The Black Dagger Brotherhood

This episode was FUN! What a great start to the series. This was the most ambitious of Passionflix's productions to date with scale and special effects and they blew it out of the park! The casting is spot on, the dialogue is straight out of the books, and the scenery is exactly how I pictured it in my mind. I'm so excited to watch the next 5 episodes. I have been reading the books for about 10 years now and they are so pleasantly different than the standard vampire faire. I recommend this to any reader of the series. You will not be disappointed.

2 stars were removed due to some of the scenes being cheesy or just off somehow. I have no doubt they will get better as they progress and get more comfortable with their characters. In no way is that bad in my book though, this was obviously done with love of the lore and respect for the author. Mad props Passionflix, keep up the good work and you've more than earned your subscription fee.

As a longtime and passionate fan of J. R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood books-having read the series more times than I can count-watching it come to life on screen has been both surreal and a little nerve-wracking. The BDB world is vast, gritty, sensual, and deeply emotional, and any adaptation was bound to face the challenge of doing justice to such an immersive universe. While the show isn't perfect, there's enough promise here to keep me tuning in-and holding out hope.

Casting & Characters The casting is solid overall. The brothers are depicted as larger-than-life and fiercely masculine, which matches the vivid imagery from the books. They're not exactly as I imagined, but the actors bring enough physicality and presence to the roles to hold their own. The women-voluptuous and commanding in the novels-are equally beautiful on screen. While there are minor deviations, most of the leads captured the spirit of their characters adequately. There's a grounded, simmering intensity that works well when the story leans into emotional beats.

Tone & Atmosphere Yes, the production clearly operates on a tighter budget. The sets and visual effects aren't as lush or expansive as some may have hoped. The mansion, for example, lacks the grandeur described in the books. The city feels a bit small-scale for Caldwell's gritty vampire underground. But despite that, the essence of the world-the danger, the secrecy, the brotherhood-is there. With better lighting, grittier cinematography, and deeper investment in set design, it could level up quickly.

Faithfulness to the Source For diehard fans, the series lands somewhere between faithful and interpretive. It hits most of the major beats and iconic moments, but some nuances are understandably trimmed or altered for screen pacing. I'm cautiously optimistic that future seasons will dig deeper into the raw emotional vulnerability that defines the Brotherhood-not just the fights and fangs, but the scars, the loyalty, and the slow-burning romances that made the books so unforgettable.

Final ThoughtsThe TV adaptation of Black Dagger Brotherhood may not have the polish of a high-budget fantasy epic, but it does have heart-and for longtime readers like me, that counts for a lot. The actors are promising, the story is (mostly) respected, and the emotional undercurrents are beginning to surface. If the showrunners continue to stay true to the characters' humanity and heartbreak, while balancing the series' signature raw masculinity, then this could be the start of something truly worthy of the books we've loved for years.

Rating: 7.5/10 - A solid, heartfelt start with room to grow. For the Brotherhood, I'll keep watching.

Soooo. Have been a fan of this series for too many years to count. When I heard the platform this series was going to air on, I was hesitant to watch. Fast forward I bought a month trial and watched the first episode. At first I thought this is going to be super cheesy. As I continued to watch I began to appreciate the casting, the strict following of the script of the books and the flow of the show. Would like Rhage's dragon to be more realistic. It did take me a hot moment to embrace Wrath's wig but as I continued to watch I got on board. Butch's acting is spot on as is Marissa's. I think I am most excited to see Z's and Vichous's characters grow. Overall I am not disappointed and I hope they choose to consider finishing this series out in future episodes. I would definitely watch. To be honest, most new movies or series leave much to be desired, so this series, although not perfect at this time has great potential to continue and perfect. I hope it does.

No doubt about this, I loved this. Made the movie in my head when I read the books, come to life. Actor selection was spot on, loved how it stuck so closely to the books. Wrath is just as toe curling as I pictured and I cannot wait for the next instalment to see the love story with Beth unfold. Was it $1 billion cinematic masterpiece, no, but it was everything that I needed for curl up at home, on my couch, get lost in the story, evening. I cannot wait to see the character development and pray that they will do at least the next five, hopefully ALL the books on Passionflix. You have got a dedicated watcher here.

How is this getting so many positive reviews? It must obviously be someone paid by the studio to do so. There is no way in heck anyone can watch this and seriously rate it 8/10 or whatever. It doesn't make any sense.

Nobody in their right mind can watch this absolute drivel and rate it any higher than a 1.

The script/line delivery/acting is nothing short of abysmal. The.... I'm not even going to continue.

Just watch the trailer and if you aren't keen enough to see what utter trash this is then there's little help for it. I realize everyone has their own tastes but dear lord. I haven't taken a dive into the main actors other projects and their ratings and likewise the creators/directors etc other projects but I'm willing to be their overall ratings will be low. But then again, the overall rating for this isn't as low as I would have thought either so who knows.