Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

I enjoyed the books. I know that no movie or show based off of books are nearly as good, so I will not rate this compared to the books, but as a stand alone show.

The acting is beyond dreadful, the lines are cheesy and the plot is very rushed. As always if you love fantasy shows with magic, demons, and such, you might overlook everything else and enjoy it for what it is.

I love the books having read them all more than once, the movie was OK ish but I was very excited when I heard a series was being made. I watched the first episode and I wasn't sure, the acting was a tad wooden but that's not unusual for a new series in the pilot episode especially for new young actors. So I watched the next one and it started to grow me and now I'm hooked and can't wait for each new episode. Yes it is slightly different to the books but no film or TV adaptation is 100% true to the book, what works on the page doesn't always translate to screen hence they say 'based on'. I have likened this series to True Blood, I watched the first episode or two of that and thought it was a bit naff but I stayed with it a became an avid True Blood fan, loving every episode. I am hoping Shadowhunters will be the same. In conclusion give it a chance, it could be a really good watch.

Let me start by saying that I loved the books and hated the movie so much I tried to get through it twice and never made it beyond the first 15 minutes. Does this stick completely to the books? No, of course not. It follows the story line much better than the movie. Remember, this isn't a mini series so they need to set up a broader world. The characters are true to type and so much better cast than the crappy movie. I can already see that I am going to like Simon. He's pretty much exactly like in the book and bonus, Alec doesn't look like one of their dads :D. 1pilots are almost always meh and require setting up the premise so don't worry about it being plot heavy. They settle in nicely in the second episode. (already on Hulu plus a week in advance). Give it a shot if you like the books.

The most important thing I want everyone to know is that it get's better. Much better. If you love the genre, I recommend you watch through the first season as the second season is better and the third season is totally awesome. There are many likeable actors/actresses. The acting is believable. The special effects get noticeably better by the season. I absolutely LOVE the story. This is my favorite genre and I'm glad I watched through the first season even though I wasn't to eager to finish it.

When I saw the previews I was nervous it would be like the deplorable movie. I am a huge fan of the series.It makes sense to keep it a series instead of trying to make movies of all the movies. I will be interested to see how they will follow the books. Will each season be a single book? Will they combine books. Either way, I'm excited to keep watching. The casting in the movie was horrible. Magnus was a joke. The casting for the series is spot on. I'm pretty picky when it comes to casting. I am disappointed with the institute as others have stated. I enjoyed Simon and Jace's humor. I find the use of the different weapons interesting and didn't think the effects were cheesy. Please please remember that it is very difficult to make an adaptation of a book into a movie or series. We were spoiled with Harry Potter and the Hunger Games. I'm definitely going to keep watching.