User Reviews

The plot is quite interesting and keeps you wondering what will happen next. Actors are pretty good, but seeing Claire Danes made me feel like she was still playing Carrie from Homeland. She basically only has one aggressive expression. The dialogues were at times a bit tiring. Especially the annoying scenes involving Zazie Beetz (Mel Harmony). The story itself was not that credible, but still entertaining. Not sure about the creative camera-angles. It works sometimes, but feels somewhat unnecessary. I had a hard time keeping up with all the names and persons introduced, so this is not something you can watch half asleep. Would I recommend this to a friend? As a summertime view, yes. Will it stick with me? Definitely not.

Sadly this series was disappointing and not worth watching.

On one hand the story is at first intriguing but is then overshadowed by the bad script. I had high hopes for the series because of the great cast but the writing failed to deliver.

It feels like many people are biased in favour of Soderbergh. Yes he directed and produced the series but for me the writing is why the series is failing.

I really feel bad for the actors since their characters lack in depth and most of their odities don't make sense and are not explained. How they react to specific situation is just not normal behavior which would be okay if they had more depth and if the story would explain why they act like this.

Even the good and well known actors can't deliver because of the bad writing and seeing these actors beside the b movie type actors highlights the facts that a) the well known actors are miles away from their potential and shackled by the bad script and b) the b movie typ actors are really bad.

Sometimes it felt like a really bad indie/b movie type production which confused and irritated me even more.

People - i guess who are biased in favor of Soderbergh like to talk about the complexity of the plot but honestly this series isn't really complex. It feels like an attempt to excuse the bad writing.

A complex story isn't just an arbitrarily story. A complex story makes you think to try to make sense of what going on and gives you more and more information and details to see the logic behind the connecting events and characters - this story won't give you that. Plots are left alone without solving them. Interactions are meaningless or even create more confusion on why a characters is acting how they do.

Overall I really disliked the experience. Its one of the series you watch 60-70% of while being forgiving and giving the series a chance until you realize that it won't get better and notice that you can't ignore the big flaws any longer.

Disappointing.

I think a lot of the negative reviews come from people that don't understand the plot

It's more than a typical random plot. I love the twists and the turns in it.

It's very classic Steven Soderbergh style. Dark with so much going on

So I believe this may be hard for some to keep up.

The filming and the cinematography is really well done.

You couldn't ask for a stronger cast. From big names like Dennis Quaid to the unknown actors. Everyone is superb. The most amazing characters are the women (very Steven S) Zazie Beetz As Harmony, Claire Danes and. CCH Pounder, Adia and Suzanne Savoy. These women are the the bread and butter of the series. Well done for writing such strong female characters.

It's a fun ride.

I'm a Soderbergh fan, even if I don't like everything he does. He's not someone who's going to direct the next Marvel movie, he takes chances. My biggest complaint with him is usually his dialogue which often feels improvised. It didn't get a whole lot better here.

I appreciated the overall messages of this one. It was a story about accountability, and about how sometimes you can be held accountable for the way you hold people accountable. The story unfolds very gradually, you're given the pieces of the puzzle in a somewhat tedious manner and I think he struggle with finding a way to reveal everything so it felt a tad clumsy.

It's hard to recognize the quality of the acting because the characters are all such doofuses, but I think everyone did a pretty good job. Special mention to Zazie Beetz who I usually don't like but she was really good here, annoying though her character was meant to be.

The biggest crime committed was the blue bag they made Clare Danes wear as clothes.

Interesting plot but very confusing to deal with in the first two episodes. Also, so difficult to understand the dialogue as they talk so fast and accents unclear. Guesswork on our part as to what is said and what is happening. But the intrigue is building in episode three and so the suspense begins. The acting is up to standard for this level of production so no complaints in that department. Some scenes are very dark and very difficult to determine what is happening so a bit more guesswork required on our part , which also adds to the suspense. Will Definetly continue to watch the remaining episodes to see how it all fits together.

