Notre-Dame (2022) User Reviews

Drama With A Fire Going On Sometimes

[Corneliooos · 4/10 · 23 October 2022]

In my opinion it would've been alot better if it focused all of its attention on the fire, I can get that they packed it with all the other stuff to prolong the runtime, but still.

I don't know if it's the actors or the writing but most of the characters are pretty unlikeable, I never found a f to give about most of them.

I understand that the firefighters had their breathing masks off so we can see their faces but it's still pretty jarring to see people run into fires and not have a proper source of oxygen, just made me worry about the actors tbh.

Gets a 4 coz French is a cool language and at least it was short. Would not recommend unless you've watched literally everything else on Netflix, even then, just take a nap instead.

Series about Fictional Stories instead of the Fire

[rjm650707 · 4/10 · 24 October 2022]

There were so many endless over the top side stories going on that had nothing to do with the actually fire. Most of the stories were cringe worthy drama. The circumstances were over the top life and death situations that included drug over dose, prostitution, reuniting of loved ones, firefighters carrying their beloved firefighter partners that almost died during the fire, a lost little boy who left his family with a hooker drug addict, a hostage shooting guys with a nail gun, a stolen Diamond cross from a millionaire etc. The funniest one was a "doctor" who forced his way into the home of a woman he was sketching from afar. The lady proceeds to lock herself into a bathroom, break a glass mirror, then cut herself so bad with the glass shard that she passes out lmao

The scenes that involved the fire were very short and spread out through the film. I don't recommended watching this unless there is nothing else on.

This is...

[yannik_kng · 2/10 · 21 October 2022]

*Disclaimer: I only watched the first three episodes. Couldn't stand it any longer*

I accept that there are some things you have to do differently in a TV Show than it is in reality to keep all viewers hooked. However, in a TV Show thats claims to be based on real reports and follows Fire Fighters on a real event, I expect basics to be real and to see some realism. As a firefighter myself, I was in physical pain watching this. Here are some of the things which are totally wrong:

-You always take a fire Hose with you when you walk into a house which is on fire(!!!!!!!!!!)

• You never pass a fire
• You never take your mask of indoor. When there is a problem, the whole squad immediatly heads back out
• When something major is wrong with your SCBA (There aren't any ventiles you need to set on your mask, only connect and disconnect...) you recognize this directly after putting it on
• The commander does not order more troops by phone
• Why do you sometimes here the SCBA and sometimes not?

• In multiple scenes, they totally stand in smoke. Highly toxic smoke. Why aren't they using their SCBA?

In the german synchronisation, important technical terms are wrong. It's "Strahlrohr" not "Spritze" and "Truppführer" not "Truppchef".

Besides this, there are other problems. The show has too many characters which are too unpersonal. I don't care what happens to them, so I am emotionally completly out. In addition, I don't really get the time jumps, imo they are only there to make the show longer.

What the heck is the story of this black little boy supposed to be? He is behaving absolutly stupid and is totally annoying. Nearly as stupid is the story of the journalist. I can't imagine this to have any real base. What she does is wrong under every aspect. Why are you promoting this as based on real reports if basically everything can't be real or everyone was TOTALLY unprofessional if it really happend like this.

The acting performance of some actors is... well, mediocre at best. For example the one Fire Fighter in the control room. He sees his old love after six or seven years and shows no reaction.

All in all, this has nothing to enjoy, ecxept the good production quality. A real waste of my time.

Ruined by the over the top stories of fictional people that no one cares about. WATCH INSTEAD THE OUTSTANDING MOVIE "NOTRE DAME IS BURNING"

[ACA13 · 1/10 · 19 October 2022]

So many fictional characters with over the top stories, people that no one cares about. Ruined the focus of the story.

I don't understand why they can't just stick to the people who were really involved instead of this soap. We learn almost nothing about Notre-Dame and the event itself.

The movie Notre-Dame brule is outstanding, it sticks to the real event. WATCH THIS MOVIE INSTEAD OF THIS GARBAGE SERIES. It gives you a sense of what really happened and the glorious Notre-Dame Cathedral.

As a side note, in the movie, the French president and the Mayor of Paris appear as their real selves and that gives the movie much credibility.

The back and forth between different time-lines is over done and at time confusing.

