Some really grumpy reviews, here. Some people should ask themselves why they expect so much. Personally, if I like the concept, I can pretty much use my own imagination to fill the void and, in this case, the concept is an interesting one. 'The Earth fighting back' is slowly developing into a thought provoking genre. One that's highly relevant to today's global discourse; the earth will live on without us if we don't kill it first. If, like some others here, you need your movies/tv/music/art to do all the work for you, then yes, give it a miss. If not and you've got some hours to kill, give it a go 🤷♂️
140 Reviews
It's a good watch while waiting for your book order to arrive
misterjupiter22 February 2023
The book "The Swarm" is an entertaining, thrilling and because of the well researched scientific facts educating novel about nature fighting back against the human invasion and destruction of marine ecosystems.
With the TV adaption, you won't get any of that so far, at least not in the first three episodes. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad show. It's just not a good one, either. For years, there was talk about making the book into a movie, which didn't happen.
If you read the book and then watch this show, you'll understand why: Education is the enemy of thrill and in a series, there just isn't room to cover both without destroying the suspense.
The cast and setting on the other hand are all on point, and the filming locations are stunning. Sure, casting is a matter of personal opinion, if you know the novel, you'll have your own images in mind. But to be fair, that the makers didn't get wrong.
So order a copy of the novel and watch this show while waiting for your book to arrive.
With the TV adaption, you won't get any of that so far, at least not in the first three episodes. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad show. It's just not a good one, either. For years, there was talk about making the book into a movie, which didn't happen.
If you read the book and then watch this show, you'll understand why: Education is the enemy of thrill and in a series, there just isn't room to cover both without destroying the suspense.
The cast and setting on the other hand are all on point, and the filming locations are stunning. Sure, casting is a matter of personal opinion, if you know the novel, you'll have your own images in mind. But to be fair, that the makers didn't get wrong.
So order a copy of the novel and watch this show while waiting for your book to arrive.
Fortunately, different from the book!
solefeet24 February 2023
None of the critics like this series. I do! The book, which I read 20 years ago, was at the level of a penny dreadful, with amateurishly crafted action scenes copied from movies and implausible characters. All this is no longer present in the first three episodes of der Schwarm, or has been completely deleted from the script. No more military saving the world, no more Wolfgang Emmerich doomsdays on the screen. Instead, slow plot developments with small, subtle catastrophes. This makes you want more and is decidedly different from the usual German series you see on TV. And fortunately, different from the book!
Good at building suspense
Johannes-Siemers22 February 2023
I heard a few bad things before watching. I don't agree with them.
Having seen three episodes so far, it seems to be a good show. Of course, there are five more episodes to go. We will see if they change my mind.
What's good so far is the build up of suspense. You get the idea that there is something up pretty fast, but you are kept clueless about the details. Some think it's a bit long-winded, but I like the pace of the first three episodes.
They saved money and kept the action/disaster scenes a bit short, but I don't mind that too much.
I read the book when it came out, almost 20 years ago. I don't remember much, so I don't mind that there are differences.
Having seen three episodes so far, it seems to be a good show. Of course, there are five more episodes to go. We will see if they change my mind.
What's good so far is the build up of suspense. You get the idea that there is something up pretty fast, but you are kept clueless about the details. Some think it's a bit long-winded, but I like the pace of the first three episodes.
They saved money and kept the action/disaster scenes a bit short, but I don't mind that too much.
I read the book when it came out, almost 20 years ago. I don't remember much, so I don't mind that there are differences.
Great potential (story) handled stunningly bad
Konsul_K4 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I loved the book. This production gives me more abdominal pain than fish poisoning.
Not only is this shot terribly: Every scene is excessively static, worse than Disney's Volume.
(One comedic detail: People in close ups on boats and ships are CLEARLY in a studio, this looks worse than 90s b-movies.)
The production quality is backed by plain bad writing and editing.
Take the beginning of episode 4:
Compared to this, Kenobi was good. There, I said it.
Not only is this shot terribly: Every scene is excessively static, worse than Disney's Volume.
(One comedic detail: People in close ups on boats and ships are CLEARLY in a studio, this looks worse than 90s b-movies.)
The production quality is backed by plain bad writing and editing.
Take the beginning of episode 4:
- The woman at the beach freaks out because of a crab: We see the crab crawling up her leg, she screams and jumps up - legit. Then the boyfriend calms her for 2 seconds and they continue smooching for 2 more seconds but she jumps up a second time, because I GUESS the crab returned or another crab crabbed up - which is not shown, so the sceen just looks off. Bad editing, and saving budget on cgi. Okay.
- Then the crab invasion (exvasion?) starts so both freak out, understandably. The crabs come pouring from the sea at a staggering slow walking speed. So the couple sprint to the motorbike, frantically trying to start it, of course it only starts at the last second, and they speed off at breakneck speed to escape the crabs waddling at 1 mph. A 5 second sequence that is shot like a chase follows, void of any sense of urgency. Then the guy hits the break FOR NO REASON so they of course crash the bike. We then see a stuntman with a totally different haircut and matching different-coloured pants fly through the air in a huge arc (comedy gold), cut to them landing .5 meters from the bike. Good God, this is insulting!
