Atlantis (BBC Series)
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Is there anyone who's watching the new BBC fantasy series "Atlantis", written by the same team who created "Merlin". It follows the adventures of a modern-day Jason (Jack Donnelly), who gets transported to ancient Atlantis via a Gateway portal. Whilst there he befriends Pythagoras (Robert Emms), Hercules (Mark Addy) and Ariadne (no relation! - Aiysha Hart). The ruler of Atlantis is King Minos (Alexander Siddig) & his evil queen Pasiphae (Sarah Parish) and it is through The Oracle (Juliet Stevenson) that Jason learns of his destiny.
The look, pace & humour of "Merlin", has been retained for this show and there's a "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"/"Xena: Warrior Princess" feel to it. Opening episode "The Earth Bull" has already divided opinion, but I think it has the potential to be a hit and needs to find it's feet like "Merlin" did. There are many historical inaccuracies, but don't let that worry you. This is pure family entertainment with monsters, comedy, action, scary bits and plenty of sword & sorcery. You can't go wrong with something like that!
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Episode 2 was a darker affair, if they keep that up for the rest of the season, then it should get good. I'd love for the Cult & their CGI Apes to return at some point and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Medusa (Jemima Rooper). Historical accuracy was ignored yet again, but it's best to view it within it's own universe.
We also got to see some of Hercules's strength in this story, when he punched one of those Apes out of the way. Mark Addy's oafish portrayal has already been a target for criticism, but I think that's intentional. This Hercules is older, past his prime & has let himself go, but I'd like to see more action, instead of him being the resident comedy character.
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I really enjoyed this series, after a slow start it gathered momentum and was dark at times. The show had great production values, with special effects to match and the cast clearly had a lot of fun making it. Hercules (Mark Addy) started out as a drunken/clumsy oaf, but when the Medusa storyline kicked in he got much better as a character. The rest of the cast did an admirable job and there was a strong array of guest stars like Robert Lindsay & John Hannah.
I'm glad it's been recommissioned for a second season, it's got the potential to be as long-running as "Merlin". Did anyone else notice that tribute to Ray Harryhausen & Jason and the Argonauts? When an evil witch summoned some Skeletons out of the ground (via Hydra's Teeth) to fight Jason and the gang.
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Did anyone else notice that tribute to Ray Harryhausen & Jason and the Argonauts? When an evil witch summoned some Skeletons out of the ground (via Hydra's Teeth) to fight Jason and the gang.
When Jason asked how to kill the sword-wielding skeletons, I wanted to shout that he needed Stiletta's magic ring! (I had just been listening to the Audio Series episode that featured it!)
The twist last night was good, I don't think anyone had seen that coming. Glad to see the king made a (somewhat miraculous) recovery, it would've sucked if they'd killed him off before he had a chance to do very much!
I love all the scenes with Pasiphae & the Oracle, there's so much tension between those two characters. And I hope there will be a happy ending for Hercules & Medusa.
Overall I didn't think the series was particularly great (nowhere near the standard of Merlin S1), but it's watchable enough, so I'll stick with it.
Anyone planning to watch The Musketeers, btw?
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I thought it got better the more it went on and I'm happy there will be a 2nd series.It did get darker but still enjoyable! And yes, the twist was good!
Don't know if I will watch the Musketeers or not. From what I've seen of the promo, it hasn't grabbed my attention.
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My theory is that Atlantis' popularity is largely down to viewers being in a vegetative state by the end of Strictly Come Dancing. I have been a devotee of classical mythology for a long time, and of all the interpretations I've read and seen, Atlantis has made me most embarrassed to be one. In my opinion, it doesn't deserve to be as successful as Merlin because it's inferior in every way. And I still want to know why Jason didn't encounter a language barrier when he arrived on Atlantis (sorry, at Atlantis: it's a mainland settlement now, isn't it?)
At its best, I find Atlantis mildly entertaining, and I was surprised by one of the twists in the Series 1 finale. I too was pleased at Minos' recovery - I like Alexander Siddig - though even if he had died, he could have continued in the series as a judge of souls in the Underworld, as per the mythology.
A happy ending for Heracles (it was the Romans who called him Hercules) and Medusa would annoy me. I'd rather see her suffer the same fate as she did in the myth: decapitation followed by a winged horse springing from her blood. I'm not sick, I'm just a purist.
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A happy ending for Heracles (it was the Romans who called him Hercules) and Medusa would annoy me. I'd rather see her suffer the same fate as she did in the myth: decapitation followed by a winged horse springing from her blood. I'm not sick, I'm just a purist.
Haha. Well, I've already had to accept that these are not the mythological characters we're familiar with, they just happen to share the same names - it's the only way to enjoy the show instead of constantly shouting "That's not what happens!" - so with that in mind, I'd like to see a bit more of the only relationship they've actually made me care about. (Couldn't be less interested in Jason & Ariadne!)