Lots of bad reviews, generally, although a complex plot, it's a good show at heart. The only thing hard to take is the Postal Inspector character, she is so irritating and annoyingly smug, she works for the postal service but acts like she is an elite agent of the CIA or FBI, why people don't just tell her to go F herself, I don't know. She ruined nearly every episode, ruins every scene she was in. The ridiculous premise of this character always being ahead of the NYPD, the FBI, without any basis for this insightful knowledge is utterly baffling, such a good director should have known better.

But, if you follow the winding plot, it's worth it, the acting is good and It would have been an amazing show without the one annoying, unbelievable character.

Full Cirlce was a bit of a chore to get through but it does come to a satisfying conclusion. It's how we get to that conclusion which is a very slow burn. Those who are familiar with Director Steven Soderbergh's work will not be surprised to his approach with this mini series. Everyone here gives solid performances and there are surprises that happen throughout. If you are into the Noir/drama/Mystery/Crime genre then you will probably enjoy this. I was more impressed with the younger cast in this series as they give it more life. Full Circle might not be for everyone but it knows what it is doing. Full Circle gets a a solid 6 out of 10 from me.

Full Circle is a mess. I finished the first episode, thinking I'd skip the rest. But my Hub convinced me to sit through each and every episode, assuring me, "It has to get better." Wrong.

I'm not sure of the material's origin. (Read: It was so bad, I don't care.) It seems as if the script was passed around a dozen tweens who each added a page before passing it around the circle. So many plot holes. So much mundane dialogue. It seems to have been (mercifully) shortened from a much longer (read: even more boring) story.

O. K., so the script is terrible. But what's left had me (briefly) wondering whether the direction, acting or casting were also at fault. I can only conclude this: Unless this was chopped to death in editing against the director's wishes (unlikely), the direction was poor. The casting and acting? The only two performances that I felt noteworthy were those of Aida (as Natalia) and Sheyi Cole (as Xavier). The rest of the acting talent was wasted or just poorly executed.

I don't usually spend any time writing negative reviews. But I wasted several hours watching this and thought it would be kind to make a small effort to warn others before they do the same.

I don't quite get the negative reviews. The show is interesting in my opinion and I plan to watch it through. A few past favorites have been Ted Lasso, Succession, Billions, Mare of EastTown, The Old Man, Queens Gambet, Last of Us, Top Boy. So if you are a fan of these too, then I think you will enjoy Full Circle. While it may not be brilliant it's thought provoking. Plus, has an excellent cast, soundtrack, and unusual storyline. It may not become an Emmy nominated show but after the first two episodes I am left thinking or reflecting back on certain scenes and eager for the next episode. For anyone looking for something outside of the typical Hollywood studio formula I say give it a chance.

Various people from different classes in New York City collide when a kidnapping takes the wrong kid. It's written by Ed Solomon inspired by the 1963 Akira Kurosawa classic "High and Low" and directed by Steven Soderbergh. This limited series depends much on believability. It depends on whether these characters are acting realistic. After the first episode, I am willing to wait for the circle, but the Browne family is acting all wrong. Sure, there are lots of twists coming. Anyways, I don't see the dad going to the high risk meet up with the kidnappers. A lot seems slightly wrong.

The second episode does try to answer the wrongs somewhat. I'm glad that Melody Harmony is calling out much of the b.s. I do worry that many viewers would abandon the show after that pilot. A better way to do this is to make the Brownes start off as a normal functional family. After that, the shocking secrets can be unveiled. As for the 'criminals', I waited for the circle and it's a less than compelling reveal. Here's my suggestion. The colony should be called the circle instead. The kidnappers somehow become dumber than the Brownes. The writing could be better, but the directing is top of the line. The actors are doing good work. It just needs a few script changes to engage the audience better.

There's so much backstory and universe building being set up in this show, but all this and all the characters are just too bland and uninteresting for me to care. There's really not much happening either, except a crime gone wrong and lot of people asking each other questions and answering with "why do you ask?" It feels like watching bad impro with people blocking each other. And the actors are overacting to get something out of the empty dialogue.

The dialogue is too mundane, to detailed. ("We're gonna use NYPD vehicles. We can't wait for ours to be dispatched.") It's repetitous too, the same info is told to different characters. Writer Ed Solomon tries too hard to write casual and clever lines, but they feel contrived and often too self-conscious.