- We then return to one character who's friends have just drowned and because of her mourning she goes for a swim with another colleague. (Recurring them for her: Later when a tsunami hits and kills thousands she immediatly goes for a swim again, literally in the next scene. Terrible.)
- Next scene: This character meets with her mentor, both are devasteted and in utter shock because of the loss of the colleagues/students. The mentor was just at the phone with the parents of one of her dead students. They share a scene of silence, then our character turns to go, the mentor addresses her so she stops and turns and just has the weirdest little smile on her face (08:37) as if she just cracked an excellent joke - what is going on?!?
- Next scene doesn't add anything: The canadion characters are having a beer and one mentions that the government may be involved. Zero relevance. Doesn't matter then, won't matter in the future.
- Next scene is a video conference of the two french doctors with members of the government. The government experts (representatives?) sit in a tiny, badly lit conference room on cafeteria-quality chairs. And sure, they are the stereotypical-st idiots, the macho guy goes "you only SUSPECT that it will get worse" while the extras at the table try their best to distract from the guys performance (cringe). But they are finally swayed by the doctor's brilliant arguement "but you should". Terrible, terrible scene.
- Next scene is the french doctor, calling her family standing right next to the ocean that she just warned about. Oui, la mer.
- Next scene is that one and only science ship that our protagonist keeps teleporting to and from. It seems they keep station at the same coordinates for weeks, just waiting for the scientist to show up on the teleporter plattform. The robot operator sits is one of my favourits, he has been sitting at the same screen in the same clothes with the same expression for four episodes/a couple of weeks now. We, the audicence, are shown the sea floor - everyone is baffled, so I guess we should be, too, but I have no idea why.
- The next scene has two characters in the ship's corridor, the way they are framed they have a corridor going off in a strange angle right between them, so it looks like a split screen. Who is supervising this production??
- And I want to bring up the (!!BIGGEST SPOILER!!) tsunami in ep 5, because god, does the whole sequence fall flat. This is one of the highlight bits of the book, and I don't insist on special effects fireworks - but I demand build-up, suspense, drama! Nope, the big wave is suddenly there (at least we get two seconds of receeding sea level). And we get no sense about its scope (I vaguely remember an easily overheard radio bit about "a few coastal villages being destroyed, a few hundred people missing"); in the book it took half of Northern Europe; here it seems to mainly affect the protagonists who have lost their boy- & girlfriend #sad. But I understand that cgi costs money, which this production clearly lacks, so no blame there. The highlight of the sequence for me was that husband not waiting for two freaking seconds to pick up his wife who was arriving just few feet away when he took off. It looked hilarious. I almost threw my drink at the screen. Quality filmmaking.
Compared to this, Kenobi was good. There, I said it.
Intriguing, "nerdy" sci-fy story with a lot more potential
gerardsiebert14 March 2023
The Bad:
stiff and badly written dialogues, awkward voice acting, annoying accents that aren't even cliché like a lot of things in this adaption
The Good: an intriguing story about a biological/environmental threat and how to deal with it (different than your standard zombie apocalypse show) with the right amount of nerdiness to my liking.
The portrayal of the story's philosophical/spiritual aspects was executed too cautiously, imho and deserves more focus.
By the way: I hereby offer my services as voice acting coach for (German) actors.
Years of experience and a fine ear for subtleties. ;-)
The Good: an intriguing story about a biological/environmental threat and how to deal with it (different than your standard zombie apocalypse show) with the right amount of nerdiness to my liking.
The portrayal of the story's philosophical/spiritual aspects was executed too cautiously, imho and deserves more focus.
By the way: I hereby offer my services as voice acting coach for (German) actors.
Years of experience and a fine ear for subtleties. ;-)
Review after 3 Episodes
jrhearth22 February 2023
I´ve read the book a while ago. It´s entertaining with a good story and some interesting characters. What stood out the most was how well research all the scientific background was. The book would get a 7/10.
Now the series: The Cast or the Casting i should say is just bad. It´s not even close to the book. But i can look past that if a character is played well. But this is a hit or miss. Some are very well played like Dr. Katherina Lehmann (by Barbara Sukowa) or Samantha Crowe (by Sharon Duncan-Brewster).
Others have no "charismatic acting" at all like Dr. Sigur Johanson (by Alexander Karim), Tina Lund (Krista Kosonen) and worst off all Leon Anawak (by Joshua Odjick) who is just staring in the distance all the time...oh wait these three are the main cast of the series...that´s too bad, and should tell you a lot about the quality of this series.
Sadly it´s just another dull lackluster European book-adaptation which will fade away very fast.
