What TV show did you last watch a season of on DVD/Blu-ray?
Apr 2, 2019 1:37:11 GMT
taylorfirst1, HirundoRustica, and 1 more like this
Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Apr 2, 2019 1:37:11 GMT
Season 1 of Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments on DVD.
**spoilers below**
No, I didn’t watch the whole season overnight (which is how it might seem given that I just posted in this thread yesterday with the previous show I'd finished watching). Over the past week or so I'd been watching Season 1 of Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments on DVD (a few episodes per night more or less). I got up to the last three episodes and then decided to watch The Little Drummer Girl mini-series that I’d just bought on DVD (which took a couple of nights to get through). After having finished that, I then got back to watching the last three episodes of Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments.
I first watched the movie version quite some time ago and my memory of it was pretty vague. I just rewatched it last night on Blu-ray and I can safely say that at least one thing the show did better than the movie was the casting for Jace. Dominic Sherwood is a definite improvement over Jamie Campbell Bower. I don't think it's a coincidence that both actors bear a resemblance, which I imagine is at least partly responsible for how Dominic Sherwood was cast (though he's the less rodent-like of the two).
While I liked Lily Collins as Clary in the movie and would've loved for her to star in the TV series, I don't really have any problems with Katherine McNamara in the role. I’d read complaints about Katherine McNamara’s acting in the show before ever watching it, but I must say that I didn’t think she was any worse than any of the other actors in their roles. I find it odd that there were complaints about Katherine McNamara's acting when at least she could show more than one emotion. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I personally found Matthew Daddario as Alec to be rather stiff/wooden, especially early in the season (he even sounded bored when doing the 'Previously on...' voice-over). Though he did seem to show a bit more emotion/range towards the end. I got a bit sick of Alec's animosity towards Clary (mainly due to his jealousy of how Jace felt about her), who – considering the everything that happened to her/she went through – actually managed to adapt pretty well/quite quickly to this strange (and dangerous) new would she was brought into. I was so happy to see them finally share a scene towards the end of the season where he was actually able to have a civil conversation with her. After watching the movie version of the character, it's made me appreciate the TV version all the more. At least this Alec didn't threaten to kill Clary once she revealed to him that she knew about his feelings for Jace (unlike the movie version).
Emeraude Toubia as Izzy, Alec’s sister, was much more natural (though she did get a few odd lines here and there...which happened quite a bit throughout the show with different characters. Sometimes they’d say some random thing that made me think, “What an odd thing to say.”). I liked that she was nice to Clary (where Alec was anything but). Sadly, the movie lacked that friendship-building (though I did smile a knowing smile when I saw the snake whip bracelet for the first time in the film and that immediately clued me in on who the character was). Alberto Rosende seemed the most ‘natural’ of the actors in his role as Simon (though his character could be annoying at times when it seemed like they were trying too hard to make him the ‘comic relief’). He also seemed the most like his movie counterpart. Like with Alec and his animosity towards Clary, I got a bit sick of the rivalry between Simon and Jace. Also...how did no one immediately realise Simon was turning into a vampire? It took several episodes before anyone (including Simon himself) got a clue.
I know Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus is pretty popular, though I myself thought he was ‘overdoing’ it a bit at times (the movie version of his character was a bit more subtle). However, other times he seemed a bit more ‘restrained’/natural and I grew to like him better later on in the show.
The character of Luke seemed to be rather ‘detached’ from the main story early in the season, but he got better once he joined the rest of the characters (I liked Aidan Turner's Luke well enough in the movie, but obviously they were never going to get him for the part since he's busy with Poldark). A benefit of the show is getting to see the different relationships/dynamics develop between Clary and the other characters such as Luke. I knew Alan Van Sprang from the TV series Reign, and he was okay here as Valentine, but didn’t really leave much of an impression (although Jonathan Rhys Meyers seems to have had the same acting style in most of the things I've seen him in, at least he left a bit more of an impression as Valentine than the TV version...or his weird hairdo did, anyway) . The actress who played Clary’s mum must’ve had the cushiest job ever – as she seemed to mainly just be suspended in midair with glowy green light around her for the majority of the season. Lena Headey's version of Jocelyn in the film kicked major butt in just her one fight scene and would've been awesome in the series.
