Irma Vep

I started watching it because of Alicia Vikandar but really liked the approach of this show. Making a TV show inside a TV show. It's funny and exciting. The director Renè's storyline is so good and just watching Alicia is just pure pleasure.

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but if you like movies and wonder how they make them then I think it's for you.

WARNING: This review is written by a contributor that HASN'T viewed the whole series.

Films about making films tend to have the odds stacked against them. The concept, aside from being grossly over represented, is pathed with potholes - the biggest one being that all involved find the subject way more interesting than the audience.

Another obvious risk is that it will be perceived as an egotistic indulgence and that the end product ends up more of a show off than a show. There will also be a perceived amount of laziness, after reviewing thousands of possible topics - the decision was; to make a show about "themselves". In short; the execution must be spot on for there to be any praise worthy merit.

So... plenty of risk taken here - how has the end product turned out? After the first episode - rather much as feared. Despite some good acting; pretty boring and rather self-indulgent. That's not saying it's worse than a lot of other stuff out there. It is, however, a bumpy ride over the potholes - of which few have been avoided.

Irma Vep has started out painfully predictable - resulting in a recommendation that may seem obvious; if you have enjoyed other films/shows along the theme of making a ditto - chances are you will enjoy this. If not - chances are that you will feel the urge to utter something along the lines of "pretentious rubbish".

After two episodes the issues of main concern, apart from the above mentioned, has to do with rhythm and pacing - the overall impression is beginning to feel choppy and bouts of boredom are showing up. It is stil hard to look past the aspect of self-indulgence. However... intricate threads of complexity are being woven in and they may come into play at a later stage (if not it would be further added indulgence). The best advice, possibly, is avoid at this stage; to wait until the whole series has aired, and then read the reviews.

Irma Vep could go in two very different directions from here: The most likely being that it is a cul-de-sac of self indulgence. But t could also "come together" in a way that makes the, relatively painful, first episodes pay off at a later stage.

It's not a great idea to write a review after a couple of episodes and this is a first impression - if any greatness develops as the series progresses; this review will be altered or taken down.

FINAL EDIT (After E3) After three episodes the self-indulgence is on the rise - rather than the decline - and this reviewer will be checking out. The few potential interesting threads that were out there have come to nothing and the "please give me a break" moments are on the rise.

Thanks for your attention.

...are not interesting if there is no resolution or continuity. We see things happen and end scene. Then we see something else happen and end scene. Then we see another thing happen and all of these things feel like cliffhangers and then none of the things we have seen have any consequences in anything that follows what we've seen so what is the point of even watching?

I've seen both the original 1916 Les Vampires and the 1996 Irma Vep, so I "get" what the director is trying to do with this series. I'm two episodes in and it seems this is written exclusively for critics, cinephiles, and fans of French film history. 7/10 is generous, but my memory of the original 1916 series keeps me interested.

The original series is "wacky" and very hard to describe. It certainly had energy. Cinema was still in its infancy, so they could just make it up as they went along and dream up ridiculous situations. You'll notice the actors in the HBO series keep lamenting that no one would say or do these things in 2022.

Musidora wasn't classically beautiful but had a strange, magnetic sex appeal. Maggie Cheung in the 1996 version was brilliant, odd casting and incredibly sexy. Her befuddlement added to the chaos. Alicia Vikander is not quite inspired casting. She's done a good job on her American accent, but her character is bland, listless, and gives off little sexual energy. Musidora was voluptuous; Vikander is a twig. Perhaps more inspired casting could have better captured the essence of Irma Vep.

I don't think the world was waiting for another version of Irma Vep. I'll watch to the end, but I can't recommend this to the casual viewer.

UPDATE: I have now finished the series and downgraded my score to 6/10. In 8 hours of tedium there were only 2 interesting characters; Rene, played tenderly by Vincent Macaigne, and Gottfried, channeling Keith Richards, played with reckless abandon by Lars Eidinger. Both deserve future Emmy nominations. Oddly, Irma Vep/Mira is the most poorly written character in the series. Mira really has nothing interesting to say or do, and Vikander infuses her with zero charisma. Fala Chen, in a bit part, lights up the screen as Lily Flower. Perhaps she should have played Mira/Irma Vep?

This show is really well written and feels authentic. A peek into the life of a show, the actors, the director, the crew. It also feels quite personal from the director Olivier Assayas.

Give it a try and don't get influenced by the bad reviews who only watched the first episode..