Penny Dreadful: Season One

I'm not sure I can write a review that gives this work the credit I feel due. John Logan is the genius behing this wonderful story and if his name doesn't ring a bell, his works will. From Gladiator to Skyfall, Star Trek Nemisis to Rango, and Sweeny Tood, Hugo and The Aviator, he is a wonder of storytelling genius. And Penny Dreadful is just that! I read some posts from people who were disapointed it was not a "better slasher flick", horror in the friday the 13th vein. This is not that!! Penny Dreadful is a lush, full story of great characters, bigger than life events with expert detail given to every aspect of its total grand experience. The music is a character all it's own. Seldom have I heard such a glorious score flowing from one scene to another with a majesty of it's own. There are breathtaking scenes that without the lush musical score would simply not be what they are. But it is given center stage! Don't expect the same old stories. While they are great, these are not them, once again, this work takes on newterritory. We get all the classics, from Frankensein, to characters from Dracula;there is Dorian Grey and Mina and others you will recognize, but the stories are very differant, yet never dismissed or discounted in any way. It is a new grand experience with these iconic creatures. And there are new ones. Our main figure, played with such energy from Eva Green that it takes your breath away. I am certain she will not just be nominated,but will win the best actress catagory next Sept. But i digress(wait till you see her in all her characters glory..WOW!) "Penny Dreadfuls" were the pulp fiction books that the common people bought for a penny, filled with gruesome, bloody tales of horror for all to devour. This is where the title comes from. When I began watching I was ignorant of all this, I thought it referred to Eva Greens character. Not even close, and that is how it goes with this tale out of victorian London. And you get a raw feeling of the stench of the streets, the disease and filth the common people dealt with daily, with juxtaposition placed almost subtly of the great wealth had by some. Dorian Grey is one of the lucky, with wealth, beauty and nothing but time! This storyline is one of my favorite. Steeped in mystery andsuspense,lust and power, dark powers lurking just around incredable beauty. So much of the story is told with this juxtaposition of beauty and decay, life and death, disease and renewal. Sophisticated twists and turns, suspenceful and horrific, gory and beautiful, all at the same time. And done with the ease of a talented dancer. You can not know what is in store for you inside this incrediable story. But if you are looking for a beautifully done and told mystery, horror, suspense tale within a tale within a tale, masterfully told with some of the most impressively beautiful language, music and cinematography I have seen, then Penny Dreadful is for you! One of the more impressive things about this work is that it is nothing like you have ever seen on tv. Every scene in every way feels like an expensively done, sweeping big budget movie. And I already said what I think of Eva Green's preformance. Josh Hartnett, out of nowhere gives the preformances of a lifetime. I am so impressed his preformance. Not an easy character, his also needs just thr right nuance to be done correctly. And he nails it!. Timothy Dalton is a powerhouse and gives another preformance of a lifetime. I do not exaggerate! All the others are impressive and powerful,there isn't a one that falls short. I am usually not easy to impress when it comes to what I like in a series or movie, especially regarding the acting. So when I say impressive, I truly mean just that. This is a one of a kind experience, not to be missed by those who enjoy the horror fantasy genre. Those who do not like blood, gore and horror and it is considerable should beware. The whole is so wonderful, the drama and acting, music and cinematography so well done, I wish you could see it. But it is not for the squeemish. From the 1st scene to the last it is hair raising, with alot of carnage, gore and blood...well done..lol..but certainly not for those who do not enjoy a good gorror...thats "GOREORROR"...Can't wait for my Blu Ray to arrive thursday!

Be warned, PENNY DREADFUL is not for the easily offended or weak of heart. This is serious stuff here so be prepared for a journey into the dark side of Victorian London and down into the depths and despair of a world that is neither here nor there.I found the first two episodes of PENNY DREADFUL to be so gory, bloody and disturbing that I thought I had had enough. Thankfully, I watched another episode and realized "dreadful" can sometimes be beautiful. There is a lot to dislike in PENNY DREADFUL. It can be over the top gruesome with its otherworldly demons or are they people lost in a power struggle between good and evil? Then the story turns to a tender if ill-fated love story between two doomed people. But then we are jarred back into the realm of demons and creatures and an unknown world. Creator John Logan must have had a few bad nightmares to create such havoc and mayhem in one series.A very fine cast is headed by Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton and Eva Green. Hartnett shows a talent we haven't seen in the past and Dalton is actually growing more seductive and serene as the years have passed. The former James Bond means business in PENNY DREADFUL as Sir Malcolm Murray searching for his daughter now in the hands of some sort of demon. Eva Green lights up the Victorian era with her style. Unfortunately, her stint as a woman possessed by the devil goes way overboard (through no fault of her own).Dr. Victor Frankenstein must pay a moral price for his first creation he abandoned and who now seeks revenge. Reeve Carney gives a heartfelt portray of the handsome and mysterious Dorian Gray (who charms the cast members of both sexes into his bed). Of course, there are a lot of literary references here that might be lost to many viewers. Just why is Gray obsessed with one hidden painting that we never see? I know the story but will most people get the connection?PENNY DREADFUL is set in violent 1881 England where misery, poverty and violence reigned. A series of macabre crime stories were published and called PENNY DREADFUL. The disheartened public was crazy for the books amidst the fears of Jack the Ripper in their streets.This series is not for most people. You need a strong stomach to get through this very creative . Some views may find parts to be disgusting and offensive yet there is a tenderness to some of the scenes and people just try to survive in a terrible time. The series gets sexually explicit at times so be prepared for anything. Love still shines through at times. But let's be clear, this series can be awfully confusing at times. Just what is happening and who these otherworldly creatures are can be hard to understand at times.I have a feeling most people will either love this series or absolutely hate PENNY DREADFUL. There won't be much in between. As for me, I am read for Season Two.

