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Atlantis - Season 1
When the BBC announced their new Saturday night show ‘Atlantis’, I was very enthusiastic. This time, the creators of ‘Merlin’, one of my favourite series, took their inspiration from Greek mythology and created a show about the mythical city of Atlantis. ‘Inspiration’ is the key word, as the series offers a very loose interpretation of Greek myths; purists would be wise to skip this one. If this doesn’t bother you and you like fantasy, humour and action, then this might be the series for you. Whilst the first episode is a bit slow-going, the season progressively gets better and by the end you can’t help but sympathize with the characters.
The series begins with Jason who, during a diving expedition, encounters a portal under the sea which takes him to Atlantis. Once arrived, a mysterious oracle tells him that it’s his destiny to achieve great things in Atlantis and deliver its inhabitants from their suffering. Before he can get started, he first makes some new friends, in the odd combination of Pythagoras and Hercules, and falls in love with the beautiful princess Ariadne. Add an evil queen who wants all the power for herself, and you’ve got a good idea of what ‘Atlantis’ is about. The storyline may not be the most original (a boy in search of his destiny has been done before, for example in ‘Merlin’, another BBC show), but that doesn’t make it less fun to watch.
The strength of the series lies in its characters. Jason is played by the pretty Jack Donnelly (‘House of Anubis’), a likeable guy with curly hair. He’s the kind of protagonist you want to cheer on as he takes you on a search to uncover the mystery of his birth. Aiysha Hart was a good choice to play the princess Ariadne. She’s got the looks and she and Donnelly convincingly portray budding love. Nevertheless, Donnelly and Hart’s characters are a bit bland compared to best friends Hercules and Pythagoras, who steal the show with their comic double-act. Robert Emms (‘War Horse’, ‘MirrorMirror’) plays the mathematician Pythagoras, who in the series also only has eyes for triangles and maths, and Mark Addy (‘Game of Thrones’) gives a strong performance as Hercules, who’s basically the opposite of the brave Hercules from Greek mythology. Then there are also the strong performances of Sarah Parish (‘Mistresses’) as the evil queen Parsiphae and of Jemima Rooper (‘Lost in Austen’, ‘Hex’) as Medusa, pre-snake hair.
‘Atlantis’ is a real family show, and therefore needs to appeal to the entire family. This means that the humour can be a bit silly and sometimes the series feels somewhat clumsy. Surprisingly, this adds to the charm of the series. ‘Atlantis’ is relaxing to watch and is purely intended to be light entertainment. And that’s what the series is good at. The story doesn’t demand too much brain activity, but the characters are entertaining, the series is filled with fight scenes and a couple of strange monsters, and the show looks good, partly as a result from shooting on location in Morocco. The tone of the series is comical most of the time, but there is enough drama present to make sure you sympathize with the characters. The exciting revelation at the end of the finale has made me curious for the second season and I can’t wait to see what will happen to the characters next.
Follow AtlantisThe series begins with Jason who, during a diving expedition, encounters a portal under the sea which takes him to Atlantis. Once arrived, a mysterious oracle tells him that it’s his destiny to achieve great things in Atlantis and deliver its inhabitants from their suffering. Before he can get started, he first makes some new friends, in the odd combination of Pythagoras and Hercules, and falls in love with the beautiful princess Ariadne. Add an evil queen who wants all the power for herself, and you’ve got a good idea of what ‘Atlantis’ is about. The storyline may not be the most original (a boy in search of his destiny has been done before, for example in ‘Merlin’, another BBC show), but that doesn’t make it less fun to watch.
The strength of the series lies in its characters. Jason is played by the pretty Jack Donnelly (‘House of Anubis’), a likeable guy with curly hair. He’s the kind of protagonist you want to cheer on as he takes you on a search to uncover the mystery of his birth. Aiysha Hart was a good choice to play the princess Ariadne. She’s got the looks and she and Donnelly convincingly portray budding love. Nevertheless, Donnelly and Hart’s characters are a bit bland compared to best friends Hercules and Pythagoras, who steal the show with their comic double-act. Robert Emms (‘War Horse’, ‘MirrorMirror’) plays the mathematician Pythagoras, who in the series also only has eyes for triangles and maths, and Mark Addy (‘Game of Thrones’) gives a strong performance as Hercules, who’s basically the opposite of the brave Hercules from Greek mythology. Then there are also the strong performances of Sarah Parish (‘Mistresses’) as the evil queen Parsiphae and of Jemima Rooper (‘Lost in Austen’, ‘Hex’) as Medusa, pre-snake hair.
‘Atlantis’ is a real family show, and therefore needs to appeal to the entire family. This means that the humour can be a bit silly and sometimes the series feels somewhat clumsy. Surprisingly, this adds to the charm of the series. ‘Atlantis’ is relaxing to watch and is purely intended to be light entertainment. And that’s what the series is good at. The story doesn’t demand too much brain activity, but the characters are entertaining, the series is filled with fight scenes and a couple of strange monsters, and the show looks good, partly as a result from shooting on location in Morocco. The tone of the series is comical most of the time, but there is enough drama present to make sure you sympathize with the characters. The exciting revelation at the end of the finale has made me curious for the second season and I can’t wait to see what will happen to the characters next.
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