Ronja, A Filha do Ladrão

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.

They add unnecessary words that easily can be said/shown with your face or body. Some words that don't fit well with the timeline. And when it is two clans that are living in a secluded area it feels a bit off when you sometimes hear a completely different accent. I also feel like the comedic vibe is not on point, feels very staged and stiff. I actually think it works better in English than in Swedish. So if you're not familiar with the excellent original movie, and you are watching this in English. I can understand that you might like it. But some nice shots and beautiful views overall in the whole series.

This production passes the minimum requirements to be watchable, but the persisting impression is why they made it at all. A bit darker than the original movie, the tone is yet quite mild and the dialouge not far from the book.

After watching 3 episodes, I am still wondering, why am I watching this?

The darker angle, is bathing in poor acting and a sense of rushed production. Sometimes almost cliché driven with rather weak and not very well represented subplots and story arcs.

Production quality is on par with other low to mid budget fantasy shows, and is utilizing passable basic CGI and clever practical effects.

I will watch the rest of the season, but I am not looking forward to it.