This review is from: Homeland – Season 1 [DVD] (DVD)
‘Homeland’ is a psychological drama-thriller television series, which concentrates on terrorism related themes and is created by some of the makers of the hit TV feature and my favorite, ’24’. The series released in 2011 to critical acclaim and won 2 Golden Globe Awards for best drama and best actress (Claire Danes). The series also won 3 Emmy Awards for best drama, best actor for Damien Lewis and again best actress for Danes. It is loosely based on the Israeli series, ‘Hatufim’ (English title: Prisoners of War) created by Gideon Raff.
The series centers around Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), a Central Intelligence Agency Officer and Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), a U.S. Marine. The story shows Brody returning to the United States after being held captive by the Al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war in Iraq for 8 years. On his return, Mathison begins to investigate him as she strongly believes that he has been turned into a terrorist.
The story to me was really intriguing and it really caught onto me straight away. What really struck me was the stunning performances of the lead actors, Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, for me they make the show. The drama quotient is high and the makers really concentrate on character development, which they succeed in doing. Also the cinematography, direction and the general screenplay is pure class.
Right, my critical points, the pace never accelerates even though there was plenty of scope. The makers for me played their trump card way too early and the climax does not do justice to the whole series. What it does do, and I think that was the intention all along is to set things up for the second season. I’m all for the next season, however I expected more from the finale.
Lewis is great as the disturbed American war hero bringing in a lot of pain and intensity. Mandy Patinkin who enacts the role of Mathison’s mentor, Saul Berenson, performs in a likeable manner with his amusing deadpan facial expression. I’ve become his fan. Now the best for the last, Miss Danes truly shines as a competent CIA Officer struggling with Bipolar disorder. The mixture of emotions she goes through during the series is portrayed with sheer brilliance. I couldn’t take my eyes off, from what may turn out to be a career defining performance.
To sum it up, the show never peaks even though all 12 episodes are of a quality watch and full of intrigue. I get a feeling Homeland and crew are here for the long haul.
‘Homeland’ is not racy but a classy affair.
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Following in the footsteps of the recent batch of brilliant US serial dramas such as Breaking Bad, Dexter and The Walking Dead, Homeland is an amazing, award-winning series that deserves to be watched.
The story follows CIA agent Carrie Mathison and US Marine and former prisoner of war Nicholas Brody as the latter is rescued and returned to US soil after eight years of captivity at the hands of Al-Qaeda. Only upon his return, Carrie believes he is a double agent; turned against the US with the intention of committing a terrorist act on his home soil. The series twists and turns throughout and the audience is never quite sure who to trust as everybody seems to have their own shady agendas and the boundaries of “good” and “bad” become blurred and muddled.
The real highlights of Homeland are the performances of nearly the entire cast. Claire Danes is particularly brilliant as the obsessive, driven Carrie Mathison while Damian Lewis gives the performance of a lifetime as Brody and is totally convincing as both an American and a Marine. Likewise the supporting cast are great and really add a lot of depth to the already complex characters.
The plot itself is gripping although a little slow-paced at times. Due to the numerous plot twists it is very complex and not a series that can be watched casually – you have to pay attention to get the most from it – and as such, isn’t for everybody. If you’re not convinced after the first three episodes, Homeland won’t win you over by the end. But personally I loved it and was glued to my TV every episode.
Bad points? Well as mentioned, it can get a little bit slow and it follows the slightly cynical US Drama trope of saving up important plot details and revelations until the very end of each episode and ending on a cliffhanger every time. While this works on a week to week basis on TV, it makes the flow of the series feel a bit odd when watching back to back on DVD/Blu-ray. Which is a shame since I feel that Homeland’s story is strong enough to keep people watching regardless of cheap cliffhanger endings. Sadly the ending was a little bit anticlimactic given the high stakes of the story. There are also a few loose threads that are never explained but perhaps the second season will explain those.
But those few issues aside, Homeland is genuinely one of the best shows I have watched in the past few years. If you like action-heavy series such as 24, Spartacus: Blood and Sand or Sons of Anarchy, then you might be a little disappointed. But if you like clever, complex, well-written thrillers (think Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy but with more intensity) then Homeland is essential viewing. Great acting, great story and gripping throughout. The second season will have a lot to live up to. If I could give it four and a half stars, I would.
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The twists in a political thriller of this kind can be criticised as ‘unlikely’, or ‘over the top’ etc., but I wouldn’t dream of picking possible holes in this show. For the simple reason that gripping and ingenious dramas like this are definitely not thick on the ground -and ‘Homeland’ is just so enjoyable !
In all departments it is skilfully-made, but there is a particular ingredient in this roller-coaster which stands out: the one-off character of ‘Carrie’, the government investigator played by Claire Danes.
A female-lead like Carrie is a role that any actress would probably die for -she is original, risky, and complicated- and Claire Danes seizes it with both hands! Carrie is written as ‘on-the-edge manic’, it would be easy to overplay this part but Danes judges it perfectly, she is sympathetic and there is subtlety, and when she is on screen naturally you can’t keep your eyes off her.
‘Homeland’ is well acted overall, beautifully photographed and directed, and looks brilliant in Blu-ray. Five stars from me, no question about it.