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My theory is that Atlantis' popularity is largely down to viewers being in a vegetative state by the end of Strictly Come Dancing. I have been a devotee of classical mythology for a long time, and of all the interpretations I've read and seen, Atlantis has made me most embarrassed to be one. In my opinion, it doesn't deserve to be as successful as Merlin because it's inferior in every way. And I still want to know why Jason didn't encounter a language barrier when he arrived on Atlantis (sorry, at Atlantis: it's a mainland settlement now, isn't it?)
At its best, I find Atlantis mildly entertaining, and I was surprised by one of the twists in the Series 1 finale. I too was pleased at Minos' recovery - I like Alexander Siddig - though even if he had died, he could have continued in the series as a judge of souls in the Underworld, as per the mythology.
A happy ending for Heracles (it was the Romans who called him Hercules) and Medusa would annoy me. I'd rather see her suffer the same fate as she did in the myth: decapitation followed by a winged horse springing from her blood. I'm not sick, I'm just a purist.
I think with Atlantis, it's not meant to be taken too seriously. After all, it's meant to be a family show! With regards to the Strictly comment, that show alone would put me in a vegetative state! I believe the average viewing figures were 7.5 million so it did appeal to a lot of people. It might not be as good as Merlin, but I still think it's decent enough.
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I think with Atlantis, it's not meant to be taken too seriously.
I don't see why any viewer should take Atlantis less seriously than he or she takes Greek mythology. Granted, it's not meant to be high drama and offers up plenty of comic farce (if you relish watching people endlessly running through marketplaces in the knowledge that fruit or vegetables are guaranteed to get knocked over), but so did Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, which in my opinion were far more enjoyable interpretations of Greek myth. If I said that Liverpool Football Club aren't meant to be taken seriously, I don't imagine that it would go down too well with you or people you know.
I only hope that no one who watches Atlantis regards it as the first and last word in Greek mythology adaptations, just as I hope for no one who reads the Harry Potter series to regard it as the first and last word in (children's) literature.
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If I said that Liverpool Football Club aren't meant to be taken seriously, I don't imagine that it would go down too well with you or people you know.
I think in terms of the last couple of seasons you're probably right!
I guess it depend what you are trying to get out of Atlantis. As it is a family show you will end up getting some silly moments. I enjoyed it because it was light hearted and didn't take itself too seriously. That's how I viewed Merlin too. For something more gritty I watched Game of Thrones.
To be honest I don't care about Greek Mythology, I just enjoyed Atlantis for what it was. It's not the best show ever and would never replace Merlin. At the end of the day Atlantis does what it's says on the tin.
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I never watched it or Merlin but I know plenty of people who did and quite enjoyed it, it seems to be great Saturday evening family entertainment. My mother prefers it over Merlin.
7.5 million seems about right, it's about what Doctor who gets theses days on a series run.
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It's been reported that Atlantis has been axed due to falling viewing figures, BBC1 unusually stopped showing it last December midway through the current season. I'm not happy with their decision to cancel it, you've got millions of viewers who like & enjoy watching the show, but it's a small panel of TV bosses who have the final say. I've never understood that!
Every show has ratings problems, even Doctor Who has suffered recently, TV channels should allow their shows to develop and find their feet. Atlantis could continue in Novels, Comic Strips, Audio (Big Finish), Video Games etc. like so many other shows. According to press reports, the remaining 7 episodes from series two will be shown in the spring. What are your thoughts?
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It's a shame. However, I do feel it's not as good as the first series. It has got dark too quickly. It does feel like the story has been rushed (i.e the death of the king at the start). Yet in the end of the 1st series the king is well. It doesn't make sense.
I guess the later start time doesn't help. Also what's with the intro? What has happened to that? Sadly it just feels the writers got a bit complacent. I did enjoy the 1st series and hope it would go on just as long as Merlin did. Wonder how the 2nd series will end now?
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I'm actually finding Series 2 to be a massive improvement on Series 1, so it's mildly disappointing that it won't have a chance to develop any further (and I expect some plot threads will never be completed or explained now). Still, I can't say I'm all that surprised. The way they took unrelated things from mythology and history and just threw them together at random was quite strange, and the lead actor was too wooden to fill Colin Morgan's shoes. A pity, because the basic idea had a lot of potential.
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The second half of Season 2 was very good, the show has started to take on it's own identity and had stopped living in the shadow of it's predecessor Merlin. The acting & characters had all improved in S2 especially Hercules, you really felt for him when he lost Medusa. Sarah Parish (Pasiphae) was an excellent villain and I always loved any scene with her. If the show isn't returning, then the BBC should have got the cast back to film a proper ending and not left it on a big cliffhanger.
If you're having withdrawal symptoms, then I recommend a similar Fantasy/Mythology series called Olympus (Wednesday's 10pm on Spike). It's like a cross between "Game of Thrones" and the "300" movies, it's worth checking out!
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