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All The Light We Cannot See takes a lot of liberties compared to its source material. The most glaring of which is its choice of having everyone speak English. It's a jarring decision and incredibly inconsistent with its actors. You have German Actora portraying Germans speaking English in France with a German Accent, British Actors Portraying the French in France with English Accents, and an American Actor portraying a Frenchman in France with an English Accent.

The biggest thing missed out because if all that is how important the language barrier was there, both historically and in the source material but someone made an ill-advised decision to have everyone speak English instead of going with what would have been an excellent subtitled series with everyone speaking their character's native and/or learned tongues.

Aria (Marie) does an excellent job in her acting debut, along with her more seasoned German co-star Louis Hofman. Hugh Laurie is an absolute delight to watch in anything and the supporting cast does well. Now for the Elephant in the room, I have absolutely no idea why the hell they put Mark Ruffalo in this. He is neither French, nor German, and speaks with a terrible British accent. You could easily find a multi-lingual actor (Christoph Waltz as a popular example) who could easily take that same role and blow it out of the water. Instead we get a half-baked heartless performance from Ruffalo that probably cost them a large portion of their budget to bring on board.

This could've been an excellent series if they took the time to let it cook some more, had a few more episodes, and made some better casting decisions. Instead it sits, in my eyes, not nearing its full potential, despite some stellar performances from young actors and actresses, great cinematography, costuming, and location/environment shooting.

6/10 I lament what could've been an excellent unique period piece limited series.

This is a fantastic story. Too bad the makers of it didn't invest in great writers. I know the cast is super talented, but I felt at moments that both Ruffalo and Laurie were miscast. But the dialogue at times was just plain bad. Things were said two or three times that should not have been said at all - like the audience was too stupid to understand unless they spelled things out explicitly. Still, it's worth a watch just because the story is excellent, and other than the occasionally bad writing, the rest of the film is enjoyable. Most viewers will like it - only snobs like me will find any issues with it.

"Shawn Levy's Epic Series 'All the Light We Cannot See' premiered on Netflix on Nov. 2, 2023.

Based on Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the four-episode limited series unfolds in a besieged city, immersing viewers in the lives of Marie-Laure, a blind French teenager, and Werner, a German soldier. Their paths cross in occupied France as they navigate the challenges of World War II.

Marie-Laure's story begins in Paris, where her father works at the Museum of Natural History. With the Nazi occupation, they seek refuge in the fortress city of Saint-Malo, accompanied by a precious and perilous museum artifact.

Meanwhile, in a German mining town, orphan Werner and his sister find solace in a radio that brings them tales from distant lands. Werner's talent for building and repairing these radios leads him into the resistance.

While the narrative flirts with romantic and fairy tale elements, it occasionally grounds itself in realism, offering a unique blend of myth and reality.

The casting of visually impaired actors, such as Loberti and Nell Sutton, who portrays young Marie, adds authenticity to the characters, story. This casting choice enhances the representation and genuine portrayal of the story's protagonists.

'All the Light We Cannot See' may not be a typical comfort watch, it offers a glimpse into a simpler time, contrasting with its wartime setting."

Brilliant acting by the 2 teenagers. I rooted for them throughout the story. The set design made it look like they were really in those places, and not sets. Or, were they even sets? I think Mark Ruffalo is a great actor. He should have not even tried using an accent. Often the accent would come and go, kinda spoiling his performance a little bit. Same with Hugh Laurie. But Louis Hoffman was spot on with his dialog. Does he really have a German accent? The scenes of destruction were spectacular, how did they create those scenes so realistically? No spoilers here but I felt the ending was perfect. Nothing was left hanging for me to wonder what happened.

Engaging and watchable 4 part series telling the tale of a blind French girl, a German soldier/radio operator and, somewhat loosely, the French resistance during WW2 in occupied St Malo in France. Good cast, Hugh Laurie as ever excellent but not convinced Mark Ruffalo was right for his part, some slightly odd accents going on there! Along with the great cast, good cinematography, pacing and dialogue make the whole thing work well if not exactly standout. Just think maybe it could/should have had more of a European feel about it considering the subject matter. Still, it's far from the worst thing Netflix has put out...