Station Eleven (2021–2022) User Reviews

Grounded Apocalyptic Drama !

[robfollower · 9/10 · 13 January 2022]

This is first class television. The orchestration and use of sound is phenomenal. The writing while not quite avant-garde does push the envelope for creative thinking and wonderful story telling.

Utterly engrossing and unexpected. Phenomenal storytelling, world-building and character studies. HBO has created something special. Extraordinary casting, beautiful cinematography, and a magical score raises this series well above the ordinary television landscape. Through masterful directing and editing Station Eleven is a slow burn, surreal, and enigmatic. It's clearly not going to be for everyone, but its an intelligent piece cinema worth seeking out .Station Eleven rewards patient viewers with an insightful and thematically rich assertion that , even in the post-apocalypse , the show must go on.

Get to episode 5

[Jack_C_ · 8/10 · 29 December 2021]

The first episode was fantastic but #2 jumps years into the future with slowed down pacing and struggles to create emotional connection or a coherent storyline. If you get past it, episodes 3, 4, and 5 are major reveals that must be watched before you pass judgement on the show.

This post apocalyptic series is delivered through a jumble of flash forwards and flashbacks. Anyone who has not read the book will be confused for the first few episodes. Episode 4's little inside joke about nonlinear delivery methods brought a smile to my face.

Like Murai's Atlanta, it gets better with time. This is a trippy series that rewards the patient.

a different take on the apocalypse

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 15 January 2022]

There is a pandemic and the world's population gets devastated. Only a small fraction survives. Jeevan Chaudhary (Himesh Patel) is attending a play in Chicago when lead actor Arthur Leander dies on stage. He befriends child actor Kirsten Raymonde (Matilda Lawler) who seems to have no one looking after her in the chaotic aftermath. She is obsessed with the graphic novel Station Eleven. With the deadly flu spreading, Jeevan takes the little girl back to his brother Frank's apartment. Twenty years later, Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis) is part of a traveling performing troupe called the Traveling Symphony. They make the same circular tour each year to perform for small communities around the Chicago area. Their leader and Kirsten's mentor Sarah (Lori Petty) found her alone a couple of years after the devastation but Jeevan is nowhere to be seen.

It's a different take on the apocalypse. It's more about the power of art. It's more about the characters than the pandemic. It's about the cinematic magnetism of Mackenzie Davis and the uniqueness of little girl version Matilda Lawler. The whole cast is given the opportunity to shine and almost everybody do exactly that. This is way more compelling than most post-apocalyptic shows that are only standard world building exercises.

Very special series

[saphira_dragon-80270 · 10/10 · 29 January 2022]

This show is amazing. It is heartwarming and entertaining. It comes full circle. Great story. One of the most creative and original series we have seen in a long time. Exceptional script. Really just a very beautiful series, highly recommend.

Beautifully done

[Laimheloc · 10/10 · 17 December 2021]

Off to a great start in Somerville's hands. There are several timelines and connected histories. It may suffer from unfortunate pandemic timing and it's a difficult work to market. Cerebral viewers that loved The Leftovers and fans of St. John Mandel's novels will appreciate this show. This is one where I am glad they did not dump all ten episodes at once.

Why does everyone want realistic?

[qbswpfyrd · 10/10 · 17 December 2021]

Personally I've had enough of realistic and welcome a change. I don't know I guess there aren't any zombies so the kids are bored. I couldn't look away and became very invested in the story and the mystery to it. I have not read the books so I'm just enjoying this based on its own merits. I'm not sure why low raters think it's unrealistic. Perhaps many of them have never lived with a device in their hands and no longer value the soft arts? Where do you people think art, music and theater came from? The sky? No people went from caves to agriculture and with that came the development of the arts. Something I personally believe separates us from the apes...but whatever. The human spirit was meant to create beauty not wallow in dystopia and tragedy.

Beautifully shot, not your regular post apoc

[mikeleggioo · 10/10 · 17 December 2021]

Station Eleven is a harrowing yet beautiful tale and so far the series is telling the story really well. 3 episodes out at time of this review.

It's not perfect and some line delivery is eh, but you can tell right away how high quality this show is and the scope of it all. Very pleasantly surprised with how good this screen adaptation is so far.

It's not your standard post apocalyptic affair, no zombies. Not filled with guns and action. It's a story about art and beauty being kept alive even when the world has seemingly ended, with the juxtaposition of those that remember the previous world and those that were born into this new one.

The negative reviews are critique that it's 'artsy.' It's not artsy, it's just about arts through an unfamiliar lens. Don't be discouraged by the scathing reviews that are mad this isn't yet another boring action set piece.

Also, the first episode is realistic to the point that it may be disturbing to some given todays circumstances.

Give it a shot, have an open mind, you won't be disappointed.

Is it bad or is it not your genre?

