The Swarm (2023-Mini-Series) I really looked forward to enjoying the hell out of this ambitious, German produced 8 episode series.
And in various chunks and spurts, I did.
But I'm also sad to report that much of it, way too much of it, turned out to be a boring slog to get through. For six of its 8 episodes, it wallowed, as if in quicksand, in the tedious, superfluous soap opera troubles of its characters.
And all the exciting, ominous sci-fi action-adventure-suspense sequences would slow down to a crawl to make way for the groan-worthy "Days Of Our Lives" crapola.
The premise, which couldn't possibly be more timely, seizes you by the throat and gut. Based on a worldwide best seller by Frank Schatzing, it presents an up-to-the minute 'War Of The Worlds' scenario........with the two worlds in combat sharing planet Earth - humanity on the land versus a sentient lifeform that's lived in the oceans since the dawn of oceans.
The 'Yrr' (as they're dubbed by the scientists who figure out their existence) function as a collective of single cells into one intelligent mass, And they're pissed and ready to rumble.
Fed up with humankind turning their oceans into toxic dumps, the Yrr declare war on us......sending out whales, crabs, mussels, deadly species, fatal viruses to wreak death and destruction upon us uncomprehending humans. And when the Yrr start generating tsunamis to wipe us out in mass quantities,, a small band of scientists finally theorize we're in the Yrr's crosshairs and they're out eradicate us.
Stuffed with that sudsy filler I've already complained about, the first six episodes dawdle and poke along. Thankfully, by the final two episodes 7 and 8, the writing and direction focus completely on the ultimate showdown between humans and Yrr. The science gang travel to arctic seas to meet the Yrr on their home turf, with the intent of either making peace with them or learning what'll destroy them.
While Schatzing's book comes to a most definite conclusion, the mini-series indulges in a fanciful "2001" array of visuals before serving up an abrupt, surprising end. It leaves viewers the option of either coming up with their own explanations and settle for waiting for the next season......
Personally, I hate that kind of corporate smoke-and-mirrors cliffhanger nonsense......forever dangling closure in front of viewers, making us all think we've been tricked into watching nothing but an extended trailer for Season 2.
BQ calls bullshit. And that's why I'm only handing out 2 & !/2 stars (**1/2) . Well put together, with excellent work from the entire cast. But if there are in fact more episodes in the works, the showrunners might consider keeping their eye on the ball......less human angst, more Yrr!
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