Ronja, A Filha do Ladrão

The starting scene had me excited for what to come but unfortunately it didn't follow up the way I'd hope!

It feels like the series is put together with strange acting, weird scenes and general misunderstanding. Is the series for adults or children? I don't know.

Always loved Ronja as a child and was super ready since I saw that Netflix was going to make it into a series. But feels like a bit of a flop for me.

The actors are on completely different levels, seems like they don't act on the same page, the scenes are a bit slow, the costumes feel stressed and mostly look like something that was found in a hurry.

Maybe they didn't have the highest budget for this, but then I would rather skip making a remake if this would be the outcome.

I really like the idea of a remake but I couldn't watch more than 3 episodes.. Although big ups to Mattis, Lovis, Birk and Ronja that for me, were on the same page and acted the way I'd hope. Honorable mention also to the big birds, they had me shivering!

As a youth I loved Astrid Lindgren novels, including Emil from Lönneberg, Pippi Longstocking and, of cause, Ronja the Robber's Daughter. One of the first adaptations of the story I watched was the 1984 movie version and later the Danish stage musical adaptation. So when I saw that there would be a new interpretation of the story, I was kinda hopeful.

However, the end result was NOT what I expected or wanted!

Don't get me wrong, it's not that the entire Netflix series is just horrible, as it has some elements I kinda liked, such as some of the characters, the setting and the new interpretation of the fantastical creatures. However, they've added so much unnecessary subplot about a village and its corrupt magistrate that I always zoned out whenever we got to a point that wasn't part of Lindgren's original story.

Im swedish and grew up in the 80s so as any other kid I saw the Ronja movie, which means alot to me. I also grew up near a forest, not too different from the one in the movie. Ronja has so many things I love in a movie, a good story, interesting characters, medieval folk music and songs. In a northern forest with mythical creatures.

This new series was touching this in a few moments, a few seconds of passion here and there. It starts out pretty alright, but eventually I lost interest.

The visuals are great, music is good, many actors does a good job even with the occasional bad dialog from the writer.

Adding the bounty hunters, village chief or the food thief, didnt bring anything to the story at all. I dont mind them adding new characters like this, but it just felt like they were forced into the story and not properly cared for. The main bounty hunter seemed to have an interesting backstory, but since we hardly know anything about her I cant care less. Instead of adding more characters, why not add more depth to the ones that matter?

I would have absolutely loved this, if it was done with heart.

This show has ups & downs. The production looks amazing, the costumes were pretty good, it was well played, had some solid music, the intro is a vibe and some good cinematography too. But its just a terrible adaptation. The show doesn't focus on Ronja at all. Instead it focuses on Mattis' story and Kappa's. Kappa is an original character with probably most of the screen time. She is not likeable she doesn't do anything, her character is nothing at all but still this her show. Why? None of these characters are likeable. Bot even Ronja. She just feels like a normal 13 year old. Ronja isn't even a supporting character in her own show. The plot is boring, stupid and full of people who don't do anything. We don't see Ronja learning on the forest. We don't see Ronja trying not to fall into the river. Instead we got Mattis who is.... there and Kappa who is..... Also there? Plus who designed the Harpies!? They're just big birds with nipples! There's nothing scary or menacing about them at all.

Like most Swedes, I have a special love for Astrid Lindgren's iconic coming of age tale set in a medieval Scandinavia that is both idyllic and cruel. In a place where unlikely friends are made and strange creatures can be found, this series is sure to be loved by many.

Although a modern take in technical aspects, it's not just a green screen production. Much is shot on location, displaying real landscapes with footage of some wild animals adding a nice touch to the world building. And even when cgi is used it looks good. Most creatures though are almost entirely practical, some designs being the best versions I've seen. Moments of humor also makes the cut, and I love how the show doesn't change how scary some scenes should be. For kids, the dark moments could even be the most intriguing aspect. At least it was for me.

However, a comparison to the 1984 film is inevitable. There's a raw passion there which is simply not found in the 2024 show. Ronja and Mattis, are played by great actors here who do the parts justice. But other characters are not given the depth they deserve. Instead, the writing makes room for completely new character's that don't anything to the story other than runtime. And on top of that, the dialogue can be stiff and feel somewhat unnatural.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this show for the most part. It is well worth a watch if you're the slightest interested in the story. And if you have kids, it's almost a must watch. I'm looking forward to seeing what they'll do with the rest of Astrid Lindgren's tale!

/Anton.