[jhester9614 · 7/10 · 18 December 2021]

It's a slow burn, watching the before, during, and after the world ends. Fun fact: yes, art would survive the fall of civilization just like survived the birth of civilization. And yeah, drama is slow. Shakespeare is slow.

Is it woke to have... just women? Religion? Literature?

Is boring because it's dialogue heavy? If you don't like listening, sure.

Honestly, it's beautiful and haunting and messed up. That's what happens when things end suddenly.

Multiple storylines, timelines, and narrators. Is it boring or complicated? Is it on the nose? Sure. Just don't watch it. Easy. No need to insult people.

Delivers

[lucaschriskowalski · 10/10 · 19 December 2021]

Are the other reviews of the same show? The first episode was brilliant at setting up the narrative and characters. The explosive nature of the illness was on full display, the jumps forward didn't bother me. I do think timing of its release is a bit unfortunate however, when the pandemic began in 2020 "Contagion" was Number 1 on the iTunes Charts. People seemed to gravitate to this type of content.

Meandering

[kellyq12 · 6/10 · 26 July 2022]

I guess the book meandered, but the philosophical and visual beauty on the page made it worth it. That doesn't translate as well to the screen, so while I was a fan of the book, I found myself a bit bored with series and didn't make it all the way through.

Outstanding and eerily timely TV mini-series

[paul-allaer · 8/10 · 22 December 2021]

As Episode 1 of "Station Eleven" (2021 release; 10 episodes of about 45 min each) opens, we are at a Broadway show in Chicago where the lead actor of Shakespeare's King Lear suffers a heart attack on stage. Jeevan, who is in the audience with his girlfriend, tries to save the actor's life but fails. It's not long before things really go south, as a super-flu of some sort is bringing the world to a halt. We then go to "10 Days Before"... At this point we are less than 15 min into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from producer/creator Patrick Sommerville ("Made For Love", "Maniac"), adapting the book of the same name into a TV mini-series. I haven't read the book and hence can't comment how closely the TV mini-series sticks to the book. What I can tell you is this: Episode 1 (called "Wheel of Fire") is absolutely riveting from start to finish. There are a LOT of things happening plot-wise that I obviously don't want to spoil. But more than that, the overall atmosphere is eerily remindful of these first weeks of COVID-19 in March 2020. Of course the book was written years before that (2015), and even the filming started before that (early 2020, then was halted when COVID broke in March). Himesh Patel plays Jeevan and is the lead actor in Episode 1, but as it turns out the real central character is Kirstin, an 8 or 9 yr child in Episode 1, who we then find as a grown woman in Episode 2 ("A Hawk From a Handsaw"), which finds us in "Year Twenty" and we start to understand how the world is coping in the aftermath... But Episode 3 ("Hurricane") is the BEST episode as of yet, where we learn the backstory between Arthur (the actor who dies in Episode 1 from a heart attack), and Miranda, whom we see briefly in that opening episode, and we now find out what links both of them. Absolutely riveting viewing, and hence not really surprising that "Station Eleven" is currently rated 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. As to the 1 and 2 star "reviews" on here, they wouldn't know quality if it hit them in the face.

The initial three episodes of "Station Eleven" premiered last week exclusively on HBO Max, and 2 new episodes are released on Thursdays in the weeks ahead. I have seen 4 episodes so far. I must admit that I', surprised how deeply invested I've become in this TV mini-series. I can't wait to see how it will all play out, but of course don't take my word for it. If you have any interest in sci-fi that now happens to be eerily timely, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

Started off well, but then

[spfalk-80154 · 6/10 · 1 July 2022]

Can't understand the high reviews. The show started off well, but just grinds to a halt in episode 2. Became more of a chore to watch. It's okay, but certainly not worth the 9 and 10s it's getting. Nothing really new or thought provoking is presented. Lost opportunity. Oh well.

Opens strongly but then...

[chris-h-3 · 5/10 · 5 April 2022]

I enjoyed the beginning of the series and all the scenes set in the 'present' however the sections set in the future and the jumping back and forth between the two eventually became too much.

The cast and the direction and production values are all great but I think the editing or the decision to jump back and forth in time, all the time ruined it for me. I just didn't care about most of the characters by the middle of the season, so why go on watching?

Surreal and enigmatic

[rich-mac · 9/10 · 24 December 2021]

Station Eleven (now 5 episodes in) is a slow burn, surreal, and enigmatic. It's clearly not going to be for everyone, but any review under 5 stars isn't doing justice to what is going on with this show.

There's a slightly ominous aspect to it that provides a foil for its seeming lack of coherence (which is really only surface deep). It's coherence lies in the themes it follows rather than any fixed and characterised point of view.

This is a very carefully constructed and intelligent piece with a haunting sound track and an at times brilliant interplay between characters left traumatised by their experience of a world coming apart at the seams and their non-volitional survival - in various ways they are all in shock. There are some quite sensational performances from some of the cast, but they also have some great material to work with.

