I don't object in principle to changing the plot and characters of Jules Verne's novel. I read it, but it was at least 40 years ago and I'll I remember is the start, the end, and a bit of Fogg's character.
At the same time, it's a classic because it's really good, so you need a good reason to take a story by someone who was really good at telling stories and replace it with a different one. And in this case the replacement is not that good.
Fogg's character is not as I remember. He's less assured and fumbles around a lot. But that's fine. Tennant is good in the role, as are the other main characters.
The first episode was decent. I'd seen some negative reviews but it had good period atmosphere and seemed like it would be fun. The political intrigue seemed a bit strong so early in the story, as did giving Passepartout so much drama, but that didn't bother me too much.
The second episode, on the other hand, was mainly a jerk repeatedly insulting Fogg and his own kid and Passepartout dealing with trauma badly. The last 15 minutes was fun adventure stuff, but that didn't make up for the tedium that preceded it.
When I looked up the show's creator it turned out to be a guy whose previous series I'd given up on during the first, tedious episode. He also did Life on Mars which I found vaguely intriguing for a few episodes and then gave up on. So I see little likelihood that this particular guy was the right choice to rewrite Verne.
Not worth the bother.
At the same time, it's a classic because it's really good, so you need a good reason to take a story by someone who was really good at telling stories and replace it with a different one. And in this case the replacement is not that good.
Fogg's character is not as I remember. He's less assured and fumbles around a lot. But that's fine. Tennant is good in the role, as are the other main characters.
The first episode was decent. I'd seen some negative reviews but it had good period atmosphere and seemed like it would be fun. The political intrigue seemed a bit strong so early in the story, as did giving Passepartout so much drama, but that didn't bother me too much.
The second episode, on the other hand, was mainly a jerk repeatedly insulting Fogg and his own kid and Passepartout dealing with trauma badly. The last 15 minutes was fun adventure stuff, but that didn't make up for the tedium that preceded it.
When I looked up the show's creator it turned out to be a guy whose previous series I'd given up on during the first, tedious episode. He also did Life on Mars which I found vaguely intriguing for a few episodes and then gave up on. So I see little likelihood that this particular guy was the right choice to rewrite Verne.
Not worth the bother.