As a long-time fan of the books I came into this doubting it could live up to the version I'd already imagined, but how glad I was to find that that's not the case! It's so much better than I could have hoped.
It's a whole new level of excitement and suspense to see Alex on screen, and the few changes and fresh twists on the source material work for the better. It's definitely 'darker' than the books but surprisingly the action itself is unchanged - which makes you realise just how gritty and scary the story actually is.
The acting is spot on - Alex is the perfect believable, likable, hero, and couldn't have been cast better. Totally thrilling, it had me up all night worrying about the danger the characters were in - even though I already knew the plot! Expanding the book into a series was a great way to flesh out important parts of the story, and the modernisation works really well. Horowitz and the other writers have done a fantastic job. The production (locations especially) is amazing, and there's a good dose of humour in there, too.
The first episode isn't the most exciting so like other reviewers said, definitely keep watching, it keeps getting better. Top quality TV - I'm just sad I have to wait another couple of years for the next season! Can't wait to see what they do with Skeleton Key.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia
(2016–2018)
Behold the Wonderful Imagination of Guillermo Del Toro
12 May 2017
Exciting, stylish, fun, entertaining, action packed, and very, very impressive. Trollhunters is an adventure story of kid-turned-hero à la Buffy the Vampire Slayer; it has a light, quirky, and humorous attitude à la Meet the Robinsons; incredibly detailed and immersive world-building à la Avatar; and a good dose of Del Toro's sinister monsters and dark psychological twists. Although aimed at a younger audience, it holds the depth and complexity of any adult show, while remaining whimsically childlike. Light and dark are perfectly balanced – it's got both silly kid humour and suspenseful situations that are genuinely unsettling. This is, after all, the same guy who made Pan's Labyrinth, and you can definitely see the influence here.
I was constantly impressed with the depth of imagination and real cleverness of this series. The unique monsters, magical elements, and new plot complications never stopped coming. The overall story arc is fantastically well-written, and character developments and relationships are truly believable and affecting. The baddies are interestingly conflicted, the goodies are endearing and extremely likable. You've got the terrified yet courageous hero Jim, clumsy yet smart wing man Toby, and sweet yet kick-ass Shakespeare-aficionado Claire, and all the rest, equally original. Brilliant voice acting too, especially from the late Anton Yelchin. Oh, and it's beautifully animated. Little wonder it won six Emmys!
Del Toro's creation is flawless. Trollhunters is something you can enjoyably binge-watch and then put off watching the last few episodes because you don't want it to come to an end. I can't wait for the second season – I haven't watched anything this good in a long time.
I was constantly impressed with the depth of imagination and real cleverness of this series. The unique monsters, magical elements, and new plot complications never stopped coming. The overall story arc is fantastically well-written, and character developments and relationships are truly believable and affecting. The baddies are interestingly conflicted, the goodies are endearing and extremely likable. You've got the terrified yet courageous hero Jim, clumsy yet smart wing man Toby, and sweet yet kick-ass Shakespeare-aficionado Claire, and all the rest, equally original. Brilliant voice acting too, especially from the late Anton Yelchin. Oh, and it's beautifully animated. Little wonder it won six Emmys!
Del Toro's creation is flawless. Trollhunters is something you can enjoyably binge-watch and then put off watching the last few episodes because you don't want it to come to an end. I can't wait for the second season – I haven't watched anything this good in a long time.
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