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- Netflix
- Dec 22, 2018
- Netflix
- Dec 22, 2018
- Netflix
- Dec 22, 2018
- Netflix
- Dec 22, 2018
Season Episodes
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 5 Critic Reviews
76
60% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
40% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 5 Critic Reviews
76
60% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
40% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
It is rigorously intelligent, absolutely thrilling, and--unless the kids are about 17--definitely not for children. ... One of its virtues is its fidelity to the source material—dark, filled with dread, marked by stinging indictments of fascism, fundamentalism and cruelty. Being so true to itself, it’s utterly absorbing--once you get past the fact that the principal characters are rabbits. ... All the performances are convincing.
Despite cheap computer-animation, director Noam Murro (“300: Rise of an Empire”) and writer Tom Bidwell (“My Mad Fat Diary”) evoke a strong sense of empathy for the animals while crafting a stirring limited series built on big, frightening themes of life and death along with more humble thoughts on love, friendship, and socialism.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 29 User Ratings
4.6
34% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
24% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
41% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 29 User Ratings
4.6
34% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
24% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
41% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
Unlike most TV shows, Watership Down could have benefited from at least one or two additional episodes. I just read the book for the first time last year, and I was enthralled by its portrayal of rabbit culture and mythology. Sadly, many of the finer points of both of these aspects have been omitted in the final product, but regardless, this adaptation represents just about everything I could have hoped for. The story is true to the book, and hits all of the high notes that I'd hoped would be addressed The voice actors are great, although the animation makes it difficult to distinguish between rabbits. I recommend watching with subtitles, as these often help you know who's speaking.
Another note about the animation - it looks fantastic, as long as the rabbits aren't moving. For still shots (or even just conversations) everything looks finely detailed. As soon as the rabbits start moving, their movements seem stunted and slow, and you realize that the character models don't interact with their environment. It gives the entire production the appearance of a children's cartoon - low budget and half-hearted. It also makes the fight sequences less thrilling, but still overall satisfying.
I'm still overall pleased with the resulting product, although I wish there had been a finer level of polish across the animation and a deeper level of detail in addressing the rabbit world of Watership Down.
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SEASON 1
Watership Down in overall is a great retelling of this classic.
Although there are some flaws in the series like some changes between the novel itself, this remake tells so greatly without even being too horrific like the 1978 film.
I praised the performances of James McAvoy, John Boyega, and Sir Ben Kingsley as Hazel, Bigwig, and General Woundwort respectively.
The animation was done nicely, the music is just majestic. The music brings joy, tragedy, and suspense.
I recommend this.
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SEASON 1
Allowing for the sweetness in Adams' original work to come out in this modern take is part of what makes the BBC-Netflix version of Watership Down work best. The conversations and character development of the rabbits are the bricks that build the story. And while the animation is at first a downside--seemingly retro, too saturated with brown and black tones, making many of the rabbits indistinguishable from one another--that limitation allows the voice work to shine, which of course relies heavily on Adams' lovely descriptions.
Luckily, the story is so good that it shines above the shoddy animation, but the 1978 adaptation is still a better bet and the original story itself is still the best. Give this one a watch only if you can stomach the visuals and the visceral material.
Emotional but blandified adaptation. ... If the Netflix Watership Down fails its potential, it benefits from strong voice performances (Boyega is expressive as the bluff but loyal Bigwig) and a solid central story. Even this easy-listening version, which lays on the romance, jokes and limp dialogue (“They may not have wanted a war, but by Frith, that’s what they’ll get”), has moments of grandeur and the sweep of a fantasy epic.
The show is a decent retelling of Watership Down. The animation is a bit rough to look at and this is especially true in the actions scenes where the attacks lack impact. The shows also tries for a more realistic approach to character design which unfortunately means that it is very hard to tell characters apart.
The show does however, manage to create a dark, melancholic atmosphere. The show also puts in effort to establish a rabbit culture, which does play into themes of storytelling and its role in survival, which I personally find interesting and cool. Though it can cause confusion as they don't take time to explain what certain words mean. It doesn't offer much for those who watch and loved the original film, but it isn't bad enough to ruin the story for you either.
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SEASON 1
This series is based on one of those novels I always thought I should read. Never got around to it -- maybe it would have helped? I slogged through every episode, but found it boring and pointless, the supposed "political" aspects of the story lost in the bunny-filled landscape. Most disappointing was the incredibly dull, monochromatic look of the thing. Overall, neither thought-provoking nor enjoyable.
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SEASON 1
Needless remake by the BBC, with a lesser cast. Watch the original with John Hurt which is far better.
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SEASON 1
