User Reviews

I was an avid fan of the Famous Five books as a kid. Although I noted even as a kid Enid Blyton's peculiar view of society. Those queer folks, those dodgy gypsies and peculiar foreign types.

Since getting lampooned by The Comic Strip on the opening night Channel 4, Five Go Mad in Dorset back in 1982. The goose was truly cooked for the Famous Five at a midnight feast with lashings of ginger ale to boot.

Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not a name you would associate with children's television. He has decided to update Enid Blyton's characters with the blessing of her estate. I'm sure they could do with additoonal book sales before copyright expires in 2038. Kids these days they are into Harry Potter.

Set just before the second world war. Tomboy George rescues a dog called Timmy and finds something strange is going on in Kirrin Island. The island is owned by his father but he refuses to step foot in it.

Joined by her three cousins from London for the summer. Julian, Dick and Anne band together to find out more about the curse of Kirrin Island that dates back to the Knights Templar.

Hot on their heels is the dastardly Wentworth. He is after a goblet which could allow someone to see the future and even bend time.

Despite being aimed at kids. This beautifully filmed, much better than some primetime dramas. The inspiration is obviously Indiana Jones/Harry Potter/The Da Vinci Code.

Although it is a wonder why the kids never twigged the hammy Wentworth is up to no good much earlier.

I was going to say everyone is grumbling for no reason, just because it's not like the book. But then towards the latter half the poor acting really started to grate - and unfortunately it was Jack Gleeson from Game of Thrones not even the kids. Add that to some absolutely risible scenes during one of the kids' escapes (that's not a spoiler famous five are always escaping something). Plus the terrible stilted scenes when the parents are busy not listening to the kids (again not really a spoiler - it always happens). So 5 from me not because it isn't Blyton or because its revisionist, but because in places its really very bad.

Forget the magical Enid Blyton books, and enjoy this real-life Scoobydoo adventure with 5 characters whose names just happen to sound like those of the Famous 5.

Once you've freed yourself from any false expectation, you're in for a harmless romp through familiar Indiana Jones territory, with just enough tempo, variation and humour to keep you interested. The villainous bunch are deliciously quirky, and the kids' characters are finely contrasted and developed.

I'd've called it "Not the Famous 5 : The Curse of Kirrin Island."

As a bothersome technicality, I'm adding this last empty paragraph to make up the minimum number of words.

First off, I will declare I have always loved the books, and while previous adaptations have been often clipped too short, they have been faithful to the ethos even when the era has been changed.

That was my initial problem with this, well, after getting over the shock induced by the fluorescent titles! I was so confused as to when this was set, with George making it seem very up to date and the other kids maybe 1950s; finally we find it is late 1930s. Some of the acting is playfully OTT but most is just poor, though it is clear we have two levels of actor here (George and the villain's mother standing out).

I don't mind it's an original story, although unoriginal would be more apt, given the Indiana Jones plot and mish-mash of Famous Five elements. Overall, you have a very bizarre production.

I think the person hired to create the opening titles must have done a runner as the titles we were presented with should win a prize for the worst titles of all time! We were then presented with a long and boring opening scene - George sailing to Kirrin Island where she found a dog on a boat. Timmy in this version. Eventually we were introduced to the other characters. What a dilapidated cottage George and her parents lived in. And why did George have a London accent? And why did George's father look as if he'd just come out of a make up studio? Anne was too old and Dick too young and nerdy. It may have been "inspired by" but it wasn't based on the original Famous Five. And simply not a cake in sight! That was enough for me. I'll go back to the enjoyable earlier TV series that did stay true to the books.

Don't know how enjoyable this would be for children but, as an adult unfamiliar with the source material, this was a mildly amusing Indiana Jones style romp that has clearly had a fair amount of money spent on it.

It does feel like there's an element of time travel involved here as George acts as though she is a 21st century kid while the three Metropoliitans seem stuck in the 20th. (And one of the latter is clearly channeling Harry Potter.)

There is a tremendously ridiculous mustache (sic) which will not fail to crack you up. Of all the actors involved, Ann Akinjirin gives the strongest performance as Aunt Fanny and I hope we get to see more of her in subsequent episodes.