Even the author of the Book Frank Schätzing left mid-production and is speaking negatively about the result. And i can see why...
Now the series: The Cast or the Casting i should say is just bad. It´s not even close to the book. But i can look past that if a character is played well. But this is a hit or miss. Some are very well played like Dr. Katherina Lehmann (by Barbara Sukowa) or Samantha Crowe (by Sharon Duncan-Brewster).
Others have no "charismatic acting" at all like Dr. Sigur Johanson (by Alexander Karim), Tina Lund (Krista Kosonen) and worst off all Leon Anawak (by Joshua Odjick) who is just staring in the distance all the time...oh wait these three are the main cast of the series...that´s too bad, and should tell you a lot about the quality of this series.
Sadly it´s just another dull lackluster European book-adaptation which will fade away very fast.
Even the author of the Book Frank Schätzing left mid-production and is speaking negatively about the result. And i can see why...
Tut tut tut
Scar3811 May 2023
Once again I almost miss out on a series because I made the mistake of reading reviews on imdb, but thankfully I decided to watch it and make up my own mind, yes it is a little bit slow in parts, but nowhere near as bad as some have said. The story is actually very good, as is the acting, and yes things do actually happen, also there's a couple of familiar faces, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers from Game of Thrones, and Rune Temte from The Last Kingdom.
So if anyone is thinking of watching this, don't be put off by the reviews on here, watch it for yourself and make up your own mind, like me you may be pleasantly surprised.
So if anyone is thinking of watching this, don't be put off by the reviews on here, watch it for yourself and make up your own mind, like me you may be pleasantly surprised.
Yrr, the book was no masterpiece...
adrive-116 March 2023
The massive, very thick book was no masterpiece neither is the tv show one, but the special effects are ok, there is a lot of blurring and vignetting what i don't like, but the visuals are solid for tv. The story telling is slow with many pretty boring dialogues, but i like that there is no social media and no mobile phones, no cctv, like in the book. With so many different tv stations involved, you have a huge and probably very expensive overhead of people, The production if filmed in different languages and in some scenes one person is dubbed the other is not what is hard to watch. The amount of money put into this production is eye watering, but most of the actors are only known well in their home country, mostly from france sweden, canada... and germany. Casting Klaas Heufer Umlauf is a slap in the face of the peer actors as he cannot act, sorry.
poor implementation of the novel
refidel2 March 2023
It is a shame what has been done with Frank Schätzing's exciting novel. No wonder he is dissatisfied with the series. The first three episodes were quite good, but after that the plot is tough and boring. Far too much is focused on the personal problems of the characters, and the exciting novel content comes up far too short. But no wonder when the German ZDF produces something like this. Very bad also the generally gloomy mood and blue color scheme of the series. I am convinced that Netflix, Hulu or HBO would have produced a much better series. The novel definitely deserves a better film. I hope that there might be a better film adaptation yet.
Quite a satisfying series
edblogr14 March 2023
A bit derivative and formulaic, it doesn't really scream top of the line. But, at the same time, there is no nonsense. And viewers are not treated like idiots, as is the case in most productions of this level. Big thanks to the producers for that. Of course, here and there the screenwriting "heavy handedness" forces a naive or illogical "drama", but, for the most part, 90% of what is shown makes sense.
A refreshingly thoughtful and consistent TV product whose current IMDB rating doesn't reflect its true value and one were "why on earth is this character doing what he's doing" hallmark of bad and cheap TV will not pop up every now and than and spoil the overall experience.
A refreshingly thoughtful and consistent TV product whose current IMDB rating doesn't reflect its true value and one were "why on earth is this character doing what he's doing" hallmark of bad and cheap TV will not pop up every now and than and spoil the overall experience.
Good basic premise. Boring acting and dialogue.
twastro16 May 2023
A few scenes of activity split by LOTS of boring dialogue between characters so two-dimensional that it is hard to relate to them. The personal interaction relates to previous, unknown events which do little to add to the storyline.
Scenes filmed are very dark, even those shot outdoors. Unnecessarily irritating. The jumping from suggested location to another creates a discontinuity which shouldn't exist.
I forced myself to watch all episodes. Instead of saying "wow, that was great" I was left thinking that something was lacking and I felt unfulfilled as an audience. I hope there isn't going to be a follow-up series.
Scenes filmed are very dark, even those shot outdoors. Unnecessarily irritating. The jumping from suggested location to another creates a discontinuity which shouldn't exist.
I forced myself to watch all episodes. Instead of saying "wow, that was great" I was left thinking that something was lacking and I felt unfulfilled as an audience. I hope there isn't going to be a follow-up series.
Interestingly watchable
juliejonesjj25 September 2023
Easily watched,interesting in the speech & sound methods etc a lot to learn haven't we.
Locations used in filming this were beautiful.
Great mix of characters and genres ( even though I've never seen these actors in anything I've previously seen ) of work and training some actors go to.
Where to next !
