X
- 2016
- TV-14
- Lifetime
- 2016
- TV-14
- Lifetime
- 2016
- TV-14
- Lifetime
- 2016
- TV-14
- Lifetime
War & Peace
Season 1 Premiere: Jan 3, 2016
72
7.9
Where to Watch
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
72
73% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
27% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
72
73% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
27% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Davies’ dialogue feels so organic to the characters it’s written for that it seems almost to bond to them, as naturally as if it was their skin or hair color. Actors in Davies’ production invariably rise to the level of the words placed before them. They certainly do here.
This version of War & Peace may not have all of its parts intact, but it keeps the structure of the plot in place, giving a nice overview of Tolstoy’s novel, and keeping a tight pace for TV. It’ll be interesting to see whether the series can sustain throughout its six-part run, but the first few hours are an enjoyable way to pretend to digest great world literature.
It clips along in leaps and bounds, and the speed at which events occur can make them seem dramatically obvious, more declared than developed. Much of the time you don't feel the characters' pain so much as take it as read. But the key moments of spiritual revelation are handled well and the production gains power in the home stretch, just where you want power gained.
Viewers willing to lose themselves in this rich tapestry of a bygone world will not be disappointed.
It's a march through epic battles, epic romance and epic intellectual discovery, but viewers are probably going to have to take that old Tolstoy off the shelf ito fully understand what's so epic about it. Onscreen, it remains a fine, fast-moving yarn, but you don't have to have read the book to nod sagely and say, "The book is better."
This series starts out with promise but ultimately ends up ordinary, another historical drama with well-regarded actors, fancy costumes and not much to distinguish it from all the others.
At no time will the viewer feel that he or she has been transported to 1805 Russia, the drawing rooms of St. Petersburg, or the blood-soaked battlefields of the Napoleonic wars. That said, it’s not entirely a bad time. This is because directed Tom Harper and screenwriter Andrew Davies are far less interested in Tolstoy’s take on the individual’s place in the universe than they are in the who’s-sleeping-with-whom school of world literature and the more sentimental aspects of Tolstoy’s story. Neither are they much interested in subtlety.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 74 User Ratings
7.9
85% Positive
63 Ratings
63 Ratings
5% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
9% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 74 User Ratings
7.9
85% Positive
63 Ratings
63 Ratings
5% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
9% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company:
- BBC Cymru Wales
- BBC Worldwide
- Lookout Point
- The Weinstein Company
Initial Release Date: Jan 3, 2016
Number of seasons: 1 Season
Rating: TV-14
Awards
BAFTA Awards
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
Bafta TV Craft
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
Royal Television Society, UK
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
