Spycraft (2020–2022) User Reviews

Great if you can ignore the narrator.

[JtotheP76 · 6/10 · 20 January 2021]

The narrator mispronounces so many names and terms that it makes enjoying the actual content very difficult. The content is interesting and put together very well, but the narrator ruins most of it.

Interesting topic, bad narrator

[emlroseth · 6/10 · 26 January 2021]

I absolutely cannot tolerate the narrator. He mispronounces everything, will say the same word three different ways. Why didn't anyone edit this more carefully? It's an interesting shoe but comes across very unprofessional because of the narrator.

Poor narrating

[Allegra_369 · 7/10 · 25 January 2021]

Overall it's a nice watch. It's informative, but somehow leaves you feeling as if it barely scratches the surface. Most of the presented stories feel rushed through. But the worst part of the entire experience is the bad narrator - if a foreign name/word had to be said, it would 10 times out of 10 be mispronounced. The most shocking one of all being the Spanish "atención" butchered as "atentschion", but not too far behind all Slavic names.

In short - interesting topic, exciting details, mediocre execution.

OK for those who know little about spies and espionage

[Avidviewer-02847 · 6/10 · 25 January 2021]

If you've read any books on spies and espionage, then most of it is repetitive. It's one of those series that would have been fine with four or five episodes and not eight. The new technology in use was interesting, modern espionage is mostly technology from the agent to the agency heads. The one expert we see most of the time is Keith Melton a historian who is very good.

Like the others mentioned, the narration is poor. The narrator strains his voice, he didn't check pronunciation of words and names so it sometimes differs from the experts who are talking. And it was apparent that he didn't practice to get the correct intonation. Narration is a big part of the series and a poor narrator ruins the viewing.

Could have been better

[lee-361 · 6/10 · 29 January 2021]

Some interesting content let down by the narrator sounding like he can't be bothered and the captions that give facts on terminology flash up so fast, you only get to read the first line without pausing the program.

Doofus Narrator

[joy-988-754848 · 6/10 · 28 January 2021]

Fascinating content and experts. Really well done screen graphics, except not enough time to read definitions. Narration is terrible! He mispronounces names and words, even directly after an expert has pronounced them. He often emphasizes the wrong words, and often seems like he's ending a sentence, then says more words. Poor vocal quality, too.

Reviews about narration are way too accurate

[joshmurphy-62490 · 7/10 · 11 February 2021]

Everyone else has already said this but if for some reason you see this review before the others, the narration of this show sounds like a high school senior project. It's really bad. Having said that, it's actually an extremely interesting topic and is presented quite well. I recommend. My recommendation means nothing. Thank you. That is all.

Bad narrator

[isabelatomain · 9/10 · 21 January 2021]

The content of the show is really cool, very well put together and interesting. If you're into espionage and 007 stuff, you'll like it. I just don't give it a 10 because they made a really, really poor choice on the narrator. It makes it look like a cheap production, like i'm watching an youtube channel nobody likes.

Pretty interesting

[imdb-ikysmoviedatabase · 7/10 · 20 January 2021]

Alot of different stories and techniques of the spys are revealed in the documentary. Not the best but It was a interesting watch.

Feels like a YouTube series

[jnk916 · 5/10 · 23 January 2021]

I loved the History Channel docs on topics like War, Intelligence and History in general. Sadly, they got into UFO's and reality TV. So I had hope for this doc series on Netflix. However, it feels like a cheap imitation. The anecdotes are pretty fascinating but there's never any time spent on any of it. There's lots of stock footage used which makes it feel cheap and thrown together like a YouTube video. The saving grace are the interviews. However, they are cut short and you are left with anything but a hint at an interesting story. I really wanted to like this but there must be better docs on this subject out there.

Great spy series

[Blondissima777 · 8/10 · 26 January 2021]

Great spy series. If you love the genre, I also recommend Spy Wars narrated by Damian Lewis.

Bad narration

[lionelperalta-72339 · 6/10 · 31 January 2021]

Interesting but hard to listen to. It sounds like a young uneducated person narrating this so many names are mispronounced and sounds a little corny.

Tacky

[sapperbloggs · 3/10 · 15 February 2021]

It's hilariously biased. For example, they go to great lengths to explain how the Russians are bad for poisoning individuals, then spend literally 20 seconds saying 'the US also carry out assassinations using drone strikes'.

Also, the narrator sounds like someone who survived a stroke, and is really annoying to listen to.

Needs Editing For Multiple Reasons

[AudioFileZ · 7/10 · 30 January 2021]

If you wade through this series you will find certain incidents no doubt to be of interest. To do so you'll suffer repetition of various parts of a rambling narrator. It often touches on quite publicized and some lesser known incidents of spycraft which you will have to suffer through boring dross.

What it sorely needs to really make it's point is focus on the important incidents and deliver exacting narration to support these. If that was done as it could have been it may have been riveting, but as such I could only take an episode here and there only coming back again later to attempt to continue. The one on poisons proved to be better than the whole group I'd say.