Please let charlie be found and she gets back to telling them what she learned 🤗🌍🌎🌏 Let's be kind to our world... It's the only one we've got people,let the next generation learn to live more sustainable and be better people for it.
More help,more free workable arable living land for communities.
Locations used in filming this were beautiful.
Great mix of characters and genres ( even though I've never seen these actors in anything I've previously seen ) of work and training some actors go to.
Where to next !
Please let charlie be found and she gets back to telling them what she learned 🤗🌍🌎🌏 Let's be kind to our world... It's the only one we've got people,let the next generation learn to live more sustainable and be better people for it.
More help,more free workable arable living land for communities.
Great premise, but super slow and a genuine zero ending
Xavier_Stone14 September 2023
I didn't read the book but got hooked on the pilot about an eco disaster and some sort of animal/nature revenge on mankind. As others have pointed out, it does start off slow and I was fine with that and I had it on in the background while doing other things.
There is just so much filler, downtime, pointless scenes in this that even this was ok with me as I mostly watched when something interesting was happening and treated this as a podcast with benefits of some visuals.
I didn't find any of the actors that bad really, it's just that the writing isn't that great and they're doing the best with what they have. Music was ok mostly, as were the special effects when needed. The production was decent with a good film crew and locations and the ship rentals have got to be substantial.
So why the low rating? Well, I was expecting some sort of intriguing climax to the story and it just meanders along like a lost snail. The ending is disappointing. With all the time, effort and a large cast of characters surely someone could have pointed out that perhaps they need to work on that a bit more.
You can't have a series like this, span 8 episodes of 45mins each, slowly building and building and then just abruptly stop filming one day because you run out of ideas or possibly money. For a long as this is, a 2 minute ending is embarrassing, and had I known beforehand I'd never have started.
Hopefully this helps others. Some rewriting, editing it down to 4 episodes or a movie and chock on a decent ending and this becomes a hit. 3/10 as I feel cheated out of my time.
There is just so much filler, downtime, pointless scenes in this that even this was ok with me as I mostly watched when something interesting was happening and treated this as a podcast with benefits of some visuals.
I didn't find any of the actors that bad really, it's just that the writing isn't that great and they're doing the best with what they have. Music was ok mostly, as were the special effects when needed. The production was decent with a good film crew and locations and the ship rentals have got to be substantial.
So why the low rating? Well, I was expecting some sort of intriguing climax to the story and it just meanders along like a lost snail. The ending is disappointing. With all the time, effort and a large cast of characters surely someone could have pointed out that perhaps they need to work on that a bit more.
You can't have a series like this, span 8 episodes of 45mins each, slowly building and building and then just abruptly stop filming one day because you run out of ideas or possibly money. For a long as this is, a 2 minute ending is embarrassing, and had I known beforehand I'd never have started.
Hopefully this helps others. Some rewriting, editing it down to 4 episodes or a movie and chock on a decent ending and this becomes a hit. 3/10 as I feel cheated out of my time.
So bad it's good
wayne-storton13 May 2023
Cheesy dialogue, stilted acting, this series has both in abundance. Yet, I still enjoyed it. For what appears to be a low budget TV sci-fi show, some of the effects were actually quite good. OK, so maybe not LucasFilm good, but still quite impressive. Was surprised to see Alba Gaïa Bellugi (who played Ines in the brilliant 'Into The Night) playing such a small role. I think she is very talented and deserves more exposure. She looks younger in this than she did in the show that was made three years earlier! I can't believe that Joshua Odjick (who plays Leon) has won acting awards! This guy is so wooden that if he stood still for long enough he would end up with a termite infestation! Seriously, you could carve him up and make a bookcase!
How is it possible to make this great story boring?
frankhabatsch3 March 2023
I read the book twice and it is mind blowing to me, how they managed to ruin this originally great story.
The sfx is 15 years behind, there's way too much focus on romantic relations between the chracters and the menacing story behind the swarm almost seems like a side storyline. Probably to save money, but if you choose to make a book adaptation of a great ecological disaster story, you have to go all the way.
It's boring and I would've never thought you could adapt this story in a boring way. Frank Schätzing wrote the book almost in a screenplay kind of way and they could've just trusted this path.
The sfx is 15 years behind, there's way too much focus on romantic relations between the chracters and the menacing story behind the swarm almost seems like a side storyline. Probably to save money, but if you choose to make a book adaptation of a great ecological disaster story, you have to go all the way.
It's boring and I would've never thought you could adapt this story in a boring way. Frank Schätzing wrote the book almost in a screenplay kind of way and they could've just trusted this path.
