8 Days (2019– ) User Reviews

Pretty good as it gets very personal later on

[Starbuck-13 · 8/10 · 19 March 2019]

Starts out fairly overacted and overly melodramatic. But there's some great character building and even more very interesting twists and turns that make it better and better as it goes on. The ending is not only thrilling but also gave me goosebumps due to the personal drama that unfolds as the world as we know it is ending.

After the brilliant Pagan Peak, this is another pretty good German production made by Sky. Actors whose fame never reached beyond "Tatort" suddenly begin to shine, and when you never know what will happen next, you really start to hope that German television has finally arrived in this new century.

Perhaps a more maturely realised end of the world drama.

[stuartwhyte300 · 8/10 · 19 February 2020]

I managed to spread this mini-series over two days but it was pretty compellingly viewing all the same. Quite nice to have a guilt-free apocalypse saga for a change. A huge ambivalent asteroid will crash to earth and a US attempt to obliterate it in space failed. Ho hum. No need therefore for all those ridiculous flag-filled 'Incident room' scenes with telemetry screens, telex printers, flashing LEDs, multi-starred generals thumping desks, a relentless hunt against the clock to find the antidote / expert nerd / brave hero who could save mankind etc etc. Instead a mesh of interconnected individuals surrounding a central family unit in a comfortable, suburban Berlin milieu fight to make sense of their imminent death/survival options against a backdrop of contorting societal breakdown. The heart of the story is delivered early on by the terminally ill character who has read and explains about the five psychological stages of death/bereavement. However, the diversity of character, back story and dramatic arcs within the series is exemplary in developing these themes. The acting is also very good. Each of the characters faces multiple challenges and painful setbacks and each, for the most part, continues to rally themselves in defiant hope of salvation (of one sort or another). Often this is achieved by the simple dramatic means of awakening on the floor from last night's drinking. There are areas of relief, sentiment and human insight to be found amongst the stress, carnage, hedonism and self-interest and I feel this helps to serve a broad audience well. I would also give final commendation for the naturalistic photography and economical editing throughout all 8 episodes.

Great series

[martinjtbarber · 8/10 · 1 December 2019]

Really struggling to understand why anyone would criticise this series - it's simple a great story with decent acting, realistic characters and provides much food for thought - glimmers of hope whilst experiencing the end. Thoroughly enjoyed. Wow

Couldn't wait for the meteor to strike

[flix_friend_39487 · 12 December 2021]

Unlikable characters, low production value, boring and unrealistic. Cheap TV looks.

Don't bother.

I didn't care for any of the characters. Couldn't wait for the meteor to strike.

Behaviour under stress

[kevino-14805 · 7/10 · 2 January 2020]

Loved this show. People at their weakest and all the other emotions.

First few Episodes were great

[bianca-423-52002 · 6/10 · 31 January 2020]

It wasn't awful, but there were some moments that were just so unbelievably unbearable - the writers clearly turned this into a guilty pleasure for themselves around the last few episodes. It's still a good watch, but not the strongest 'Survival' or 'pre apocalypse' series out there by far.

Amazing Television

[raph84 · 10/10 · 4 March 2019]

I loved this Series.

I read some destroying critics reviews that complained that the Storyline was played out and the show too stereotypical.I also found that most of them were based on only the first two episodes which were shown at Berlinale.

I couldn't disagree more. The plot is mostly believable and the characters are relatable.

While the main plot, as the title suggests, only covers 8 days, it is set up as an episodic film that uses flashbacks to drill deeper into the characters and their motivation as the show develops. It would be unfair to judge it after two episodes.

It is not a hero movie, you don't get to see an attempt to save the world, instead you see the different approaches some characters take in an attempt to save themselves, or make peace with the situation and their lives.

The whole question "What would you do?" constantly hangs in the air and you can't help but wonder if you would act similar in many moments.

It also shows how nobody is perfect. In a way, all the characters make or made mistakes and show bad behavior at points.Of course the impending 'end of the world' (Europe anyway) would bring out the worst in many.

That also lead to some interesting discussions with my wife, since she hated the character of my 'hero' (a person that I could relate to most, until the last episode anyway, because he did many bad things but with fundamentally good intentions).

Also it's great too see this play out in Europe and Germany in particular, because typically such stories happen in the US.

In a sense, even though it's very far away and not actually ever discussed, you even wonder about world politics as the Newsticker shows 'Russia stops giving asylum' and an apparent limited number of people manage to (be allowed to) get to the US.

The actors play their roles really well and you would believe their backgrounds and personal struggle. The scenery is spot on (even though one location is overused) and it's all very immersive and believable.