The star of the show is the postal inspector. She's diagnosed borderline to explain her annoying acting style, which is too-cool-for-school and inappropriately casual. Nothing frightens her the whole time, and she's never in doubt, she's a hollow character even with the borderline label. None of the other characters are memorable either.

Solomon is a comedy writer, which explains the weird tone in this show. There are too many jokes for it to be an engaging drama, but not enough humor to be a comedy, nor enough suspense or mystery to be a thriller. Instead it's this half-serious, non-engaging story.

I really don't understand why people are being so critical of the first 2 episodes. There have been interesting storylines set up which Are going to be fun to watch play out.

You can tell the story is going to have very little to do with the kidnapping and there is far more going on in the undercurrents Really looking forward to how this show plays out.

The house with all the hallways is an interesting decision. At first it felt weird but I now appreciate how it creates suspense and an uncomfortable feeling. I would never want to live there.

Hopefully people don't write the show off to quickly.

If a show doesn't capture you by even the third episode, it's either poorly written, poorly executed (directed) or the actors are bad. In this case, all 3 apply. I'm the kind of guy who sits down and takes on a whole season at one sitting if it's worth it. With this show, it took me 2 weeks to watch 3 episodes, and every time I had to do a lot of self convincing saying "it'll go off on this episode".

No.

It doesn't.

It's just bad. It's bad, boring, the plot drags behind, the actors - even those who were great in other shows or movies are plain, flat, boring. The plot is so painfully foreseeable, we've been in almost every situation in zillions of shows and movies.

Avoid.

I came here to check the number of episodes...and was taken aback to see 177 ratings and three super-lousy reviews, 24 hours after the first two episodes were released!

Huh? That's like reviewing a two-hour film after watching 40 min., or trashing an online recipe before you've cooked it.

I think I will watch a bit more.

Three observations, so far:

1. Besides the cast, and locations, this has the look and feel (and music) of a really cheap production. Surprisingly so.

2. That said, I'm more drawn in, so far, than I ever was by Soderbergh/Solomon's last HBO/MAX production, No Sudden Move. Which (stellar cast be damned) was just abysmal.

3. More and more, maybe as a byproduct of cell phones and much less time in theaters, it seems people are annoyed by productions you have to watch closely.

Giving this a 10 to try to neutralize the haters. And cause that's no more whack (after two episodes!) than giving it a 3...

Even Claire Danes couldn't save it. It seems like everything is ruined by poor directing. Chaos. Inconsistent atmosphere that makes you sometimes lose track of whether it's supposed to be thriller or comedy. Especially in the scenes with Timothy Olyphant. Lots of unreliable situations that don't allow you to immerse yourself. When it comes to the characters from Guyana, it feels like it's fantasy; when the scenes involve the wealthy family, it feels like it's drama. Lastly, I know New York well, and this is the first production set there that I don't believe it is. And it's not an advantage that they experimented with, for example, "a different NYC," no, it's another unreliable element. Because of all this, the whole series feels like you're grading a school assignment: "they did this wrong, that's good," instead of simply following the story.

Welcome a challenge? This is it. Leave it to Soderbergh to upset the fantasty (and fantastical) offerings by the major studios. Like a good book you just can't put down, the complications the plotting offers I found thrilling. I had zero expections and only began watching this due to the star laden cast and it's director. The complexity of the story is a delight and offered with a wry humor. The cast (which couldn't have possibly known where all this was headed) keeps you so involved, I just surrendered and jumped in to go along for a very rewarding ride. I won't say it's to everyone's taste, particularly if you need things laid out for you in a familiar way. Once the opening credits pass, there's a steep dive into an unfamiliar world where magic (of all things) unknowingly rules half the characters, and the weight of karama pushes the other half to a crime in Washington Square that is witnessed by both sets of the families involved and no one but the viewer knows nothing is as it seems. Once law enforcement gets its hands on what's happened (they were also unknowing witnesses) the reveals hidden from us keep coming, making us as foolish looking as the characters. I found this smashing entertainment.