Ecological and spectacular thriller about mysterious events are piling up in the oceans around the world
ma-cortes18 July 2023
Produced with a big budget about EUR40 million, which makes it the most expensive German TV production (in English language) of all time, it had its world premiere at 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in Berlinale Series on 19 February 2023 and screened out of competition. The global environmental thriller is set in the present day , where anomalies and unnatural behavior in marine animals are causing upheaval all over the world. The Swarm follows a global group of scientists who come together to tackle one of the biggest challenges mankind has ever faced when whales destroy boats, deep-sea crabs attack beaches, mussels paralyze container ships. Unknown species exist in the sea and this swarm intelligence is attacking mankind . A formerly unknown ice worm destabilizes continental slopes in the oceans and triggers tsunamis , finally a deadly pathogen is spreading from the coasts in drinking water . The traces lead them with their research ship into the eternal ice of the Arctic Ocean . Some scientists make the chilling discovery that deep at the bottom of the sea resides a collective intelligence which has suffered the ravages of civilization on its habitat and decided to fight back.
Enjoyable thriller with echoes of science fiction including state-of-art special effects , dealing with the delicate interconnectedness between mankind and Earth , set in a possible present on the verge of environmental catastrophe . It deals with a team of scientists facing off a terrible world disaster , in which more and more people in the world are in mortal danger ; on the feverish search for the causes of the mysterious phenomena , the small group of international scientists comes together and the previously unthinkable eventually becomes a certainty , but hardly anyone believes the researchers and so the group dares to go on a life-threatening mission on their own . It is an ambitious German blockbuster developed by Frank Doelger , one of the main executive producers of the successful series ¨Games of Thrones¨ . Winner of six Emmy Awards, he is also behind great American productions for television such as ¨John Adams¨ and ¨Rome¨ . This miniseries adapts the best-selling novel by German Frank Schätzing : ¨Der Schwarm¨ translated into 27 languages and with more than 4.5 million copies sold in Germany alone . Adding an interesting script written by Steven Lally, Marissa Lestrade, Chris Lunt and Michael A. Walker in consultation with experts, such as polar and deep-sea researcher Professor Antje Boetius, from the Alfred Wegener Institute, and Dr Jon Copley, professor of Ocean Exploration from the University of Southampton. The European , Japanese and American cast give decent performances, though mostly unknown to the general public, this good cast includes the following : Alexander Karim , Cécile de France , Leonie Benesch , Joshua Odjick , Kimura , Takehiro Hira , and veteran Barbara Sukowa , among others .
The series based on a best-seller novel was produced by ZDF within the framework set by the European Alliance, with France Télévisions and RAI, and in co-production with ORF, SRF, Viaplay Group and Hulu Japan who formed the joint venture 'Schwarm TV Productions GmbH & Co KG . This is the most expensive German TV series of all time , titled : The Swarm (international title) , Abysses (Canada) , Der Schwarm (Austria) , Enxame (Brazil), El Quinto Dia (Spain) and Der Schwarm (Germany) , being well directed by Barbara Eder, Luke Watson and Philipp Stölzl .
Enjoyable thriller with echoes of science fiction including state-of-art special effects , dealing with the delicate interconnectedness between mankind and Earth , set in a possible present on the verge of environmental catastrophe . It deals with a team of scientists facing off a terrible world disaster , in which more and more people in the world are in mortal danger ; on the feverish search for the causes of the mysterious phenomena , the small group of international scientists comes together and the previously unthinkable eventually becomes a certainty , but hardly anyone believes the researchers and so the group dares to go on a life-threatening mission on their own . It is an ambitious German blockbuster developed by Frank Doelger , one of the main executive producers of the successful series ¨Games of Thrones¨ . Winner of six Emmy Awards, he is also behind great American productions for television such as ¨John Adams¨ and ¨Rome¨ . This miniseries adapts the best-selling novel by German Frank Schätzing : ¨Der Schwarm¨ translated into 27 languages and with more than 4.5 million copies sold in Germany alone . Adding an interesting script written by Steven Lally, Marissa Lestrade, Chris Lunt and Michael A. Walker in consultation with experts, such as polar and deep-sea researcher Professor Antje Boetius, from the Alfred Wegener Institute, and Dr Jon Copley, professor of Ocean Exploration from the University of Southampton. The European , Japanese and American cast give decent performances, though mostly unknown to the general public, this good cast includes the following : Alexander Karim , Cécile de France , Leonie Benesch , Joshua Odjick , Kimura , Takehiro Hira , and veteran Barbara Sukowa , among others .
The series based on a best-seller novel was produced by ZDF within the framework set by the European Alliance, with France Télévisions and RAI, and in co-production with ORF, SRF, Viaplay Group and Hulu Japan who formed the joint venture 'Schwarm TV Productions GmbH & Co KG . This is the most expensive German TV series of all time , titled : The Swarm (international title) , Abysses (Canada) , Der Schwarm (Austria) , Enxame (Brazil), El Quinto Dia (Spain) and Der Schwarm (Germany) , being well directed by Barbara Eder, Luke Watson and Philipp Stölzl .
Wanted to like it
yooniverse3 March 2023
Originally, I thought the show had a promising start and hoped that it'd work itself out, but after watching all 8 episodes, this is a huge disappointment. I am now submitting my revised review.