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Danes Delivers a Dynamite,
‘Homeland’ is a psychological drama-thriller television series, which concentrates on terrorism related themes and is created by some of the makers of the hit TV feature and my favorite, ’24’. The series released in 2011 to critical acclaim and won 2 Golden Globe Awards for best drama and best actress (Claire Danes). The series also won 3 Emmy Awards for best drama, best actor for Damien Lewis and again best actress for Danes. It is loosely based on the Israeli series, ‘Hatufim’ (English title: Prisoners of War) created by Gideon Raff.
The series centers around Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), a Central Intelligence Agency Officer and Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), a U.S. Marine. The story shows Brody returning to the United States after being held captive by the Al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war in Iraq for 8 years. On his return, Mathison begins to investigate him as she strongly believes that he has been turned into a terrorist.
The story to me was really intriguing and it really caught onto me straight away. What really struck me was the stunning performances of the lead actors, Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, for me they make the show. The drama quotient is high and the makers really concentrate on character development, which they succeed in doing. Also the cinematography, direction and the general screenplay is pure class.
Right, my critical points, the pace never accelerates even though there was plenty of scope. The makers for me played their trump card way too early and the climax does not do justice to the whole series. What it does do, and I think that was the intention all along is to set things up for the second season. I’m all for the next season, however I expected more from the finale.
Lewis is great as the disturbed American war hero bringing in a lot of pain and intensity. Mandy Patinkin who enacts the role of Mathison’s mentor, Saul Berenson, performs in a likeable manner with his amusing deadpan facial expression. I’ve become his fan. Now the best for the last, Miss Danes truly shines as a competent CIA Officer struggling with Bipolar disorder. The mixture of emotions she goes through during the series is portrayed with sheer brilliance. I couldn’t take my eyes off, from what may turn out to be a career defining performance.
To sum it up, the show never peaks even though all 12 episodes are of a quality watch and full of intrigue. I get a feeling Homeland and crew are here for the long haul.
‘Homeland’ is not racy but a classy affair.
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|Another Excellent US Drama series,
Following in the footsteps of the recent batch of brilliant US serial dramas such as Breaking Bad, Dexter and The Walking Dead, Homeland is an amazing, award-winning series that deserves to be watched.
The story follows CIA agent Carrie Mathison and US Marine and former prisoner of war Nicholas Brody as the latter is rescued and returned to US soil after eight years of captivity at the hands of Al-Qaeda. Only upon his return, Carrie believes he is a double agent; turned against the US with the intention of committing a terrorist act on his home soil. The series twists and turns throughout and the audience is never quite sure who to trust as everybody seems to have their own shady agendas and the boundaries of “good” and “bad” become blurred and muddled.
The real highlights of Homeland are the performances of nearly the entire cast. Claire Danes is particularly brilliant as the obsessive, driven Carrie Mathison while Damian Lewis gives the performance of a lifetime as Brody and is totally convincing as both an American and a Marine. Likewise the supporting cast are great and really add a lot of depth to the already complex characters.
The plot itself is gripping although a little slow-paced at times. Due to the numerous plot twists it is very complex and not a series that can be watched casually – you have to pay attention to get the most from it – and as such, isn’t for everybody. If you’re not convinced after the first three episodes, Homeland won’t win you over by the end. But personally I loved it and was glued to my TV every episode.
Bad points? Well as mentioned, it can get a little bit slow and it follows the slightly cynical US Drama trope of saving up important plot details and revelations until the very end of each episode and ending on a cliffhanger every time. While this works on a week to week basis on TV, it makes the flow of the series feel a bit odd when watching back to back on DVD/Blu-ray. Which is a shame since I feel that Homeland’s story is strong enough to keep people watching regardless of cheap cliffhanger endings. Sadly the ending was a little bit anticlimactic given the high stakes of the story. There are also a few loose threads that are never explained but perhaps the second season will explain those.
But those few issues aside, Homeland is genuinely one of the best shows I have watched in the past few years. If you like action-heavy series such as 24, Spartacus: Blood and Sand or Sons of Anarchy, then you might be a little disappointed. But if you like clever, complex, well-written thrillers (think Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy but with more intensity) then Homeland is essential viewing. Great acting, great story and gripping throughout. The second season will have a lot to live up to. If I could give it four and a half stars, I would.
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|This belongs to Carrie,
The twists in a political thriller of this kind can be criticised as ‘unlikely’, or ‘over the top’ etc., but I wouldn’t dream of picking possible holes in this show. For the simple reason that gripping and ingenious dramas like this are definitely not thick on the ground -and ‘Homeland’ is just so enjoyable !
In all departments it is skilfully-made, but there is a particular ingredient in this roller-coaster which stands out: the one-off character of ‘Carrie’, the government investigator played by Claire Danes.
A female-lead like Carrie is a role that any actress would probably die for -she is original, risky, and complicated- and Claire Danes seizes it with both hands! Carrie is written as ‘on-the-edge manic’, it would be easy to overplay this part but Danes judges it perfectly, she is sympathetic and there is subtlety, and when she is on screen naturally you can’t keep your eyes off her.
‘Homeland’ is well acted overall, beautifully photographed and directed, and looks brilliant in Blu-ray. Five stars from me, no question about it.
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