The digital world has been buzzing ever since we saw the trailer of Carnival Row. The Amazon Prime Original wasn’t just a fantasy show, but it also starred the superstar, Orlando Bloom. Over ten years in the making, the show has been compared to the likes of Game of Thrones, arguably the biggest fantasy series of all time. The streaming giant has also bought the rights to the magnum opus of fantasy, the Lord of The Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkein.
Carnival Row which released this weekend, does one of the things required for a good fantasy show right – it builds a world that is larger than life itself. Sadly for Carnival Row, you buy into the world but not quite into the story.
Orlando Bloom plays a detective on the prowl to hunt down a serial killer. This Victorian city is also home to fairies and other mythical creatures. During the course of his investigation, he rekindles his love with a fairy (played by Clara Devingne). Holding a mirror to society today, this world is also plagued by the very problems that plague us in contemporary times – there is an entrenched race and class system which form the very basis of society there. Who faces the worst of it? The mythical creatures who are pushed to the fringes of society mostly on the basis of being different.
For being a fantasy series, Carnival Row is dysfunctional enough to sometimes feel like a documentary. It holds a mirror to our times and that is probably the show’s biggest achievement? The problem? The writing seems to be haywire at times and the show switches genres from being a procedural to a love story to being a social commentary piece. It does pick up toward the end of the eight episodes, but that is only if you have the patience to stick around till then. Carnival Row paints a beautiful world but doesn’t put enough substance in the story for you to root for it.
Our Verdict: Blah-worthy
Image Source:- Youtube/amazonprimevideo