This is intelligent and thought provoking TV, delivered with passion.

Love this series

[andrew_babbitt · 9/10 · 17 December 2021]

Still early, but even after Covid I'm still a sucker for a good post apocalyptic series... so far it's definitely kept me interested and seems like it's going to pick up more as the season progresses.

Here's why I like it.

[wildbroncgirl · 8/10 · 16 December 2021]

I have only watched the first episode. However I liked the pace and dialogue. I'm sick and tired of over-acted, dizzying fast story lines, pointless dialogue - which I think 90% of movies have today. Maybe I'll hate this show later but so far I like it. It's not something to put on in the background while you clean the house. I think I get the premise - we survive a pandemic (or don't) and then what? We can't stay in survival mode forever. This isn't a typical apocalyptic show so move on if that's what you are expecting.

Symphony of Destruction

[ricochet93-369-308802 · 6/10 · 13 January 2022]

Himish Patel and David Wilmot are both exceptional in this. While the stories of the initial collapse of society are interesting, the silliness of the "Travelling Symphony" really detracts from the the show and really ruin it for me. I was drawn into to flashback stories and then annoyed every time I had to endure the present story line with the Symphony.

Interesting

[astridrhea · 8/10 · 17 December 2021]

The first episode was a bit slow for my liking but the story is interesting enough to keep my attention. I particularly enjoyed the third episode. Would like to see where this goes. I say give it a chance, watch it for yourself since most the reviewers here want the same post- apocalypse show/movies that we already have a thousand of.

Don't Believe the Low Reviews

[Johnny_Pappas · 17 December 2021]

Repairs of the show is going to be a slow burn and that characters are being flushed out more with the different timelines that are part of the show. I think that it's has given us enough of a base to understand what is going on, and I disagree with many of the low ratings that have been given to the show. It is slow at times but we are learning about the characters, and their individual experiences, and the twists and turns their lives took.

Sometimes a series loses its way. This one never really finds it

[johnbirch-2 · 6/10 · 29 March 2022]

I read the book some time ago and was genuinely surprised and found it had been made into a TV Series. As a book, it didn't seem to be a very obvious candidate for dramatisation. And I am not sure its a terrible well known book either

And that rather comes over in the series because large amounts of the story gets chucked, and warped, to the extent that its not really the same story, which begs the question - why?

Why set out to do this book, and then ... not do it?

However, like the book it begs a ton of questions that you really do not want to push too much because ... it all falls apart if you do.

It also, like the book, jumps around in time and place but in the series this works even less well and you rather fear that it may be used as a vehicle to ensure that the story never ends, becoming the bane of everyone's life, the Netflix series that never reaches a conclusion.

Ignore the one star reviews

[killercola · 9/10 · 17 December 2021]

These one star reviews are ridiculous and a waste of peoples time. If you're not doing a serious review then get out of here. This show has a 100% rating on rotten tomatoes. That's how good it is. Three episodes in and I'm completely hooked. So far this show is wonderful and one of the best I've seen this year. Again, ignore these knuckleheads and fake reviews and give this show a go. You wont regret it.

I really wanted to like this.

[solaradomini · 6/10 · 23 September 2022]

Certain scenes, characters and arcs are interesting. I loved the performances by the actresses who played young Kirsten and Miranda, and David Cross was delightful as always. Episodes 3, 5, and 7 were great (7 was amazing), pretty much everything that takes place before or during the pandemic is very interesting. However, it really suffers from a lack of direction or purpose when it comes to the the scenes from the 'present'. Basically, that part of the show is centered around the protagonist's interactions with a very weak villain with extremely vague motivations. He does evil things like turn a little kids into suicide bombers, but we're encouraged to believe he's flawed, philosophical and complex. However, the way the character is written is fairly shallow- he never lives up to the 'greater purpose' the story wanted us to believe he had. While I do appreciate that the author wanted to have something other than zombies, cannibals or a militia to be the antagonist in a post-apocalyptic setting, ultimately he just doesn't work, in my opinion.

There are other flaws too. The relationship between characters in the post-pandemic world feels shallow and weak, as are some of the performances. I can't feel the connection between most of the survivors, or the struggles they face, the bonds they form, the joy in living a life without society's constraints, and their plans for the future. I would have liked to see those things better fleshed out.

While there was a noble attempt and intersecting all the storylines of different characters, the contrivances that allowed it to happen were a bit much at times.

Again, I really wanted to like this show, and I watched it twice hoping a second viewing would change my mind. Character-driven miniseries based on books are my jam. And I did enjoy parts of it very much. There are some great ideas in there, it's competently made, some wonderful performances and dialogue. It just never totally came together for me due to some of the weaknesses I mentioned and ultimately, I feel this story could have benefitted from further editing and tweaking.