6 episodes too long. 1 would have been enough without all these unnecessary stories. And TBH, why make a series when there is already and excellent movie that was released only few months ago.

SKIP and save yourself 6 hours and watch the outstanding Notre-Dame brule.

Apparently firefighters are fully able to breathe smoke!

[lady-julz · 3/10 · 25 December 2022]

This movie has lots of side/sub plots that kinda take away from the main thing - that being the fire. But the thing I find most jarring is the fact that in multiple scenes the firefighters are depicted in extremely smoky environments not wearing any breathing apparatus. At one point they are trapped inside the notre dame and shown in extreme levels of smoke, and despite having tanks on their back, none of them use their masks, and none of them (apart from the asthmatic journalist who is also trapped inside) cough or show any difficulties breathing. (The asthmatic journalist only coughs on occasions and has to use her inhaler once). I kinda think the reality is that they would all be dead.

Where were you when this happened?

[anonimus01 · 7/10 · 21 October 2022]

This show is ok, its not fantastic, but not bad either.

This is not purely disaster thriller or some action peace, this is more of a day in person's life kinda show.

It follows multiple story lines that begin, evolve and conclude, not necessarily directly related to the fire. Stories are not very sophisticated, like boy looking for his dad or dad looking for his daughter, few flashbacks to give context to the characters.

Musical score is good, if you like symphonic orchestra, opera kind of music, its definitely one of the strong sides of this show. There were some moments without dialogue, just scenes with music.

So yes, its ok overall.

Clickbait

[barakatmichael · 3/10 · 7 November 2022]

I felt so upset after watching this. I felt like i received a clickbait and i fell into it. The burning of Notre Dame is just an element in many complicated stories. They wanted to create some drama but it felt so dull. I expected more. To top it all, i was so annoyed that the element of "urgency" is absent. I mean, there's a huge fire going on in one of the most important monuments! Some actors were also deceiving with their performance while others acted greatly. Honestly, it could've been a lot better. My review may seem harsh but it's an honest opinion about what I felt watching every single moment.

Entertaining

[bramleysandrine · 7/10 · 13 March 2023]

Since I didn't watch it because I was interested in how the fire of Notre Dame had been tamed and dealt with, but actually because I was looking for a mini-series to entertain me... Well I wasn't disappointed! Yes I agree with some of the other reviews... Even to the untrained eye, certain things seemed a little weird or wrong when it comes to the way the firefighters were doing things and some of the acting was a little... Well... Bad. But overall I really liked how the different lives were interconnected and that in the centre of it all, the link between all of them was the cathedral. But don't watch it thinking that it'll be great insights on this event. I don't think the intention was to make it into a documentary about the fire, but just a great little mini-series that entertains,

I don't think so

[Agentman00 · 3/10 · 17 December 2022]

I admire Netflix for its internationally produced content. There are a lot of great production companies in the world besides what is regular fare in the continental US (aka superheroes, gunfights and cowboys).

This is a big budget Netflix series. You can tell by the effort to recreate the firefighting efforts that riveted the world for those 15 hours in April , 2019, the extras, the vfx, the general level of production standards.

But I actually had to stop watching like other reviewers mention (after ep.3)

The fire and the cathedral are the main "character" but take a backseat to maudlin characters in a US styled "Soapbox" like script.

Yes the production is trying to flesh out literally the human character aspects of a few selected courageous firefighters (plus a couple of reporters covering the fire) who put the fire out and saved many irreplaceable aspects of this world UNESCO heritage site and symbol of the French nation, including the pipe organs, the bells and stain glass windows (only the bells are actually portrayed being saved) with flashbacks, family issues and the like.

But there's a cardboard quality to these portrayals even when the characters are in the midst of the most intense situations. A kind of even-handedness to the level of intensity when really, with the whole cathedral in imminent danger, the script cuts away to some escort who has befriended a young African-French kid and whose father who runs a shop is trying to find her in time to say goodbye to her estranged, but dying mother.

There could have been so much more to up the level of intensity and focus more on the actual fire and the cathedral. For example, the audio levels of the fire burning is kept at an even output which does much to diminish its threat and dramatic character - even in close ups - when a ferociousness to the audio track would have done wonders to compliment the visual intensity of the flames. Its all watered down (no pun intended).