Fantastic dvd always delivery is on time.

Habe alle 3 Staffeln mit Spannung verfolgt und muss sagen, das ist eine der besten Serien, die ich bis jetzt gesehen habe. Die Stimmung ist durchgehend düster, die Handlung hat auch sehr viele ruhige Phasen, was aber angesichts der Thematik absolut ok geht.Die Rollen sind sehr gut besetzt, sowohl Timothy Dalton, Josh Hartnett als auch sämtliche Nebendarsteller können in ihren Rollen glaubhaft überzeugen und mir fällt ehrlich gesagt keine Schauspielerin ein, die die Hauptrolle der Vanessa Ives authentischer spielen hätte können, als Eva Green. Vor allem Staffel 3 zeigt, wieviel schauspielerisches Talent die Rolle Eva Green abverlangt haben muss. Generell würde ich empfehlen, sich alle drei Staffeln anzusehen und sich dann erst ein Urteil zu bilden, weil die drei Staffeln in sich schlüssig sind, obwohl jede einen eigenen Schwerpunkt hat.Was das besondere dieser Serie ausmacht ist, dass in eine Handlung die Charaktere von Frankenstein, Dracula, Werwolf, Dorian Gray, Van Helsing, Jack the Ripper (dieser nicht aktiv, sondern nur als Randnotiz) miteinander verstrickt sind, als würden sie ganz natürlich zusammengehören. Einfach ein geniales Konzept, welches sehr gut umgesetzt wurde.

Ich war lange auf der Suche nach einer neuen und vor allem packenden Serie, die es schafft, mich wieder bei der Stange zu halten.Zu Penny Dreadful bin ich gekommen, wie die Jungfrau zum Kinde. Die Serie war mir gänzlich unbekannt, und das bei dem Cast. Alleine die beiden Hauptdarsteller, Eva Green und Josh Hartnett, sind wirklich klasse besetzt. Aber auch die Nebenrollen sind durchweg mit wirklich guten Schauspieler besetzt worden.Was mit einer exzellenten Auswahl der Schauspieler anfängt, wird mit überzeugenden Kulissen und wirklich schönen Kostümen weitergeführt.Vom optischen Stil her könnte man, meiner Meinung nach, diese Serie hier am ehesten mit Filmen, wie etwa "Crimson Peak" oder durchaus auch den neuesten "Sherlock Holmes Verfilmungen" vergleichen, ohne es dabei jedoch zu übertreiben, wie etwa der zuletzt genannte Film.In der Serie wird kein großes Effektfeuerwerk abgebrannt, es gibt nicht andauernd Action und auch die Story ist nicht unbedingt gespickt mit überraschenden Wendungen, und dennoch, oder gerade deswegen, hat PD eine Menge Charme. Zudem schaffen es die Macher so, die Serie trotz ihrer nicht gerade realistischen Story, irgendwie doch für den Zuschauer greifbar und nachvollziehbar zu machen.Fazit:Wer eine unaufdringliche Serie sucht, dem Charme des ausgehenden 19. Jahrhunderts einiges abgewinnen kann und nicht vor einer Monsterjagd nicht zurückschreckt, ist hier genau richtig! Ich kann die Serie nur empfehlen und habe mir selbst direkt die 2. Staffel bestellt.

This series make me want to go back to that Dark era of Vampires an Frankenstein with the weirdest of themall, Dorian Gray. the feel of this show is so dark an dreary makes it so authentic an real, its Scary.“Eva Green, good golly woman your performance is most outstanding to say the least, Wow.Reeve Carney” you were born to play Dorian no doubt about it that’s for sure..excellent if ever.I just finished this first season and I can’t wait for the next one..now there is some very vulgar language here.I’m telling you this so you’re aware of it. if you’ve watched GOT. you’ll know what I mean.Josh Hartnett an Timothy Dalton was exceptional one a gunslinger for hire an one on a soul searching quest.there is a tone of special features on this disc. plus season 1&2 of Ray Donovan.1.85:1Runtime 7 Hours 15 Min.English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD.Spanish 2.0

This one is a real winner ! Made by Showtime, it has excellent story, excellent, acting, excellent sets, excellent pretty much everything. It is something other than just another "police procedural", "sitcom", "chicflick", "western", "war movie", "monster movie", "costume drama". It isn't even like the other occult series.It is a spooky mixing of the stories of Dracula, Dorian Grey and Frankenstein that explores other moral, psychological and romantic dimensions.And if you aren't into moral, psychological and romantic dimensions it is just plain entertaining.The two big reasons for me to purchase a blu-ray instead of watching online are extras and quality of picture and sound.The extras on this blu-ray are a series of production video blogs. Quite interesting, my only wish is that there were more of them. I watched them last night, I think 6 or 7 of them at just under 3 minutes each. There isn't optional narration for any of the episodes. So some interesting useful extra content you won't get if you just watch the episodes on TV.The sound and picture quality top notch on the blu-ray.Season 2 will be out in a couple of months and I will definitely watch it, probably on the blu-ray. It really depends on what extras the blu-ray contains.Who would like to watch it? I think suitable for men and women, teens (maybe perhaps even some tweens).Very spooky occult stuff, violence against creatures that don't exist in the real world, wee bit of extramarital sex (but it isn't condoned). The intro titles are a bit icky insect-wise, but the episodes themselves are just the perfect balance.I highly recommend this one!