Annoying

[jaydepalma · 27 January 2021]

Would have been nice if the descriptive flash cards stayed on the screen long enough to read..

Not bad..

[janderson-02377 · 7/10 · 6 March 2021]

Not bad but quite amusing. Seems that only the Russians & Chinese go in for nefarious activities... not much mention of the USA or CIA getting up to no good.

Someone please tell the narrator it's NUCLEAR not NUCULAR

[merribee · 6/10 · 25 March 2021]

The info is a little shallow but the show is interesting but the narrator, who does at least one other Netflix show is so frustrating. Why produce this if you don't correct him?!

Subject: great; narrator: trash

[dbvkdjkn · 6/10 · 22 June 2021]

I don't know who narrates this but it sure sounds fake. If this is someone's real voice, I sincerely apologize that I'm being so unkind. But seriously dude, you are not cut out for voice acting - whose kid are you?

Tread lightly citizens and all ye who go here...

[TruView · 8/10 · 5 February 2022]

This was a most impressive display of only a handful of techniques by which intelligence agencies shrewdly extract information -and some of them are obsolete in point of fact. I've read other reviews on here remarking on the unpolished quality of the cinematography failing to realize that these folks are NOT in the business of open presentation, but stealth. These commentators are focusing on the wrong aspects. Almost everything from the reiterations to the mispronunciations was purposeful. The psychology behind it will amaze as much as frighten you; but I digress. The point I'm trying to make is that Spycraft wasn't so much for our entertainment, as it was for our information. Express your opinions; perform your civic duties (e.g., voting, jury participation, military enlistment); and protest, if you must... just know that there are lines. This goes for all the colors of the rainbow including black and white.

With respect to other countries, Spycraft is very simply stating the following: We signed some treaties and joined a few power blocs of friendly trade and competition but in the end, everyone of you is fair game. We also know what the international laws are regarding the sanctity of sovereign nations, we just don't care. And we know you don't either, so may the (patriot) games continue.

Personally, I don't agree with much of the sordid philosophy behind such views. Many of us call it patriotism and for a long time, I did too. What I'm trying to convey is difficult to put into words but the best I can offer is this: Think of war as a behavior.

Fascinating For What It Is

[AudioFileZ · 7/10 · 16 March 2022]

The art of spycraft is definitely a deep well. The idea "if you can dream it" comes to mind. From a Leo Theramin designed passive listening device to an embassy drain pipe that releases a parachuted wired connection to the sewer system the stuff makes one think outside of the box is the buzzword. That these fantastical ideas were made, and more impressively worked, makes one wonder what we don't hear about that likely exists. There's a dark side to this of course but that is more left to one's imagination. The bottom line is that this stuff is all over the place and nothing is beyond attempting A fascinating glimpse into the ether of spying that is often mind-bending.

Narration! A broken record in these reviews, but...

[RockyMtnVideo · 5/10 · 12 February 2021]

... I cannot sleep without having joined in with the chorus of complainers. I hope that Dylan Berry (as listed in the credits) is never employed again, after having worked on this series. To be unable to properly pronounce words, and/or names, is just ridiculous. He is definitely "out of his league".

However, to be totally fair, the Production team should also be cited, for their complete lack of oversight. The lack of intelligent narration should have been caught, and corrected, before this series ever hit the air. It's complete sloppiness that this didn't happen.

The content was interesting, but the narration just continuously drove me crazy. I was cringing on a regular basis, instead of absorbing the programming.

Must watch

[daloodog · 9/10 · 24 January 2021]

Yes, they could have chosen a narrator that doesn't sound stoned. Nevertheless, this is still a very good introduction to an abundance of real themes and very real historical examples of things we are not supposed to know about.

Redundant

[jacobdtober · 7/10 · 26 January 2021]

It's interesting subject matter, but after episode 4 I conceded that they weren't going to introduce any new information that anyone with a small familiarity of the subject wouldn't already be aware of.

It's probably a really good watch for folks just recently assuming an interest in spy-craft. For others, it's probably a 5-8.

Good content, bad pacing, terrible narration

[wuwgre · 4/10 · 4 February 2021]

I enjoy spy-themed topics so this natural appealed to me. The content is pretty good and enjoyable. The pacing is really fast, and sometimes you're like "wait, why are we talking about this?" Worst of all is the narration. Not only does it sound amateur, but the narrator mispronounces words and terms all the time which really draws you out of the show. I found myself getting distracted and rewinding just to listen to the gaffes again.

Bad narration, somewhat rambling

[culbeda-533-446965 · 6/10 · 2 March 2021]

This is OK, but it could have eaisly been at least an 8, which is a crime. It suffers from an insufferable narrator who not only doesn't fit the show but also flubs a number of easy reads. Some episodes also seem to lose focus and meander, especially towards the end of episodes. It is as if the narrator they wanted quit and they changed the format of the series and ran out of interview clips to fill out the new structure.