The problem with some of the reviews here is that they are written only from the perspective of people who either read the books or watched the earlier mini-series (several of them). I came to this mini-series with an open mind, and -- for the most part -- I enjoyed the more modern perspective on San Francisco.
That's not to say there weren't problems. The first two or three episodes were a little slow, but I have to admit that they did some good character development there before they got into the heart of the plot. Early on I wondered if this story was actually going anywhere And, there were times I felt like something had been left out. When I would sit down another night for a new episode. I would have to go back to the previous episode, feeling that I had missed something. I guess I must have missed how Victor Garber's character went from bad guy to good guy. The ultimate bad guy...or in this case bad girl...well, that was an awful stretch. And what ever happened to Anna's lover? That was sort of a dead end.
But to me this mini-series had a lot of strengths. Not the least of which was that after the climax in the last episode, it didn't just end. There was some closure on what was happening with a number of the characters, and it would have disappointed me if they had not done that.
There was also more diversity here in terms of ethnicity, although I agree with a few other posters about the brother-sister weird Asian couple (that was dumb).
In terms of the acting, at age 88, Olympia Dukakis was just outstanding. What a wonderful characterization! Ellen Page...hmmm...I wanted to like her, but sometimes found her sorta flat in some scenes, not so much in others...perhaps I would have liked her characterization more if she hadn't worn the stupid hat virtually 100% of the time. I wasn't familiar with Murray Bartlett, but I enjoyed his characterization. And I really liked Charlie Barnett here! Garcia shows some promise. But Zosia Mamet...one of the worst acting jobs I've ever seen on television or in a film. Dickie Hearts -- what a sweetie...hope we see more of him. Victor Garber...an interesting and somewhat confusing role, but I was glad to see him again...it's been a while.Jen RIchards' role as the young Anna Madrigal was top notch, and she's actually trans in real life.
Overall, I liked this production. But I just have one question -- is everyone in San Francisco just a little "unique"?
That's not to say there weren't problems. The first two or three episodes were a little slow, but I have to admit that they did some good character development there before they got into the heart of the plot. Early on I wondered if this story was actually going anywhere And, there were times I felt like something had been left out. When I would sit down another night for a new episode. I would have to go back to the previous episode, feeling that I had missed something. I guess I must have missed how Victor Garber's character went from bad guy to good guy. The ultimate bad guy...or in this case bad girl...well, that was an awful stretch. And what ever happened to Anna's lover? That was sort of a dead end.
But to me this mini-series had a lot of strengths. Not the least of which was that after the climax in the last episode, it didn't just end. There was some closure on what was happening with a number of the characters, and it would have disappointed me if they had not done that.
There was also more diversity here in terms of ethnicity, although I agree with a few other posters about the brother-sister weird Asian couple (that was dumb).
In terms of the acting, at age 88, Olympia Dukakis was just outstanding. What a wonderful characterization! Ellen Page...hmmm...I wanted to like her, but sometimes found her sorta flat in some scenes, not so much in others...perhaps I would have liked her characterization more if she hadn't worn the stupid hat virtually 100% of the time. I wasn't familiar with Murray Bartlett, but I enjoyed his characterization. And I really liked Charlie Barnett here! Garcia shows some promise. But Zosia Mamet...one of the worst acting jobs I've ever seen on television or in a film. Dickie Hearts -- what a sweetie...hope we see more of him. Victor Garber...an interesting and somewhat confusing role, but I was glad to see him again...it's been a while.Jen RIchards' role as the young Anna Madrigal was top notch, and she's actually trans in real life.
Overall, I liked this production. But I just have one question -- is everyone in San Francisco just a little "unique"?