The actress who played the vampire Camille oddly reminded me of early days Katie Cassidy back in her Supernatural days (albeit with brown hair). I actually really grew to like the recurring character of Lydia Branwell and thought she ended up being pretty cool (she was almost *too* cool with the whole wedding interruption/cancelling. I felt bad for her. However, she showed how awesome/understanding she was by giving Alec her blessing to be with Magnus. I was annoyed to see Izzy not thank Lydia when she was the reason Izzy managed to not get banished. Magnus, her ‘lawyer’ of sorts, did virtually nothing, while Lydia was the whole reason Izzy went free. The whole trial thing felt like a bit of a farce to me. Then later when everyone was immediately suspicious of Lydia and thinking she was the mole inside the Institute, she proved again how awesome she was by not telling them all to eff off. I was so worried for Lydia at the end of the second last episode when she was attacked by the actual mole and thinking to myself, "Oh, sure, this is the thanks she gets for being an awesome person!". I thought for sure she was dead, but was relieved to learn in the season final she was still alive. I hope she stays that way, but then I know my luck when it comes to characters I like and I’m betting she won’t last probably. And regarding the actual Institute mole, who turned out to be Hodge (I didn't remember this 'twist' from the movie when watching the show, since it was so long ago when I originally watched the film, and therefore it was a surprise to me all over again when watching the show), is probably the one who differs the most from his movie counterpart (who was played by Jared Harris).
I’ve seen complaints about the show and its effects/props looking ‘cheap’, but honestly the only thing that really stood out to me as ‘cheap-looking’ was the makeup on the horned dude, Ragnor Fell, whose forehead skin tone didn’t match the rest of his face (which makes you appreciate the makeup for Lorne in Angel all the more – though he had the benefit of being green, so that probably helped mask the difference in skin tone between his forehead with the horn prosthetics and the rest of his face). I guess the runes look a bit more like weird-shaped bruises than anything, but it didn't really bother me. More bothersome was the constant mentions of the 'Mortal Cup'. Seriously, I don't think I've ever heard the word 'cup' uttered so frequently before (but given that it was the 'MacGuffin' of the show, I guess it can be excused). The other thing that bugged me? At the end of the opening credits, I couldn't figure out what the heck the woman singing was said. I understood "This is the..." and couldn't make out the last word. I've now discovered what the song's title is and that answers my question: 'This Is The Hunt'. I would've never guessed the word she was saying was 'hunt'. After 13 episodes, I *still* wasn't able to figure that out.
I’d vaguely recalled that Clary and Jace turned out to be siblings, but didn’t remember until halfway through the season. Then when the ‘reveal’ happened, I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see the other characters reactions to the revelation. Jace was kind of a jerk about it. When Simon acted all relieved about the news, figuring that meant that Clary and Jace couldn’t get it on, all I could think was, “Well...technically they *could*, Simon...it’s just that it's frowned upon. Plus, they might end up having a three-headed baby as a result.” (and I don't think the show would go there). I mostly just felt sorry for Clary who, considering it would’ve been as big a revelation for her as it was for Jace, again seemed to take this huge news pretty much in her stride. I actually thought she did pretty well with everything, considering. Yes, she made mistakes, but she also saved others, kicked butt, figured out things no one else did and was compassionate (her reaction to Jace's falcon story pretty much mirrored my own). It often seems to be the case that the lead actress/female character in shows is much-maligned, and it's no different here. I personally think negativity towards Clary and the actress who plays her is unwarranted.
While the series did have a few ‘rough patches’, on the whole I enjoyed it and look forward to watching Season 2...whenever I get around to it (as I may get sidetracked again and watch something else before I watch the second season).
