Sandman

Having never read the books I wasn't really sure what to expect from The Sandman. Then after reading through the reviews and seeing how mixed they were I was even more confused about whether I should give it a try. I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed it. I just read that it got renewed for a second season so that's good news. It looks like most of the negative reviews are from people that are mad that it's not exactly like the source material and I've never got that. As long as it's entertaining...who cares. Movies and shows have to be adapted for tv and are just based off the source material. Less than 5% of the people who watch these movies and tv shows have actually read the book or comic it's based on.

It took me a while, but I finally found myself in the right mood to watch this, and I'm glad I waited until I was, as opposed to just diving into it just because it was new.

I'm a huge fan of the books, but when the first season of this dropped I knew I needed to be able to give it the time it deserved. To watch it one episode per day or every few days, while not watching any other show aside from 'comfort' background stuff I have on while scrolling or reading a book. So I waited until that moment came, and it was absolutely worth it.

Only reason I'm giving it 8 is because of a few things that irked me. The main one being, as good as the actress is, I would have liked to have seen the John Constantine character show up.

Regardless of a few minor flaws, this adaptation is as good as one could hope for.

I really liked the comics back then, when they were published. I haven't read them again since, so I forgot most of the things and so also the story for the first season, if it was ever put into the comics. The show is visually stunning and I like the look. The one thing that was probably cut though for budget reasons was that Morpheus should have way more impact on the dreamworld wherever he goes and visually influence it. That wasn't a major point for me. The lead actor was well chosen, even with the hairdo making me wonder when he would sing songs from the Cure. I don't like the actor for the main villain - the Corinthian - so it was good, that he was the villain, but he more a psychopath than a true evil.

What most people might have a problem with was the slow pace the first season had. I personally didn't mind stories like the human Morpheus was meeting in that pub every 100 years. It added to that existential feel of the show.

While I personally don't like the recent gender swapping in respect to source material - I mean, why not invent awesome material yourself rather than say make a show called "Pippin Longstocking" - it was moderately done so in the show that it didn't hurt personally speaking. What I found a bit sad was that they turned Death from the little Goth chick to some black woman. But I found it worse that she had not so much screen time at all.

Overall, I enjoyed it a lot.

It's fair to say I've always been somewhat of a fan of the distinctively whimsical, quintessential eccentricity imbued within famous author Neil Gaiman's writing (ever since - in 2011 - first being introduced to it as a child in BBC1's 6th season of "Doctor Who", with his critically acclaimed episode "The Doctor's Wife") & therefore, as a long-time admirer of his impressive portfolio of work, growing up alongside his growing number of flourishing projects, I'd previously made consistent efforts to acquaint myself with his prior TV adaptations "Good Omens" & "American Gods" but admittedly, had never yet had the pleasure of reading the much beloved "Sandman" graphic novels (of which this series is based upon, widely considered to be his best) before. Hence, I personally went in to this season with no preconceived expectations & thus, I must concede - after viewing the first 3 installments - that this Netflix series has completely blown me away & ironically surpassed even my wildest dreams.

Of course, I can only comment as a casual viewer (& am unable to ascertain the faithfulness to the source material, present within these episodes), but within the first 3 hours, we as an audience are introduced to a rich, layered, enchanting world of pure imagination that is creatively borne, masterfully realised & the sheer scope & scale captured from beginning to end is honestly mesmerising. Indeed, it's no surprise to witness peculiar & cerebral fantastical wonders on screen - in a fantasy constructed from the inspired mind of such a quirky, ingenious scribe - yet nonetheless, I still found myself utterly confounded by the sheer regality & majesty of this grandiose, unconventional & wholly epic tale.

It's a credit to all of the cast & crew members involved, who've respectfully & lovingly brought such a breathtaking universe to life & I'm hopeful the quality established here in the preliminary chapters will continue throughout... Because from what I've seen, I'm seriously floored. It is utterly remarkable, beautifully dark & haunted & unlike anything I've had the opportunity to previously binge on the streaming service, in its history.

There's a palpable sense of history & mythology to it which immediately draws you in & I cannot wait to see more. What a major achievement!

I didn't know the story is based on a comics - I found it out from the imdb reviews. I didn't even know what it's gonna be about, I just had a feeling I'd like it and when I had time, I binge-watched it. And I loved it.

I love the dark atmosphere and the gloomy Morpheus, the Greek mythology foundations, the way the characters are built and the way the story evolves. I don't mind the slow pace, it worked for me to create a dreamy state which is perfect for the story. Contrary to the reviews I saw, I enjoyed more the second part, because it is when we got some action and when the characters stopped being just weird.

I need to say it. There's too much wokeness and it hurts the story and shrinks the possible audience. Don't get me wrong - I don't mind people with different orientations. But if only 1/3 of the characters are not on spectrum, that bothers me. I cannot watch this with my partner, because even though the show is great, he wouldn't like that everyone is gay and/or trans. I wish the producers didn't go that wild with the gender assignments. I think more people would have enjoyed the show.

In any case, I'm looking forward to the second season because the quality of the story and the world-building gives me enough satisfaction to be able to ignore what I don't like. But well, I'm growing more and more tired of shows betting on sexuality to drive views.