Reviews

The series started great - having never heard of the book(s) I thought it would be another "City of Ember", but the first two episodes showed that there was much more to the story - and they were amazingly structured!

Then it started to go downhill - and I feared that this was another of these shows that feel they need to make everything into a mystery. So many mysterious things were introduced: What was on the hard drive? Why are microscopes forbidden? What is behind the janitorial door? Who killed George and why? Who turned Jules' mother in? Why can't Walker leave her apartment? Why does IT fake the viewscreens? Why doesn't anyone know what a camera is, although they spend every day looking at the feed from one? Why can't they know what stars are, but recognize the sun, and the clouds?

Some mysteries seemed to be there just to keep us viewer engaged, and for a lot of episodes, nothing really happened, no new information, no in-depth information, no deeper history, no character development, just waiting.

Luckily at the last three episodes, the story picked up pace again, and a few of the "mysteries" were solved in a somewhat satisfying way - but then again the whole season finale did it again, created even more mysteries!

Nevertheless, worth the watch, so keep on through the "boring bits", and I have high hopes for the next season!

I really liked the book, although it had a few plot-threads that seemingly went nowhere (the map, and the timetravel when the door closed) and the pacing was at times a bit too slow (it took forever before the door was discovered, and then Paul spent weeks just using it for extended lunch-breaks). So I was looking forward to a movie, that had to cut more straight to the story!

Unfortunately the story is completely gone from the movie - there is a story about a Paul Carpenter that gets hired by a company doing magic, where he finds a portable door, and most of the characters are there - although poor Ricky Wormtoter is degraded to a sandwich shop, and both professor van Spee and Mr Dao has been gender-swapped - but all the build-up, all the "seemingly normal job" at the beginning has gone, all the mystery completely evaporated, goblins are introduced early on, as shy basement dwelling assistants, and the company deals mostly in creating coincidenses, making people fall in love and meet long lost relatives - nothing even close to the "evil money-making schemes" they were doing in the book.

Of course, the young Humprey Wells has an evil plan - but it doesn't really make any sense how it would make money for anyone - and apparently no-one really cares anyway, because although they stop him halfway through, there is no clean-up afterwards.

The whole story with Paul and Sophie being the chosen ones, the perfect pair, the two parts of a key-puzzle, is completely gone. Sophie is demoted to a pretty love-interest that works alongside Paul, and joins him on the travels with the portable door - travels that just seem to be going to nice holiday destinations, nothing magical or mysterious about it.

And all the 'fun' stuff with Mr. Tanner's mom disguised as a number of beautiful women trying to woo Paul, is completely gone as well.

I don't know if the movie could stand on its own, but for those who read the book, it is a big disappointment. Unfortunately.