Why certain things were changed from the source material is just astoundingly baffling. It's not unusual these days to just throw in some unnecessary woke elements that have absolutely no significance to the story, but there are major story elements that were changed for no apparent reason. I could understand if certain things won't come across well on screen or difficult to capture, but they just simply appeared to make ad hoc changes when there was nothing wrong with the source. What you end up with is just a terribly paced mess with most of the scientific material removed and replaced with "feelings" and "intuition". Even the little bit of science they managed to keep in the screenplay, they screwed around with that, as well. Apparently, no one read the book!
This production squandered a great opportunity with a terrific international cast and a big budget. I can see why so many reviewers are infuriated and torching this show.
Why certain things were changed from the source material is just astoundingly baffling. It's not unusual these days to just throw in some unnecessary woke elements that have absolutely no significance to the story, but there are major story elements that were changed for no apparent reason. I could understand if certain things won't come across well on screen or difficult to capture, but they just simply appeared to make ad hoc changes when there was nothing wrong with the source. What you end up with is just a terribly paced mess with most of the scientific material removed and replaced with "feelings" and "intuition". Even the little bit of science they managed to keep in the screenplay, they screwed around with that, as well. Apparently, no one read the book!
This production squandered a great opportunity with a terrific international cast and a big budget. I can see why so many reviewers are infuriated and torching this show.
Excellent eco thriller
jonwoodh25 February 2023
Here's the thing if you have read the book "The Swarm" it sounds like you might not be a fan of this TV adaptation. If you haven't then enjoy it like I am. It seems common for book fans to trash any TV/movie version of the work they love, so use your own judgment and don't be swayed by the naysayers.
Three episodes in I'm' really intrigued. I love the different global locations and the sense that nature is rebelling at human's ecological destruction.
The budget must be major considering how well it's shot and looks, acting is good, the suspense is building and I love how slowly things are revealed. I can't wait for future episodes.
Three episodes in I'm' really intrigued. I love the different global locations and the sense that nature is rebelling at human's ecological destruction.
The budget must be major considering how well it's shot and looks, acting is good, the suspense is building and I love how slowly things are revealed. I can't wait for future episodes.
Enjoyed
neelsmail20 August 2023
This is a good sci fi. It has science and it has fiction. And not much else.
While watching it few times I was reminded of "The Abyss". It's not exactly that but it's not not exactly that either.
Each character gets enough time. I found the main character "Dr. Sigur Johanson" to little over the top emotionally.
There are relationships involved but if you are looking for *science* fiction then you could close your eyes and let that scene pass. And there aren't many of that sort.
The big question, how do you portray other civilization is still not solved. So it has taken the only path it could. It's not satisfactory (at all) but no matter how would author choose to portray it, mainly their physical appearance, would fall short. So it's understandable.
While watching it few times I was reminded of "The Abyss". It's not exactly that but it's not not exactly that either.
Each character gets enough time. I found the main character "Dr. Sigur Johanson" to little over the top emotionally.
There are relationships involved but if you are looking for *science* fiction then you could close your eyes and let that scene pass. And there aren't many of that sort.
The big question, how do you portray other civilization is still not solved. So it has taken the only path it could. It's not satisfactory (at all) but no matter how would author choose to portray it, mainly their physical appearance, would fall short. So it's understandable.
uninspired trainwreck
CheeseCar300022 February 2023
It feels like some random half-motivated film school student won millions of dollars and has no clue how to spend that money in order to craft a compelling experience.
This series fails at the basics. It's completely devoid of suspense, excitement and emotions. It's really surprisingly amateurish.
I also felt no inspiration whatsoever. Almost every scene feels heavy handed, dull and overcautious.
Now, I wasn't a massive fan of the book either, but the book is at least exciting and the mystery feels actually threatening and ..mysterious.
The swarm is a prime example of worthless entertainment that has no respect for the audience. If you recut the material into a 2-3 hour movie, the result could be at least mildy entertaining I guess. 5 stars for that hypothetical movie.
2 Stars for this series (sound design is good)
This series fails at the basics. It's completely devoid of suspense, excitement and emotions. It's really surprisingly amateurish.
I also felt no inspiration whatsoever. Almost every scene feels heavy handed, dull and overcautious.
Now, I wasn't a massive fan of the book either, but the book is at least exciting and the mystery feels actually threatening and ..mysterious.
The swarm is a prime example of worthless entertainment that has no respect for the audience. If you recut the material into a 2-3 hour movie, the result could be at least mildy entertaining I guess. 5 stars for that hypothetical movie.
2 Stars for this series (sound design is good)
Didn't read the book and enjoyed a lot!
seanpatrix-518-15081413 March 2023
It seems book readers will dislike any movie or TV adaptation. People will over complain about anything these days. Sheesh!
Yes, it had a slow start focusing on character development, which I really appreciated. The pace does pick up. I'm curious why people give reviews after only watching three episodes???