In the end there are a few genuine dramatic moments with the character portrayals by individual cast members, but for almost all intensive purposes drowned out by the overall script, the even-handedness of the filmic pace, the stultifying audio.

Worth-it

[timssj · 9/10 · 19 October 2022]

A notable series, following the events of Notre Dame, how the lives of several Parisians - Firefighters, Journalists, Citizens was involved in it. Also a progressive dive into each characters lives and the emotions attached with this historical monument simmers across each episode. Though created as a mini-series, each episode is about 45-50 minutes long which gives the director enough time to develop the story and piece it together along the way, with tiny glimpses into past moments. Dealing with loss, self identity, finding love amidst all this choas, are a few moments highlighted on this spectrum.

This is idiocy at its best...

[dleoncavallo-48858 · 1/10 · 4 November 2022]

When I first saw the title on Netflix, I thought it was going to be a documentary or at least a reconstruction of the events, something that I would enjoy watching; but instead all you get a cheesy love story, a desperate father looking for his drug addict daughter with a mother dying of cancer, the daughter who is looking after a kid who is at the scene for no apparent reason, a love triangle between a reporter, her boss and a firefighter, a female firefighter who lost her lover in a fire prior who is was the fire chief's son and the latter who has lost all hope and the event rejuvenates his sense of duty and a second in command with a side story. Of course all ends well, everyone is happy, etc... The plot of the whole series is summed up in the few sentences above, overall the series is badly written, the plot is simply not believable and/or plausible, the acting itself is horrible (having watched it in the original version in French which I speak fluently). Really not worth watching.

They Could have made ongoing series with these characters just not call it Nostre-Dame and make it a Firefighter series

[paulhynes-11102 · 4/10 · 24 October 2022]

An whilst it was good to watch over the 6 episodes I think they could have made this into a series just not call it Nostre-Dame - they could have had the girl who saved the little boy from the river get clean from her addiction and join the fire brigade there is potential here and could had a few more interesting characters to the show.

Even though they need a bit more better storyline and character development here and If there is one criticism I don't understand why they would let someone who is not a firefighter and who has asthma into a building burning without a breathing mask and helmet.

Starts well but goes downhill

[nilsonsc · 4/10 · 8 July 2023]

At first I thought the series had potential: the nonlinear story and the photography caught me at the beginning and made me want to continue watching. But from the second episode on, you have to ignore a lot of nonsense to keep watching. The series is supposed to be a realistic drama, but one of the main characters, Max, is like Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Apart from a few firefights, all characters are dumb and reckless.

I felt like it deserved a better direction, cause the plot isn't bad. For the amount of money spent in the production (the effects are great), they could've invested a bit more and delivered something more credible. It's only worth watching if you like the French language, otherwise I wouldn't have finished it.

Who cares about Michael Jackson while Notre-Dame is burning??

[poustinik · 3/10 · 18 June 2023]

I get what they were trying to do here; the human stories of nine Parisians--during the night the cathedral burned and how the event was a common factor in all of them.

Except ... not really.

In theory, it could have been very good, and some parts, like the skill of the producers in integrating real footage of the fire with their film, is good.

It has a few excellent dramatic moments but although some of the story lines jell, others don't and most have nothing to do with the fire except as a momentary distraction.

I also get that in making a TV drama you have to take some license with reality. But the howlers about the firefighters pointed out by others here are valid. That lackadaisical treatment might have passed in 1960s or '70s but audiences are much more sophisticated now.

And I get that in real life, even during unfolding disasters, people aren't always focused on the event. The French pride themselves on their style and skill with psychology.

But the character who keeps saying that 'everyone remembers what they were doing when Michael Jackson died' is jarring. I don't. A lot of people don't. And in the context of a story what does this even mean?

Are we supposed to compare the burning of Notre-Dame of Paris to Jackson's death?

Good psychology in that it sticks on my mind but bad in that--besides the interspersed footage of the real fire--this maudlin comparison is going to be my takeaway.

That and the haunting suspicion that this whole thing was employed by the screenwriters as a vehicle for a lot of leftover plot notions rejected from other scripts and all crammed into this one.

Considered as a soap opera this would pass. As a soap opera with a fire in the background it stumbles along. As a drama about the fire itself--which is how it was sold to us--falls flat on its face. You're much better off just watching archived news reports.

