Just started this yesterday, watching with subs. It seems okay, but a bit of a slow burn. Currently I don't see why if someone likes Stranger Things this would be recommended [although i see this argument quite regularly] but then lots can change in a few episodes!
Soldato
This has far more depth in the plot and characters than stranger things. It also has a fantastic dark brooding atmosphere. Stranger things is decent entertainment but Dark is just on another level. You need to keep watching, it only gets better.
I will keep on with it, at least until the end of S1 anyway.. Hopefully there's a lot more development as currently I disagree with your statement about plot and characters!
Soldato
Stick with it, you'll see what I mean. Season 2 only gets better too.
Stranger things is Dark for kids if you ask me. Although I do enjoy it.
Any likeness to Stranger Things IMO is very superficial it hits a few of the same notes but goes a very different direction - especially that alternative dimension horror angle only lasts a couple of episodes or so before it reveals more of what is going on. Overall this is way better than Stranger Things though in my opinion but you do kind of need to let it take you down the rabbit hole to enjoy it - if you can't keep progressing with it without getting all the storyline ducks in a row as you go then you probably won't enjoy it.
I'll be considerably impressed if they can increase the complexity by an order of magnitude again with a season 3 while still keeping all the threads going and not just simplify either side of the new reveal down so it is essentially season 1 again in complexity.
Don't really want to get into a debate of which is better, since we're all individual we'll have differing opinions on that! Episode 4 grabbed me though, and now i'm invested so will definitely watch all that's currently released!
Always going to be a bit subjective depending on what people want from a TV show but I find the writing and later character development on a completely different (higher) level to Stranger Things - Stranger Things benefits a bit in that regard in having some seriously talented actors while in the main there aren't many stand out actors in Dark - most of the core actors do a serviceable job but are fairly forgettable - you could swap almost any actor out for someone else in Dark and it would make little difference while in Stranger Things it would have a huge impact.
I see where you're coming from. I don't believe ST is so reliant on great actors though, more so than Dark yes, but your wording does ST a disservice imo.
Soldato
Gotta bump this thread as this show is one of the most gripping I've ever watched.
The cinematography and music are also immense!
Binge watched season 1 on a long haul flight yesterday. Just finished ep1 of season 2.
Seriously, give this show a watch!
The cinematography and music are also immense!
Binge watched season 1 on a long haul flight yesterday. Just finished ep1 of season 2.
Seriously, give this show a watch!
Soldato
I really can't praise this show enough. Watched season 3 of stranger things afterwards and that highlighted just how much better dark is. Seriously, anyone who likes a bit of dark gritty sci-fi should be all over this.
Finished both seasons now, really enjoyed it. S2 was considerably better than S1, having generally more interesting episodes and less confusing twists for confusing twists sake.
Whilst good, definitely not better than Stranger Things IMO. But also, there is really no point comparing them since the biggest similarity is that they are Netflix TV shows.
Whilst good, definitely not better than Stranger Things IMO. But also, there is really no point comparing them since the biggest similarity is that they are Netflix TV shows.
Caporegime
Started watching this, and it is pretty damn good.
Soldato
I'm just about to finish watching it again. Loved it the first time around, so thought I'd watch again to see what I missed, and if things make more sense. Really liked some of the subtle details such as.....
When (future) Jonas visits his mother and explains what he is trying to do and why, he looks down at the kitchen floor. The first time around you don't really know what this means, but that's where Martha will lie dead after Adam (actually Jonas) kills her.
There is a fair amount of that in there - I actually realised there was something significant to the one you mentioned but some of the others are almost impossible to pick up on the first time around. Whoever was involved in the writing on this one had far too much time on their hands heh.
Associate
Binged the second series over the weekend after having forgot most of the detail from the first. Now hammering through the first again with the intention of re-watching the second again. I've not been this engaged in anything for a long time. Brilliant.
Associate
Didn't mention that in my above post but totally agree
Associate
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I finished this a while back. Man what I wouldn't give to see it all for the first time again. Literally one of the best things I have ever watched. Utterly fantastic and the paradoxes were crazy. Still waiting for someone to map out a bleeding timeline!