The cast was exceptional. The cinematography was beautiful. I appreciate that the disaster scenes were not overally done as often as they are in American films. I guess many of the negative reviewers prefer to see more carnage and were disappointed. It felt more cerebral, which I found quite refreshing.
I'm actually intrigued to read the book now. If you didn't read the book, chances are you may enjoy this series. If you read the book and expecting a perfect adaptation well, I guess you'll write a negative review after only watching three episodes.
Yes, it had a slow start focusing on character development, which I really appreciated. The pace does pick up. I'm curious why people give reviews after only watching three episodes???
The cast was exceptional. The cinematography was beautiful. I appreciate that the disaster scenes were not overally done as often as they are in American films. I guess many of the negative reviewers prefer to see more carnage and were disappointed. It felt more cerebral, which I found quite refreshing.
I'm actually intrigued to read the book now. If you didn't read the book, chances are you may enjoy this series. If you read the book and expecting a perfect adaptation well, I guess you'll write a negative review after only watching three episodes.
Decent if you don't compare it to the book
glumski9 April 2023
Frank Schätzing's 'The Swarm' is one of the most influential pieces of German literature since the turn of the millennium. Critics and readers alike have been hoping for a movie or TV adaptation for decades, and, well, this isn't it.
That being said, the TV series isn't all bad. The direction is solid, the photography is pretty, the soundtrack is subtle. The CGI is a bit of a mixed bag; some things look fantastic, while others are cringeworthy. The actors were a mixed bag as well, or perhaps it's just the German dub that's not all that great (which would surprise me since German dubs are typically excellent).
The story is flawed, but still works. While many people don't like the slow pacing, I found that part quite enjoyable. The series knows how to ramp up tension, with the highlights typically appearing at the end of each episode as a cliffhanger. The plot is filled with as many and as large holes as the ozone layer, the story focuses quite a bit on the characters, the science was kicked aside pretty quickly, and the ending is... also there. Nevertheless, I found the series entertaining. Had I never heard of the book, I'm sure I would've found The Swarm an almost-good but ultimately forgettable show that's only remarkably because it isn't a US production.
As a movie adaptation of the novel, the TV has failed utterly. The novel consists of five parts, the first of which is fairly recognisable in the first five of eight episodes. The second part was supplanted entirely by something vaguely similar in episode six, and the last two episodes replace the last three arcs. I do understand that a novel can't be adapted into a TV series without quite a few changes (indeed, even many screenplays can't be adapted without changes), but, well, completely going off the rails after less than half the novel is done is no longer an adaptation. I wouldn't have minded, of course, if the changes were improvements, but unfortunately, they are not.
One of the biggest letdowns (at least for me, personally) is the disregard of scientific ambition. The novel was painstakingly researched and contains a bunch of (thankfully well written) factual essays that explain the necessary backgrounds. Basically, the author explains to the reader how essential something (e.g. The continental shelves) is, before utterly annihilating that thing. It's a surprisingly effective tool at making the reader go "Oh ****" even before the catastrophe is then unveiled in unerring detail. The TV series, apparently, didn't even bother to have scientific advisers read through the scientists' dialogue, never mind getting the bulk of the science correctly. (Except for the maritime biology, which I've been told is quite accurate. They actually had advisors for that, I'm thinking.)
Oh, well. I'm sure the movie adaptation will hit cinemas any day now. When was it supposed to come out again? Oh, right, 2010. Err, 2011. I mean 2015. Whelp, that ain't a good sign.
That being said, the TV series isn't all bad. The direction is solid, the photography is pretty, the soundtrack is subtle. The CGI is a bit of a mixed bag; some things look fantastic, while others are cringeworthy. The actors were a mixed bag as well, or perhaps it's just the German dub that's not all that great (which would surprise me since German dubs are typically excellent).
The story is flawed, but still works. While many people don't like the slow pacing, I found that part quite enjoyable. The series knows how to ramp up tension, with the highlights typically appearing at the end of each episode as a cliffhanger. The plot is filled with as many and as large holes as the ozone layer, the story focuses quite a bit on the characters, the science was kicked aside pretty quickly, and the ending is... also there. Nevertheless, I found the series entertaining. Had I never heard of the book, I'm sure I would've found The Swarm an almost-good but ultimately forgettable show that's only remarkably because it isn't a US production.
As a movie adaptation of the novel, the TV has failed utterly. The novel consists of five parts, the first of which is fairly recognisable in the first five of eight episodes. The second part was supplanted entirely by something vaguely similar in episode six, and the last two episodes replace the last three arcs. I do understand that a novel can't be adapted into a TV series without quite a few changes (indeed, even many screenplays can't be adapted without changes), but, well, completely going off the rails after less than half the novel is done is no longer an adaptation. I wouldn't have minded, of course, if the changes were improvements, but unfortunately, they are not.
