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- Netflix
- Apr 23, 2021
- Netflix
- Apr 23, 2021
- Netflix
- Apr 23, 2021
- Netflix
- Apr 23, 2021
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
68
55% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
45% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
68
55% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
45% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
That's the real magic trick a show like this has to pull off — creating a universe that feels fresh to newcomers, without alienating them or feeling too confusing. Like so many things in life, the key ingredient turns out to be the people involved. And in the case of both the fictional characters and the cast and crew, the people of Shadow and Bone deliver.
Though it’s full of worldbuilding lore that might hinder newcomers, Shadow and Bone is the best sort of adaptation for longtime fans: one that might just possibly be better than the source material.
The performances are steady, the episodes well-paced, and the dialogue, outside of all the world-building jargon, is sharply composed. Altogether, “Shadow and Bone” maintains a sense of interior place for the characters dealing with plot developments as varied as mean girl dynamics, geopolitical posturing, and body horror, and the well-balanced nature of this first season makes for a promising introduction into this franchise’s fantastical universe.
As "Shadow" unfolds, it's frustrating to see the rushed and haphazard way in which the world is built and the characters are introduced. Every bit of exposition feels incomplete. I can see the holes in the plots and characterization, and my knowledge of the books easily fills them in. But summer reading can't be required for a TV show. It's not until midway through the season that things start to fall into place for novice viewers.
For every line intended to clarify how it all works, Shadow and Bone seems to accidentally do the opposite. ... Eventually, when all, or at least most, of the characters come together in various formations late in the series, Shadow and Bone’s design does make some sense. ... Shadow and Bone is at its best when it is small and fun, which is what does eventually happen with the Kaz story, or when it’s big and clear.
In the end, the show feels even less ambitious than The Witcher, but like that other Netflix fantasy series, it at least progresses at a fairly brisk pace.
Shadow and Bone fails to deliver any of the charm and emotional engagement of a Game of Thrones (when that show was at its best), or even a Winx Saga (which is objectively terrible, but in an enjoyably ridiculous way). Again and again, Shadow and Bone forces unearned story beats and melodrama. Its character-building is lackluster; its worldbuilding is mostly incoherent, and its script careens from one-liner to one-liner without much substance in between — all while the weak writing torpedos the efforts of its talented cast.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 84 User Ratings
7.1
69% Positive
58 Ratings
58 Ratings
12% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
19% Negative
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 84 User Ratings
7.1
69% Positive
58 Ratings
58 Ratings
12% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
19% Negative
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
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