It recovers its stride eventually, but anyone who wasn’t already into Marco’s adventures helping raise--and potentially decimate--the Mongol Empire won’t be won over by a second year that’s, by and large, exactly the same as the first. And, unfortunately, with a lot of the same problems. On the positive side, that means it’s still got style.
Fantastic once again, beautiful scenes, tortured and real characters, I love how Akmed develops and we are shown his motives. Its very interesting to see the introspective view of how individuals can become the people they are in the present. As one character mentions it is only someone who has lived many lives who truly knows how to live in the present. Great script writing and memorable lines. I hope they commission a third!
This is a great show. I wrote a review for season 1 as well, so I won't repeat everything. If you liked season 1, I think you'd also like season 2, which adds Michelle Yeoh and some more great fight scenes.
As with season 1, the story can drag sometimes, but overall it was fun to watch, and the end is very satisfying. I'd love to see another season.
This is a terrific series! Beautifully filmed, the acting is above average, the action scenes are hypnotic and the plot and characters are well-developed. Highly recommended!
Marco polo is a joy to watch, and beautiful on many levels. Firstly, the costume is amazing, especially when it comes to the royalty and the knights (keshiks) around them. From the gowns on the princess to the Armour on the guards, the detail is stunning, really really well done. The music sets the scenes so well... in the military camps, or in temples, it’s perfect. The sets and landscape are also perfect... I find a lot of this shows appeal for me is just how well executed everything is. It never feels fake or unoriginal at all and sets itself apart from all the other medieval-themed (I use that term loosely) shows I watch (Game of Thrones, Vikings, The Last Kingdom)
The acting I found very good, not perfect, but I appreciate the actors because I don’t recognize most of them, and for a big budget show (seemingly) that’s refreshing. Some scenes may seem awkward or just slow and I acknowledge some of the plot and writing faults, but it doesn’t break the show for me.
The fighting (from wrestling, to martial arts to swords) has been fantastic - really well choreographed so far in both seasons.
I enjoyed Season 1 a lot more than the critics did. That said, it had its weaknesses like occasionally weak or obvious dialogue and weak acting. Having viewed all of Season 2 I have to say that the one critic review is pretty accurate. Season 2 feels a lot like Season 1 and the salvations are the style of the show, the beautiful action/music sequences, cinematography, and some of the core acting like Khan. Other than that I kept hoping Season 2 was going to pick up more pace. Occasionally it did and occasionally it delivered above average scenes, but a great series builds upon each season making each new one better than the one before. I felt that Season 2 was weaker overall than Season 1. Season 3 could be really better and intense with where the story has been left off; however, this show really needs to focus on stronger writing, dialogue, and tighter episodes. Also, I feel a season with One Hundred eyes more centric would automatically make a more interesting season. His character dynamic is really intriguing. Season 2 ended with me questioning if I want to invest in future seasons. The pay off felt a bit underwhelming. If it gets renewed for S3 I might give it one more chance, but it might be the last chance. If they can't build a really strong S3 they really should cancel it. There were points during Season 1 when I loved it... now I merely like the show and question the merit of that like.