One of the biggest letdowns (at least for me, personally) is the disregard of scientific ambition. The novel was painstakingly researched and contains a bunch of (thankfully well written) factual essays that explain the necessary backgrounds. Basically, the author explains to the reader how essential something (e.g. The continental shelves) is, before utterly annihilating that thing. It's a surprisingly effective tool at making the reader go "Oh ****" even before the catastrophe is then unveiled in unerring detail. The TV series, apparently, didn't even bother to have scientific advisers read through the scientists' dialogue, never mind getting the bulk of the science correctly. (Except for the maritime biology, which I've been told is quite accurate. They actually had advisors for that, I'm thinking.)
Oh, well. I'm sure the movie adaptation will hit cinemas any day now. When was it supposed to come out again? Oh, right, 2010. Err, 2011. I mean 2015. Whelp, that ain't a good sign.
Thriller Series with Leonie BENESCH
ZeddaZogenau25 March 2024
The German writer Frank SCHÄTZING is a gifted drummer in his own right. His statements in an interview with the German weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT on February 16, 2023 ("Es pilchert mehr, als es schwärmt / There is more pilchering than there is raving.") have what it takes to become winged words.
I read his bestselling novel DER SCHWARM / THE SWARM at the beginning of 2005 (shortly after the tsunami disaster at Christmas 2004) and found it incredibly exciting. But even then there were simply too many characters and too many changes of location. That fit the global theme of the thriller quite well, but it did make me a bit skeptical about making it into a film. Hollywood and Uma THURMAN didn't bite permanently either. In this respect, it's fitting to make a series out of this material, even if the young man from Cologne was aiming for higher things. But a budget of 40 million euros is no small feat! How did she become like this after watching all the episodes?
Of course, the tricks can be improved, the excessive staff is slow to get going, and with the many changes of location you have to be on your toes as a spectator. But the apocalyptic events are becoming more and more exciting, and due to the high density of deaths, the main protagonists are slowly emerging.
I really liked it, so I give it a rating of 7.0. Wait and see if there will be another season! As an apocalypse thriller, THE SWARM is definitely incredibly good. FASSBINDER star Barbara SUKOWA (Silver Palm 1986 for ROSA LUXEMBURG) impresses as the prickly Kiel sprat (great drone shots of the Baltic Sea metropolis, by the way). And EUROPEAN FILM AWARD nominee Leonie BENESCH (she was nominated for DAS LEHREZIMMER / THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE in 2023) and her Scottish fisherman (Jack GREENLEES) cut a fine figure in every situation!
I read his bestselling novel DER SCHWARM / THE SWARM at the beginning of 2005 (shortly after the tsunami disaster at Christmas 2004) and found it incredibly exciting. But even then there were simply too many characters and too many changes of location. That fit the global theme of the thriller quite well, but it did make me a bit skeptical about making it into a film. Hollywood and Uma THURMAN didn't bite permanently either. In this respect, it's fitting to make a series out of this material, even if the young man from Cologne was aiming for higher things. But a budget of 40 million euros is no small feat! How did she become like this after watching all the episodes?
Of course, the tricks can be improved, the excessive staff is slow to get going, and with the many changes of location you have to be on your toes as a spectator. But the apocalyptic events are becoming more and more exciting, and due to the high density of deaths, the main protagonists are slowly emerging.
I really liked it, so I give it a rating of 7.0. Wait and see if there will be another season! As an apocalypse thriller, THE SWARM is definitely incredibly good. FASSBINDER star Barbara SUKOWA (Silver Palm 1986 for ROSA LUXEMBURG) impresses as the prickly Kiel sprat (great drone shots of the Baltic Sea metropolis, by the way). And EUROPEAN FILM AWARD nominee Leonie BENESCH (she was nominated for DAS LEHREZIMMER / THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE in 2023) and her Scottish fisherman (Jack GREENLEES) cut a fine figure in every situation!
A failed adaptation of the bestselling novel
yousoundgreat9 March 2023
Almost 20 years ago I enjoyed reading Frank Schätzing's novel and therefore I was really looking forward to this series. Unfortunately, the adaptation failed completely, as Schätzing himself stated in several interviews.
For a thriller, the series lacks suspense, action and, above all, pace. The characters spend a lot of time staring at screens, there's a lot of walking around, and the viewer only gets a glimpse of the dramatic events. The world is coming to an end and yet everything in the series happens in slow motion. The cast is more diverse than in the original novel, but you never get close enough to the characters to really get involved.
For a budget of 40 million Euros one could have expected something much better than this boring mixture of eco-thriller and drama.
For a thriller, the series lacks suspense, action and, above all, pace. The characters spend a lot of time staring at screens, there's a lot of walking around, and the viewer only gets a glimpse of the dramatic events. The world is coming to an end and yet everything in the series happens in slow motion. The cast is more diverse than in the original novel, but you never get close enough to the characters to really get involved.
For a budget of 40 million Euros one could have expected something much better than this boring mixture of eco-thriller and drama.
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