommend watching!

PRO TIP: I recommend watching with subtitles to get the most out of the British slang!

The first episode tries to be a mix between a musical poetry similar to romeo + Juliet while also trying to be like the kidulthood trilogy but it just fails at both unfortunatly, on the up side we get to see k koke make an apperance. Everything is just so bland.

Its like the show has identity issues, its not exactly cyberpunk although it tries so hard to be, with its bright neon lights in places where it has no business to be and lifts with no light at all... the whole episode just reminded me in the worst way of how a blade tv series could go so horribly wrong and yet its not exactly hip-hop either as actors will for no reason at all start rapping to eachother in the most bizarre places... theres no real explanation or proper transition.

Where to start?

This series is just as tired and warn out as the UK drill scene.

The amount of service level conversations portrayed as deep meaningful dialogue. Honestly, it's so highly cringe is almost unbearable.

The acting is very sub par...so much over acting, you can clearly see that every is trying, but it just looks forced, cringe and falls flat on it's face.

It's looks slick, but after a few slow motion panning shots this runs dry pretty quickly.

Overall a wasted opportunity with a big budget to do something great. If this gets renewed for a second season, I'll eat my hat!

It's a 1/10 for me.