williamcheyney

The series Top Boy is the benchmark for British London urban black gangster drug dealing gang drama tv. When I saw the trailer for Jungle I expected something similar. Jungle is very different! Set in the near future the series focuses on the characters personal suffering. The drug/gang violence is prominent, but the individual struggles of the working class broken home adolescents is the main theme. The ad lib rapping is fresh and unique and it works wonderfully. The show is not about glamourising the gangster lifestyle but more about highlighting the hardships of the younger siblings that get caught up in the gang culture. Yes, some may argue that the show is more style over substance but I enjoyed it immensely. It is stunning from a cinematography point of view, and at only 6 episodes long I highly recommend watching!

PRO TIP: I recommend watching with subtitles to get the most out of the British slang!

Lot of hate here from people who've watched the (much) better British original series.

So the US version definitely isn't bad, it has the weird and dark themes of the original UK version but there are some key areas lacking...

• British series was very low budget, so

the script, musical soundtrack and acting were purposely very high quality to make it amazing!

• ARBY.

Arguably one of the most important, interesting and significant characters in the show (definitely my favourite!!). American Christopher Denham is a great and weird actor and I respect his work, but honestly he doesn't compare to the British actor Neil Maskell who mastered the role. So vacant, psychopathic, dry and an absolute heartless, cold-blooded killer.

• Jessica Hyde.

The 2nd most important character in the show. Sasha Lane, also a fantastic actress, LOVED her in American Honey, is tough and raw and kick ass, but also just doesn't compare to the Irish actress Fiona O'Shaunghnessy in the British version. She is cold, pale, soul-less and brutal.

In conclusion, the Amazon US version is pretty good, BUT if you enjoyed it and want to go deeper down the rabbit hole you MUST TRY AND WATCH THE ORIGINAL BRITISH VERSION!

In my opinion it's better, for any Americans reading this, give it a try. The British version is more weird, more violent, better acted, better music, but cheaper/more basic production. Both shows good, watch them both. Then decide :)

I remember so well watching the British version when it came out. So original, so weird and so dark!! It was amazing!! So (like many others) I had high hopes for the new US version. But unfortunately it doesn't have the same 'vibe'. This is always a problem with re-makes unfortunately. In any case I still watched it all. It's ok, definitely not terrible, but if you're from the US do yourself a favour and try and watch the original British series. You can thank me later :)