Odd storylines & characters don't make sense

[Bluereviews4you · 5/10 · 17 January 2022]

I did not enjoy the traveling symphony storyline. It was weird, out of place, and boring. I get art would exist post apocalypse but this was just dumb. Theater kids might love it but I did not. My husband read the book (I did not) and he said he dreaded chapters that would focus on the traveling symphony.

I also didn't care for the Prophet storyline or obsession with the station eleven book Miranda wrote. It didn't make sense, it wasn't explained well enough, and it didn't invest me into those ideas to care about them.

Yes Tyler/the Prophet grew up without guidance after feeling rejected from his family and those at the airport, but his motivations didn't make sense. The storyline of the kids he lured into his cult also didn't add up for me. What was his aim in stealing children? How was there next to no resistance from the hundreds of kids he lured in? He didn't exactly have any strong selling points or compelling arguments that'd lead the kids to run away from home. What do they get out of it?

And you're telling me he managed to kidnap hundreds of kids and not a single adult or parent had been able to find him and take him out? You can't hide hundreds of kids! It was unrealistic enough that you can't suspend your beliefs to buy into the story. Plus it lacked explanation.

I did enjoy most of the flu apocalypse/year 1 storyline that didn't get enough attention, as well as the airport storylines, and Jeevan's storyline. Those were well done and interesting. But tossing in the traveling symphony and the Prophet nonsense detracted from the show.

It was also very slow. I don't mind slow if it fits, but it didn't for this show. They kept making the story feel like it was building to something but it didn't. There were some short payoffs that didn't get enough screen time but overall it didn't accomplish what I feel it should have.

There were a decent amount of one liners that didn't hit how I think they wanted it to either. "I remember damage", "There was no before", etc. Fell flat, overdone, insignificant to viewers.

Also why did people like Miranda? She was very cold and standoffish. We didn't get a single scene of her being a person anyone would want to be around, yet she was somehow beloved? What made her so likable to the characters? They did not sell that at all. If she is so awesome that a famous actor wants to marry her, his best friend adores her, etc-show us how that is possible when she completely keeps to herself and comes across as arrogant/self-righteous. She was quiet, receded inwards constantly, and just downright cold. Of course her trauma would lead to those feelings but it didn't make sense that anyone would find her so interesting to be around if she was like that constantly without any positive attributes.

Kirsten was an annoying character as well but it made sense. She went thru a traumatic experience when she was young and missed out having good parents raise her, so the hotheaded, control freak, immature, and rash personality she portrayed as an adult was logical, but nonetheless it wasn't enjoyable to watch her adult character. Still I'm glad there were so many female leads.

I really wish we had more of Jeevan and his wife. That was a very interesting story and the characters were great. I loved the doctor who helped train him, and the birth center storyline was a very interesting one. Also I did not see a live birth uncensored scene coming, that was a surprise!

All in all the show was just OK. It had a lot of missed opportunities and wasn't something I'll remember or recommend to people, but I can understand how others would feel differently.

Ignore the day of release one and two star reviews

[bowieec · 9/10 · 17 December 2021]

I watched the first three episodes today and must have seen a different show. The reviews posted early on the day of release are all one or two stars. That's impossible. The series is well-crafted and really interesting so far with great performances and a tight script. All the criticisms and low ratings seemed similar, maybe from the same person or group. And they were uninformed. Someone mentioned how it's obviously not Chicago. The production began shooting on location in Chicago in January, 2020 and had to stop due to covid. They had two episodes in the can but had to shut down production. They had no option but to move the production to Canada when they were able to resume shooting in January, 2021. This information is readily available all over the internet. And my favorite is when people say how "unrealistic" it is. I'm sorry, this is based on a fictional book written before our latest pandemic. And the pandemic in the novel is completely different. Why do trolls reviewers try so hard to bring everything down immediately? I'll update my review once the series is over but please, don't go by the reviews posted the day of release, all those one or two stars ones. There's no way they watched all ofthe first three episodes. One person gave it one star and admitted they had only watched 15 minutes total. How can you possibly give a review of something after watching 15 minutes of an hour long program? It's so sad that trolls have taken over imdb member reviews.

Excellent Adaptation

[meeks-j · 10/10 · 18 December 2021]

I loved the book and I'm loving the series. It's not an easy storyline to adapt to the screen -- it's a complex interweaving of characters and timelines -- but I think HBO has done an excellent job.

I feel confident rating the show so highly based on the first episodes, because I know where the story goes and can see how this the series will get there. It's disappointing to see the low reviews from people who haven't really given it a chance.

The acting is amazing, especially Mackenzie Davis. The scene where we see her first perform on stage, with flashbacks of her as a child, had me entranced and ultimately in tears.

Stick with it, and you'll be rewarded.