If I had any complaints, it would likely be that the surroundings get less chaotic and extreme than I would expect (would we still have gas, water and electricity one day before the end of the world? Would roads remain passable?) and some brief Scenes of Sex and Violence are a bit too hard (One scene of penetration which I thought would have to result in an 18+ Rating, perhaps going to get cut, and one scene of manslaughter played out like a slasher movie) but overall I could imagine a lot of it happening fashion that it was shown.

TLDR: It's the best Series I watched in a very long time and arguably the best German production ever.

Don't worry, I'll be back soon!

[davek28 · 7/10 · 17 July 2021]

This series should be renamed "Don't worry, I'll be back soon", because all the characters seem to say this at some point, and they never are. I started to take some pleasure in watching whatever ills befell them, as they're all pretty unlikeable. Even the well-intentioned characters are guilty about some transgression in their past. Despite having little sympathy for anyone, it's still fun to find out what happens to them. And I don't think it's a spoiler to say that it all goes horribly wrong.

One of the best german series, i've ever seen

[dominiksiegmund-03062 · 10/10 · 4 March 2019]

Top plot, great storylines of the characters with unpredictable Twists. Thrilling to the end. Perfect cast. Nice one!

Bingeworthy series, let down by climax

[Raydio · 7/10 · 2 April 2021]

I really enjoyed "8 Days". From the first episode the story pulls you in with interesting characters (albeit mostly unworthy of survival), and the eager anticipation of who will survive the impending holocaust. I felt the pacing was pretty good, good enough for me to watch all 8 episodes in 2 days! Yes, there were quite a few silly inconsistencies, and some completely unrealistic things going on if the end of the world is nigh. Still, the series holds you in suspense and makes you think about what you might do in a similar scenario. I did feel that the climax was a bit of a let down. I mean where's the KABOOM! No devastation, no CGI destruction, NADA. Maybe they're saving that for episode one of the second season - I hope so.

Watch it on a rainy weekend.

Potentially good story but....

[joostvg-916-3923 · 5/10 · 20 September 2021]

The show started of well with a good plot, good character and character building, twists and turns and good camerawork. Very binge-worthy.

But... like "Lost" and "GoT", the ending is very, very disappointing. The whole show builds up to a massive letdown. Therefore I don't recommend spending time on it.

Also over the top sex scenes (sometime close to porn) that don't always add up to the story.

Really deep and realistic

[thomasskarbye · 10/10 · 5 March 2019]

Finally a doomsday series that works. Many plot twists, excellent characters and beautyful music.

Pretty decent end of the world flick not made in Hollywood

[h-c-patel32 · 7/10 · 10 May 2020]

OK just binged this show in pretty much one sitting between comfort breaks and eating.

Pretty decent premise with all characters interconnected in some way with interwoven story arcs.

A few surprises along the way. Unfortunately, what the characters ultimately do doesn't matter but I suppose that could be intentional as a metaphor for futility when facing an extinction level meteor. Could well be a syndicated sitcom which doesn't need to be seen in any order. Bit shocked to learn there will be a 2nd series I mean it's literally about the end of the world.

The characters are well developed and half way plausible, almost but having completed their story arcs I'm not sure I want to meet them again. What could the characters learn in a 2nd season? A Mad Max type dystopia or a City of Ember type re-emergence in the distant future would work with a completely different cast, however.

A little gratuitous in parts so not really a family show. Not too gory or pointless sex scenes though. Well worth effort if you have an evening free and no reason to get up early in the morning. Being as most of the planet is in quarantine at present, that would be most of us. It's a distraction from coronavirus if nothing else 😉

No tension, theatrical acting

[janlaube-93906 · 1/10 · 12 December 2021]

Despite its countdown dramaturgy, the series does not develop any gripping arc of tension, which is also due to the theatrical play of the actors. In addition, it does not find a coherent direction or atmosphere, among other things because the fast editing rhythm undermines the attempt to create an end-of-time atmosphere by means of the imagery.

Definitely underrated

[pmarkowski · 9/10 · 7 April 2019]

Gets better from episode to episode. You just have to discuss or think about: would you do the same as the characters? Great classic music. And a lot of fun for people who know Berlin to see the empty burning streets and abandoned places. People who criticise overacting have to think about the most extreme situation of Armageddon.

6.6 are raters on IMDB serious

[john-138-904908 · 10/10 · 30 November 2019]

This is the greatest bit of binge TV I've watched this year and I am already excited in the directions it could go in 'hopefully series 2, a kind of intelligent Walking dead without the zombies.

Meanwhile in Berlin...

[amirkhaw · 3/10 · 10 April 2020]

The characters in this mini-series are so unlikeable, and their decisions so frustratingly bad, that the approaching death meteor inadvertently becomes the show's protagonist.