A worthy series

[nolwd69 · 8/10 · 4 December 2022]

Unlike many in here, I really enjoyed it. I cannot understand all the negative comments, many of them, to me so ignorant...... It was a fictional drama presented in an individual way.

I liked the way that the disparate stories, evidently from accounts of those involved in events of that night, wandered in and out.

The integration of real footage of the fire, with Netflix's art, was impressive.

However, it's a pity that so many found it so difficult to follow. I wondered if we all had watched the same series. Sometimes we have to get beyond having to have everything laid out before us.

I thought the acting was very good and .....

Excellent. Just great television, well made and thoughtful.......

[babbersher · 10/10 · 9 April 2023]

Risk Assessment, with capital letters. That's what fire fighters do everyday, but frankly we all do, everyday, little risks, big ones-like love of all kinds, even simple human connection. When a lot of us seem pretty risk-averse in this little era, this tiny corner of a millennia, this time we occupy.

So take Notre Dame de Paris - there's almost a millennia. Built balancing stone on stone with intricate vaults and ceilings and a spider's web of ancient oak beams both supported by and supporting those vaults and ceilings, it's very existence is a monument to risk and the center - symbol of a nation to put it simply. And the anonymous ants - the ethnically and class, religiously and agnostic diverse people who live in the shadow of the iconic spire and the belfry towers stand watching with their mouths hanging open - wondering what it all means - while many with televisions and time watch and wonder the same thing.

As liquid lead pours from the roof in fiery streams through the long night, firefighters assessed and weighed the risks and took them. It was dramatic and daring. Did we know how dangerous it was? No. I think we might have have slept through those parts. But definitely not through these episodes. Your eyes will be wide open.

Superb!

[aldebaran68 · 10/10 · 14 December 2022]

I've watched it twice now. I'll watch it many more times... It's a rare gem of an original movie. It's made with Heart and Soul because its about French fire-fighters saving Notre Dame de Paris... the Soul of Paris and of France.

There are those who will critique the sub-plots... I was one of those on first viewing.

But I'll say this. The sheer intensity of the fire fighting and the intensity of the fire-fighters' efforts to save the Cathedral, actually require some diversion to enable the main story to be fully appreciated. The subplots are a welcome distraction; they help to balance out the intensity of the movie. They enable the audience to step back and draw breath from the main action... quite necessary in places... I only realised this on 2nd viewing.

I watched it in French, with French subs (somewhat hard of hearing...). I did get lost with some of the dialogue used by the fire-fighters to describe locations within the Cathedral. But it was worth it... for the general feel of the movie.

For my money it knocks anything the Yanks have made into a cocked hat. Miles better than Backdraft (which I did enjoy but got tired of the All American testosterone being flung around...). It's technically en par with Chicago Fire which is a very worthy US fire series. But ND has so much spirit, emotion and the fire sequences are ...terrifying!

Whoever did the fire effects/CGI whatever, should get an Oscar or a Cesar I think is the French equivalent. Quite unimaginably awesome fire effects. I mean truly awe-inspiring and terrifying esp. If one has any feeling for Notre Dame, which I do.

The characters are adequately drawn for their roles. We're seeing them fight the fire, so don't really want their 'backstories'.

This for me is one of the finest French movies of the 21C. It has Heart, Soul and Guts in it. Well done les francais!

Dramatic stories through a harrowing disaster

[ilovefreddiem · 9/10 · 22 January 2024]

I think this mini series was a good combination of the action and intensity of the firefighters fighting the fire at Notre Dame and trying to save the ancient relics and artwork combined with several stories happening together at the same time. I thought that the stories were interesting and added a lot to the show. I don't understand the person who said the firemen stood around before putting out the fire. Firemen have to have a plan of action to attack the fire without causing more damage or loss of life. They can't just start running around without a plan and without each fireman knowing how to do their part. And nitpicking at the way the firemen performed was just a waste of time when you are suppose to be watching a show based on a true tragedy. I thought the actors were very good, the music score, the cinematography also. And why do some people have issues with movies made in different languages when a film or show is taking place in that country, it seems to make more sense. The films and shows are more realistic. If you prefer dubbed do that but reading subtitles is not that much trouble and it's fascinating to learn about other cultures in their own languages. It's sad that some people can't enjoy the whole experience because they can't read subtitles. I thought this mini series was well worth every episode.