Steven Soderbergh is a one trick pony. Flashy camera angles and cuts with little substance. I'm so beyond tired of the "immersive" style of shaky camera footage that it truly makes me nauseous. Literally. The camera work in this show makes me incredibly nauseous- it's not avant garde anymore bro- it's just painful. On every level. I've watched every episode thus far just to be fair.

The story is not terrible. I can acknowledge that. But it is not rendered well.

Outstanding actors across the board and a well renowned director- one would assume a smash hit.

But one would be very wrong to assume. The story plays like recycled garbage and the camera work is despicable- truly hard to watch without vomiting- honestly. It has been a Painful slog just to view this mess.

I imagine the cinematography department voiced objections- if they have a conscience. But it fits the director's style, so I imagine any objections were not well received.

Tldr: decent story with excellent actors Wasting their time with a one note "super star" director. So painful to watch I feel compelled to write this review.

Surprising low scores for this excellent, dark mini-series. In fact, once you start watching it, you have to watch all 6 episodes.

It's a low-paced thriller which carries a lot of suspense yet it is easy to follow and all pieces come together during the last 2-3 episodes. The story is quite complex and develops slowly but it's rewarding. Some of the visuals haunted me for some time, since the director immerses the audience into a weird and unfamiliar world, from both ends of the society.

Very good cast, acting is great and especially the young actors are convincing. It's really worth watching, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Tried for three episodes because Claire Danes but I could not stand the atrocious acting from the detective. Her script is underwhelming. She is intentionally annoying. There's nothing likable about her after three episodes, she is un watchable. I am rooting against her hoping she gets taken out but she is the main character unfortunately and I cannot last knew longer in this ridiculous script. The score is good a bit overdone, and the Jamaican Nephew is also extremely annoying voice, but the Jamaican sons are cool and that is all absolutely terrible detective. I will hope she is not any other shows I want to watch she needs to get out of here. She's terrible sucks. She's horrible.

I noticed that everyone that commented a very low rating, didn't finish watching this series at all. Yes, the first two episodes do start out a little bit slow but that's because they're introducing the characters and setting up the plot. If you have the patience, I do recommend watching this show in its entirety because it does get better, plus the finale left me flabbergasted lol. The one thing I could definitely agree on is that the postal worker was very annoying, and her character was very much not needed. Needless to say, I'm ready for season two, give this show a chance for goodness sake!!

I am writing this review as a public service. 2 stars given for the cast, which tricked me into watching this. This show is terrible. The postal service detective is one of the worst written characters ever. No one in this show is likeable. No one in this show behaves like a normal person would, or how a trained professional would. I was angry when the last episode finished because I wasted so much time thinking it had to get better. I was wrong. Save your time. Go clean up the dog poop in your back yard or get that root canal you've been putting off. Your time is better spent with those options.

I will start with how some of the other positive reviews started, which is I don't understand the negative reviews.

The story flows so well, everything ties together so well without being too contrived. Each character is unique and the dialogue delivers the story, nothing is wasted.

All the performances were perfect for each character.

Each episodes leaves you wanting to know more, and by the last episode it fully realizes the circle and you feel fulfilled. You are never left confused.

Those who are complaining about this series must not like good shows or know what a good show is.

I will add, that it is best to watch this with subtitles because some of the accents are hard to follow.

This must be the worst series I've seen in a long time. (And I'm a movie junkie). I can't believe this is a Max Original production. We really tried to like this series but we didn't make it past episode 3.

Everything is just awful: Terrible writing, nothing makes sense, all the characters make bad decisions for no reason at all, important parts of the plot are not explained and the characters are definitely not likeable. There is a woman who works for the Postal Service and acts like she's CIA. We were all the time making jokes about confiscating stamps; cause, to be honest, that would've made more sense than the actual plot. Terrible acting (even from seasoned actors such as Claire Danes and Dennis Quaid), the mood of the series is just weird: it's like that friend of yours who makes weird jokes all the time but you don't really know if they're joking and you don't know wether to laugh or not. To top it all, the camera movements make you dizzy (I guess in an atempt to be more immersive/artistic). It just doesn't work. The series is so ridiculous that we were laughing out loud (several times) as if this was a comedy. That's why I gave it a 1; cause it made us laugh.