Totally blown away

[Jbird65 · 9/10 · 6 December 2019]

Really surprised at it's low score, it deserves higher. Fantastic performances by absolutely everyone and showing the human race at it's very best and it's very worst, with a few surprises thrown in along the way. Every emotion known to man is shown in this and in some parts it's totally horrifying. Hopefully we'll never know, but I'd bet that this was a spot on portrayal of what a self serving bunch of treacherous lowlifes we'd all be if these circumstances ever come to pass. Kudos to the actor who played the policeman, his last scene made me cry.

Scientifically Inaccurate

[justin-l-hopkins · 3/10 · 9 July 2019]

Some beautiful cinematography and an unexpected take on the disaster genre. However, the inaccurate portrayal of a 60KM asteroid impacting the earth ruined it. A 60KM asteroid impact would be an extinction level event on a global scale. The struggle for survival, moving to America, hiding in bunkers - all futile. The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs was many times smaller, yet research shows life literally cooked to death on the other side of the planet. Large asteroid impacts heat the atmosphere to intolerable levels for all life other than extremophiles. There is no surviving an impact of that size. The writers should have done their homework on this and consulted with scientists.

What will you become?

[s3276169 · 9/10 · 3 February 2020]

8 Days is an insight into what happens to people when everything is stripped from them and their focus becomes either survival or acceptance.

This is a remarkably honest, disarming series, that's at one moment sentimental and sad, the next savage and unrelenting. It offers an interesting insight into how different people react to the same essential set of circumstances.

Wonderful acting rounds out a generally strong mini series, that's a hard watch at times but also deeply engrossing.

9/10.

A MUST SEE

[TheSonofBoromir · 10/10 · 18 April 2019]

8 days left to live. What would you do? Use your time to pray? Party? Kill yourself? Still going on like nothing is going to hapoend? Try to escape? Do whatever it takes to survive?

Breathtaking and truthworthy german show. Naked story about realastic normal people.

Great ideas, very bad realisation - don't watch or else you will be disappointed!

[jiminykricket · 3/10 · 17 April 2019]

I was looking forward to this show since the apocalyptic scenario seemed interesting. Unfortunately that's about it. Bad script, worse dialogues, flat characters. The biggest problem is no character acts like you would imagine if doomsday was 8 days or less away. Most of them chill out all the time simply waiting as if they don't care at all. Laying in the grass. Watching TV. Nobody is panicking or working on a plan to survive. The police officer stoically does his job and not a hint is given he would like to survive. At no time I could feel the apocalypse coming closer. I hoped the closer doomsday came the more interesting it would become - it was the other way around!

Excellent

[michaelgronau · 10/10 · 23 March 2019]

Cast, crew and story: awesome german production. Season 2 would be great.

OMG What a terrible show!

[David_Alexander_L · 1/10 · 10 April 2019]

I was looking forward to see this show. But I actually had a shock to view one of the most horribly executed show I have ever seen, I have expected more from the Germans - but that was not a feast of the eye or the heart. I was very disappointed from the lack of connection to the characters and how unsympathetic they all are. Basically I wanted the meteor to come already and get rid of all of them. Yes, it's that bad. Sorry.

Much better than its average rating

[alexironmountain · 9/10 · 6 October 2019]

This show contains in my eyes all that a good miniseries needs Dramatic subject (at least for Desaster movie fans) Realistic characters (some you could love and some you would hate) Surprising twists (at least for me ;-) ) Quite intriguing pictures Touching scenes And last but not least an adequate genuine soundtrack

I do not really see why there are so many negative critics so far. Clearly you might argue about what astronomical destruction level a x km large asteroid might have - but does it matter? People would still try to get in bunkers or survive the immediate impact wouldn't you, too? So course, some of the story twists are not likely - yet don't we all know lots of films and shows that have that "improbability drive".?

My main point is, that the question "what would you/I do" carries the whole series. And my impression is that the characters react in their world quite rational. Different than me, but absolutely understandable. The policeman (Deniz Kara) believes in his job and it's for him just like a religion (see the in my eyes brilliant final scene when just shortly be for the impact he puts a ticket on a wrongly parked car). The mother of the family (Susanne) fights for her kids and is willing to sacrifice everything, which looks very realistic to me. And I find it very interesting to reflect that behaviour to what I would do myself.

Yes the characters are types to a certain degree but realistic ones: for example, the academics family (as a German I would confirm that many of these families exist). The somewhat crazy entrepreneur who is not at all loveable but is capable to make tough decisions which is giving him at least for a long time a competitive advantage. The low level ministerial agent, who uses his inside of the government and ministries (and some revealing documents) to save his close ones (very realistic!), the tv show anker woman that values media impact and effect higher than possible real life consequences and so on. Yet, there is (not a tremendous, don't compare it to eg house of cards, but for such a short serious sufficient) development of some of the key the characters - they learn and develop which makes their behaviour less predictable.

All in all, I'd 100% recommend to watch it - at least in the German version.