Lastly, can we just take a moment to appreciate Clary's/Katherine McNamara's hair?
It's so shiny! And orange. It's practically otherwordly (which is fitting, I guess).
**spoilers below**
No, I didn’t watch the whole season overnight (which is how it might seem given that I just posted in this thread yesterday with the previous show I'd finished watching). Over the past week or so I'd been watching Season 1 of Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments on DVD (a few episodes per night more or less). I got up to the last three episodes and then decided to watch The Little Drummer Girl mini-series that I’d just bought on DVD (which took a couple of nights to get through). After having finished that, I then got back to watching the last three episodes of Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments.
I first watched the movie version quite some time ago and my memory of it was pretty vague. I just rewatched it last night on Blu-ray and I can safely say that at least one thing the show did better than the movie was the casting for Jace. Dominic Sherwood is a definite improvement over Jamie Campbell Bower. I don't think it's a coincidence that both actors bear a resemblance, which I imagine is at least partly responsible for how Dominic Sherwood was cast (though he's the less rodent-like of the two).
While I liked Lily Collins as Clary in the movie and would've loved for her to star in the TV series, I don't really have any problems with Katherine McNamara in the role. I’d read complaints about Katherine McNamara’s acting in the show before ever watching it, but I must say that I didn’t think she was any worse than any of the other actors in their roles. I find it odd that there were complaints about Katherine McNamara's acting when at least she could show more than one emotion. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I personally found Matthew Daddario as Alec to be rather stiff/wooden, especially early in the season (he even sounded bored when doing the 'Previously on...' voice-over). Though he did seem to show a bit more emotion/range towards the end. I got a bit sick of Alec's animosity towards Clary (mainly due to his jealousy of how Jace felt about her), who – considering the everything that happened to her/she went through – actually managed to adapt pretty well/quite quickly to this strange (and dangerous) new would she was brought into. I was so happy to see them finally share a scene towards the end of the season where he was actually able to have a civil conversation with her. After watching the movie version of the character, it's made me appreciate the TV version all the more. At least this Alec didn't threaten to kill Clary once she revealed to him that she knew about his feelings for Jace (unlike the movie version).
Emeraude Toubia as Izzy, Alec’s sister, was much more natural (though she did get a few odd lines here and there...which happened quite a bit throughout the show with different characters. Sometimes they’d say some random thing that made me think, “What an odd thing to say.”). I liked that she was nice to Clary (where Alec was anything but). Sadly, the movie lacked that friendship-building (though I did smile a knowing smile when I saw the snake whip bracelet for the first time in the film and that immediately clued me in on who the character was). Alberto Rosende seemed the most ‘natural’ of the actors in his role as Simon (though his character could be annoying at times when it seemed like they were trying too hard to make him the ‘comic relief’). He also seemed the most like his movie counterpart. Like with Alec and his animosity towards Clary, I got a bit sick of the rivalry between Simon and Jace. Also...how did no one immediately realise Simon was turning into a vampire? It took several episodes before anyone (including Simon himself) got a clue.
I know Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus is pretty popular, though I myself thought he was ‘overdoing’ it a bit at times (the movie version of his character was a bit more subtle). However, other times he seemed a bit more ‘restrained’/natural and I grew to like him better later on in the show.
The character of Luke seemed to be rather ‘detached’ from the main story early in the season, but he got better once he joined the rest of the characters (I liked Aidan Turner's Luke well enough in the movie, but obviously they were never going to get him for the part since he's busy with Poldark). A benefit of the show is getting to see the different relationships/dynamics develop between Clary and the other characters such as Luke. I knew Alan Van Sprang from the TV series Reign, and he was okay here as Valentine, but didn’t really leave much of an impression (although Jonathan Rhys Meyers seems to have had the same acting style in most of the things I've seen him in, at least he left a bit more of an impression as Valentine than the TV version...or his weird hairdo did, anyway) . The actress who played Clary’s mum must’ve had the cushiest job ever – as she seemed to mainly just be suspended in midair with glowy green light around her for the majority of the season. Lena Headey's version of Jocelyn in the film kicked major butt in just her one fight scene and would've been awesome in the series.
