Alex Rider (2020)

I watch a lot of TV -- check out my reviews -- and this is one of the best first seasons I have seen in years. The writing, the suspense, the tension are at a level as good as or better than the best spy films. WOW

"Alex Rider" is a series pitched at teens but it quite accessible to anyone.

This is an action series done the right way. Its focused on action and makes every effort to maintain that momentum. The characters and story are something of a cliche but the acting and narrative is solid enough, to overcome this hurdle.

There is of course, the predictable woke silliness, that's become a tiresome staple in the UK but mericfully, its not too overdone.

All in all not a bad little boys own action drama.

6/10.

Alex Rider is a typical 14 year old whose world is thrown into chaos with the death of his Uncle Ian. Upon investigating his uncle's suspicious death, Alex discovers that his uncle was an agent for an off the books intelligence section of British Secret services. Alex is unwillingly recruited for an operation investigating a mysterious reform school, Point Blanc, for ultra wealthy problem teens that conceals darker secrets.

Alex Rider is the second attempt to adapt Anthony Horowitz' best selling YA series following the critical and box office failure of Stormbreaker back in 2006. The series was supposed to be James Bond by way of Harry Potter, but Stormbreaker's approach was more akin to Spy Kids than Harry Potter neutering much of the book's action sequences and leaving it a rather toothless and dull affair. With this latest incarnation being made in a post Harry Potter/Hunger Games world where adaptations are allowed to have more breathing room, Alex Rider is given a more than worthwhile adaptation.

The series is developed by Guy Burt of Wire in the Blood and The Borgias, and he brings a more grounded approach to the material that is more in line with the Bourne movies and Daniel Craig Bond movies than with the considerably more fantastical and gadget reliant Bond movies that inspired the Alex Rider series. The approach is very well done and keeps the series' high concept believable and gives weight and a sense of danger and intrigue to the material. Otto Farrant is pitch perfect as Alex Rider and brings both a sense of humor to the character as well as a hair trigger intensity that gives the character a darker edge than he had in the books. Otto Farrant is a massive reason why this series works. The series also has a very capable supporting cast who all fill their roles well and feel very much at home in the shady espionage world created for the show.

Alex Rider is a show knows what to keep from the books and what to change and update. While the show has the arduous task of Frankensteining the second book in the series into a jumping on point, it does so successfully. The show takes the introductory elements from Stormbreaker and does a near seamless job of attaching them to Point Blanc to make for an entertaining ride for both fans of the books and newcomers to the series.

I grew up on the books and they made just the right amount of changes to keep the soul of both the book and the main character there. Never felt particularly slow and I was hooked from episode 1 despite what others have said. Was very good from start to finish but I wouldn't say it was one of those exceptional shows that blows you away just one that's very good and every fan of the books is likely to enjoy far more than the stormbreaker film.

Largely as a fan of the books it caught the character pretty perfectly while the story didn't stray to far from the book while still having differences. The show did seem caught in two minds between being a teen or an adult show but was still enjoyable throughout. Fans of the books will almost certainly prefer this to the movie.

... after E1 we're-expecting something-special ... that lasts a couple-more-episodes ... then all gets bogged-down in the 'ice-box'-script until the ending-segment

... this show at its' best-w-action ... needing lots-more-of-it in S2 to reignite the promise of those first episodes ... we'll-see

Without reading any of the details, this looked interesting and after 10 mins I was intrigued. Solid British acting with believable characters and several moving parts to a single story line.

It's a bit straight forward with a few curves and is therefore predictable but still a worthwhile watch. But by the 3rd and 4th episode it's run out of ideas and can't seem to put together an ending.

Not read any books so had no preconceptions. The story goes at a super slow pace and is somewhat predictable Alex himself is suppose to be a school kid but would be more suited to a university student age wise same goes for the other supposed teens! However the most unforgivable part is the portrayal of secret service God forbid they are that dumb ! Inspector Cluseau would give them a run for their money they are that bad. A teenager may enjoy the show they probably won't see the massive plot holes an older audience would Sadly I am not that young and I find them dam annoying

We tried but were unamused by the English timing (slow). If you are a 14 year old girl, this is probably for you. If you have a mortgage payment to make, skip it and watch BOSCH or something for grown ups. It is about a boy's school that spawns world leaders in bad and good. A hard pass by this adult.

Great spy romp with a touch of sci-fi too! Never read the book but can honestly say this was a breath of fresh air.

The buildup was nice and really liked this show going in a right way . There were some weak points too like some weak action scenes but that's gonna ne fine in next season. A good plot tho.

It's OK and has its strengths. It starts off well. The parts before Alex gets into his stride as an agent are by far the best. Every scene with Brenock O'Connor in is excellent - he steals the show, which is a big achievement because he had only a hackneyed stock character ("hero's cheery friend") to work with. Otto Farrant does a workmanlike job and is best in those early scenes, but he has insufficient charisma to carry the series. It's a tough role: once Alex becomes action man all nuance has gone and this version does nothing to make him more interesting. They've even taken away his gimmicky toys. When he gets his makeover to become Alex Friend, it's built up as an event, but in reality he just gets a slightly shorter haircut. There is no attempt to make him seem a bad boy who might need to be sent to a reformatory. In fact the Point Blanc school nearly kills the whole thing. It's a boring place, visually and in every way. It's lifeless and the scenes there go on too long. The tiny number of other students there are dull even before anything happens to them. James (the one who looks like Snape) sometimes has an Australian accent, but that's just about his only interesting feature. The plot collapses during the Point Blanc scenes (vast holes open up, which I won't go into). Almost all the adult roles are cardboard characters and the biggest names in the cast are playing them. It might all improve if there are future series, but Otto Farrant is already well over age for the role of a schoolboy, so I don't know how that would work.