Caporegime
Dark is a welcome contribution to the popular and well established horror/thriller/drama/sci-fi/German existential dread genre.
The series is set in the famous industrial town of Winden (located on the outskirts of Hamburg and Munich). Its cast consists almost entirely of middle class Germans, and its plot is driven by their complex desires and aspirations.
For many decades, Winden has been dominated by the rich and powerful Tiedemann family. Now cracks are appearing in their facade, as the Kahnwald, Nielsen, and Doppler families all find themselves connected to the Tiedemanns in peculiar ways.
As more connections are discovered, relationships between friends and family are stretched to breaking point. Secrets are revealed, and the shocking truth of Winden's history gradually comes to light.
Why does Winden experience regular blackouts despite the presence of a local nuclear power plant? Does this have something to do with the weird caves beneath a local hill? Why did Mads Mikkelsen vanish in 1986? Who is Adam? How did Noah kill the boys in the bunker? What happened to Helge Doppler's ear?
Good times!
At its heart, Dark is a socio-psychological narrative about the philosophy of time travel. But it handles the concept in a very German way that proves superior to any movie or TV series I've seen before.
When faced with time-related paradoxes and contradictions, most script writers try to skirt around them or resolve their logical dilemmas in some way. Dark breaks new ground by embracing these dilemmas, and working them into the script without any attempt at resolution.
Just when the viewer is about to ask 'Yeah, but doesn't this raise the issue of how and where the whole thing got started in the first place?' Dark anticipates the question by raising it on screen in an exchange between two bewildered cast members. This is incredibly refreshing. Better yet, the answer is a brutal one.
There have been complaints about the number of black people in Dark. Some say there's not enough black people; others say there's too many. Personally I think Dark has exactly the right amount of black people, accurately reflecting the demographics of modern middle class Germany.
I rate Dark at 33.3 on the Haglee Scale, which works out as a perfect 10/10 on IMDB.
The series is set in the famous industrial town of Winden (located on the outskirts of Hamburg and Munich). Its cast consists almost entirely of middle class Germans, and its plot is driven by their complex desires and aspirations.
For many decades, Winden has been dominated by the rich and powerful Tiedemann family. Now cracks are appearing in their facade, as the Kahnwald, Nielsen, and Doppler families all find themselves connected to the Tiedemanns in peculiar ways.
As more connections are discovered, relationships between friends and family are stretched to breaking point. Secrets are revealed, and the shocking truth of Winden's history gradually comes to light.
Why does Winden experience regular blackouts despite the presence of a local nuclear power plant? Does this have something to do with the weird caves beneath a local hill? Why did Mads Mikkelsen vanish in 1986? Who is Adam? How did Noah kill the boys in the bunker? What happened to Helge Doppler's ear?
Good times!
At its heart, Dark is a socio-psychological narrative about the philosophy of time travel. But it handles the concept in a very German way that proves superior to any movie or TV series I've seen before.
When faced with time-related paradoxes and contradictions, most script writers try to skirt around them or resolve their logical dilemmas in some way. Dark breaks new ground by embracing these dilemmas, and working them into the script without any attempt at resolution.
Just when the viewer is about to ask 'Yeah, but doesn't this raise the issue of how and where the whole thing got started in the first place?' Dark anticipates the question by raising it on screen in an exchange between two bewildered cast members. This is incredibly refreshing. Better yet, the answer is a brutal one.
There have been complaints about the number of black people in Dark. Some say there's not enough black people; others say there's too many. Personally I think Dark has exactly the right amount of black people, accurately reflecting the demographics of modern middle class Germany.
I rate Dark at 33.3 on the Haglee Scale, which works out as a perfect 10/10 on IMDB.
I do like the way it anticipates you going "but... but..." and gives a nudge to where it has actually satisfied the paradox or exposes it in another light that shows it wasn't an oversight, etc. without necessarily fully revealing anything.