Shadow and Bone is a good watch. It'll keep you entertained and the actors and actresses did a good job. The script was sometimes a bit dull, as was some of the CGI and the costumes. But for me, the show kinda fell apart the same way most fantasy Netflix shows do: pace.
I would have loved a bit more world and character building. With a slower pace this would have been possible. The way they did it was neither a super fast action pace to keep you at the edge of your seat, nor was it a slowly building story where you could get invested into all the characters.
Also most characters that appeared really weren't that relevant to the plot. Especially the Crows and Nina/Matthias. They were entertaining but there was so much else going on, that these 'fillers' wouldn't have been needed. The Crows did bring a lot of humor into the show and I loved the casting there, but still, I felt like it would have been better to hold their storylines back for the first season and only explore the world we find ourselves in and properly develop the three main characters of Alina, Mal and the Darkling.
I think if we'd have gotten more time with the characters, the actors/actresses could have really showed all their potential and the world could have been much richer. This would have meant to put a bigger part of the plot into the following seasons, but I would've been fine with that. I'm aware that that might not be everyones cup of tea, but I'm a sucker for character study and deep and emotional storylines.
The show has potential and as I mentioned earlier, it is very enjoyable. Just don't imagine a second GoT (earlier seasons) or Harry Potter. For me, Shadow and Bone is really more a stand alone new fantasy that will certainly mostly attract a younger audience but is binge worthy for all ages.
I would have loved a bit more world and character building. With a slower pace this would have been possible. The way they did it was neither a super fast action pace to keep you at the edge of your seat, nor was it a slowly building story where you could get invested into all the characters.
Also most characters that appeared really weren't that relevant to the plot. Especially the Crows and Nina/Matthias. They were entertaining but there was so much else going on, that these 'fillers' wouldn't have been needed. The Crows did bring a lot of humor into the show and I loved the casting there, but still, I felt like it would have been better to hold their storylines back for the first season and only explore the world we find ourselves in and properly develop the three main characters of Alina, Mal and the Darkling.
I think if we'd have gotten more time with the characters, the actors/actresses could have really showed all their potential and the world could have been much richer. This would have meant to put a bigger part of the plot into the following seasons, but I would've been fine with that. I'm aware that that might not be everyones cup of tea, but I'm a sucker for character study and deep and emotional storylines.
The show has potential and as I mentioned earlier, it is very enjoyable. Just don't imagine a second GoT (earlier seasons) or Harry Potter. For me, Shadow and Bone is really more a stand alone new fantasy that will certainly mostly attract a younger audience but is binge worthy for all ages.