The actress who played the vampire Camille oddly reminded me of early days Katie Cassidy back in her Supernatural days (albeit with brown hair). I actually really grew to like the recurring character of Lydia Branwell and thought she ended up being pretty cool (she was almost *too* cool with the whole wedding interruption/cancelling. I felt bad for her. However, she showed how awesome/understanding she was by giving Alec her blessing to be with Magnus. I was annoyed to see Izzy not thank Lydia when she was the reason Izzy managed to not get banished. Magnus, her ‘lawyer’ of sorts, did virtually nothing, while Lydia was the whole reason Izzy went free. The whole trial thing felt like a bit of a farce to me. Then later when everyone was immediately suspicious of Lydia and thinking she was the mole inside the Institute, she proved again how awesome she was by not telling them all to eff off. I was so worried for Lydia at the end of the second last episode when she was attacked by the actual mole and thinking to myself, "Oh, sure, this is the thanks she gets for being an awesome person!". I thought for sure she was dead, but was relieved to learn in the season final she was still alive. I hope she stays that way, but then I know my luck when it comes to characters I like and I’m betting she won’t last probably. And regarding the actual Institute mole, who turned out to be Hodge (I didn't remember this 'twist' from the movie when watching the show, since it was so long ago when I originally watched the film, and therefore it was a surprise to me all over again when watching the show), is probably the one who differs the most from his movie counterpart (who was played by Jared Harris).
I’ve seen complaints about the show and its effects/props looking ‘cheap’, but honestly the only thing that really stood out to me as ‘cheap-looking’ was the makeup on the horned dude, Ragnor Fell, whose forehead skin tone didn’t match the rest of his face (which makes you appreciate the makeup for Lorne in Angel all the more – though he had the benefit of being green, so that probably helped mask the difference in skin tone between his forehead with the horn prosthetics and the rest of his face). I guess the runes look a bit more like weird-shaped bruises than anything, but it didn't really bother me. More bothersome was the constant mentions of the 'Mortal Cup'. Seriously, I don't think I've ever heard the word 'cup' uttered so frequently before (but given that it was the 'MacGuffin' of the show, I guess it can be excused). The other thing that bugged me? At the end of the opening credits, I couldn't figure out what the heck the woman singing was said. I understood "This is the..." and couldn't make out the last word. I've now discovered what the song's title is and that answers my question: 'This Is The Hunt'. I would've never guessed the word she was saying was 'hunt'. After 13 episodes, I *still* wasn't able to figure that out.
I’d vaguely recalled that Clary and Jace turned out to be siblings, but didn’t remember until halfway through the season. Then when the ‘reveal’ happened, I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see the other characters reactions to the revelation. Jace was kind of a jerk about it. When Simon acted all relieved about the news, figuring that meant that Clary and Jace couldn’t get it on, all I could think was, “Well...technically they *could*, Simon...it’s just that it's frowned upon. Plus, they might end up having a three-headed baby as a result.” (and I don't think the show would go there). I mostly just felt sorry for Clary who, considering it would’ve been as big a revelation for her as it was for Jace, again seemed to take this huge news pretty much in her stride. I actually thought she did pretty well with everything, considering. Yes, she made mistakes, but she also saved others, kicked butt, figured out things no one else did and was compassionate (her reaction to Jace's falcon story pretty much mirrored my own). It often seems to be the case that the lead actress/female character in shows is much-maligned, and it's no different here. I personally think negativity towards Clary and the actress who plays her is unwarranted.
While the series did have a few ‘rough patches’, on the whole I enjoyed it and look forward to watching Season 2...whenever I get around to it (as I may get sidetracked again and watch something else before I watch the second season).
Lastly, can we just take a moment to appreciate Clary's/Katherine McNamara's hair?
It's so shiny! And orange. It's practically otherwordly (which is fitting, I guess).