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Neil Gaiman's Sandman Coming To Netflix

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  • #16
    Ok. I just watched the first episode. I liked more about it than I disliked, but without wading too deep in the murky waters of spoiler- there's a huge change in the narrative that is hinted at in the trailer for the season that comes to fruition. Im not sure that I love that as a direction for the show, but the stuff that they got right- they got right.

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    • #17
      Originally posted by ShawnP5 View Post
      Ok. I just watched the first episode. I liked more about it than I disliked, but without wading too deep in the murky waters of spoiler- there's a huge change in the narrative that is hinted at in the trailer for the season that comes to fruition. Im not sure that I love that as a direction for the show, but the stuff that they got right- they got right.
      Interesting. I won't be able to see this until Friday and then I go on vacation for a week where I won't have Netflix, haha. I am super intrigued about this though and am also a big fan of the comic series (still have a complete run of the series, plus most of the spin-offs).
      Rock! Shock! Pop!

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      • #18
        Originally posted by Ian Jane View Post

        Interesting. I won't be able to see this until Friday and then I go on vacation for a week where I won't have Netflix, haha. I am super intrigued about this though and am also a big fan of the comic series (still have a complete run of the series, plus most of the spin-offs).
        Im going to watch it again tonight to process it, but I admit I dont love the change to the narrative.

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        • #19
          Interesting. I'll chime in once I get a chance to see it. Am curious how others feel as well. I've been looking forward to this for a while now and really don't want to be disappointed!
          Rock! Shock! Pop!

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          • #20
            Originally posted by Ian Jane View Post
            Interesting. I'll chime in once I get a chance to see it. Am curious how others feel as well. I've been looking forward to this for a while now and really don't want to be disappointed!
            I ended up enjoying it as a whole, for what its worth.

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            • #21
              Originally posted by ShawnP5 View Post
              Ok. I just watched the first episode. I liked more about it than I disliked, but without wading too deep in the murky waters of spoiler- there's a huge change in the narrative that is hinted at in the trailer for the season that comes to fruition. Im not sure that I love that as a direction for the show, but the stuff that they got right- they got right.
              I find that kind of situation the absolute most frustrating kind of adaptation. When they nail 80-90% and then shit the bed on that last 10%, it just kills me.

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              • #22
                Only seen EP 1 but liked it. What I found odd is the budget,just based on sets,costumes and CGI work is high. But some of the props,Dream's helmet really stood out,look CHEAP.

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                • #23
                  Went into this not knowing anything about it. After 2 episodes I still don't know what it's about. When I put it on the girlfriend said 'this doesn't seem like the sort of thing you'd watch' and she's quite right. I largely skip fantasy, can't stand quirky (don't get me started on whimsy) and can't stand Tim Burton. But I feel like I've had Sandman hyped for over a couple decades now so it would seem wrong to bypass it entirely.

                  Never been able to get my head round Neil Gaiman. Never read a comic. Quite enjoyed the Neverwhere series way back when (I'm guessing it's aged horribly). His Dr Who episode was acceptable. But I find his prose books unreadable. Plotless, stylistic exercises where we are supposed to, I think, be carried along by the writing. I don't like the writing though. It's horribly overwritten. Emo-ey, Burtonesque, tales meshed with a mishmash of borrowed myths, legends and religion. Sandman seems to be a lot of that.

                  I'll give it a couple more episodes but if we don't get any characters or a plot by the end of them I'm out.
                  "Never let the fact that they are doing it wrong stop you from doing it right." Hyman Mandell.

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                  • #24
                    6 episodes in now and I cheerfully withdraw the doubts I expressed above. Realising the show is episodic, almost Dr Who-ish on that front, helps a great deal when trying to enjoy it. Episode 3 and 4 are an improvement on the first couple but the show really takes flight in episode 5. That's one of the best episodes of telly I've seen in a long time. I can see myself back to rewatch that one a few times. Very atmospheric, psychological horror.

                    Episode 6 doesn't reach those heights but it deepens the character of Sandman himself, which is much needed. The boy was looking paper thin to this point. It's a nice little fable of an episode and a good example of the kind of notes that this show can hit that others can't.

                    Most intriguing show in a long time because I really no idea where the next four are going.
                    "Never let the fact that they are doing it wrong stop you from doing it right." Hyman Mandell.

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by Dom D View Post
                      Most intriguing show in a long time because I really no idea where the next four are going.
                      I envy you that, to some extent. I read Sandman almost from the beginning, and have been hesitantly awaiting this adaptation. It's very, very good, with a few minor quibbles that didn't ruin my enjoyment. Different medium, etc.

                      However ... Episode 3 was crushingly disappointing for me. It was still marvelous to look at, but the changes to a couple of characters (both in appearance and action) was such a let down for me. It's my single favorite story in the entire Sandman canon (others are better, I know, but it fits my tastes very, very well) and there didn't appear to be any real justification for the changes other than cost savings (in the case of Choronzon's appearance) or giving an expensive casting decision more to do (Lucifer being the player in the challenge).

                      You have some great, fun, story still to come. Enjoy!

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                      • #26
                        Originally posted by null View Post
                        but the changes to a couple of characters (both in appearance and action) was such a let down for me.
                        I am curious about the differences between the show and the source material. Shawn mentions "a huge change in the narrative" in episode 1 for instance. What's been changed?

                        I hear there's some changes to gender etc. I assume that's to make the show more "inclusive". That early poster where they listed the pronouns of the actors against their names indicated that was a major focus of the production. I'm assuming that doesn't make much difference- I suppose Satan is Satan whether played by a man or a woman. What else is changed?

                        "Never let the fact that they are doing it wrong stop you from doing it right." Hyman Mandell.

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by Dom D View Post
                          I am curious about the differences between the show and the source material. Shawn mentions "a huge change in the narrative" in episode 1 for instance. What's been changed?

                          I hear there's some changes to gender etc. I assume that's to make the show more "inclusive". That early poster where they listed the pronouns of the actors against their names indicated that was a major focus of the production. I'm assuming that doesn't make much difference- I suppose Satan is Satan whether played by a man or a woman. What else is changed?
                          There are a few, but none of the actual textual changes really bothered me. Desire, in the books, is absolutely androgynous, regardless of how some have tried to retcon it. Lucifer was a male character, but ... who cares? Lucien / Lucienne .. who cares? It's Gaiman's work. He can do whatever the hell he wants to do in a different medium in a different time. Won't after the book as published which, last I checked, is plentifully available and still in print.

                          Narrative changes were also, to me, relatively minor. The largest, and what @ShawnPS mentioned, was that The Corinthian is re-purposed in the show as a larger character. However, he's essentially used as a through line, and doesn't actually change either tone or specific story. He adds some connectivity and additional color as well as a nominal "Big Bad".

                          There were tonal things that were missed, but I couldn't tell you how to adapt them, and I've had it as part of my consciousness for so long, I couldn't honestly tell you when those tonal things became apparent. It's a large story, spanning ~1800 pages, with some being essentially prose with illustrations. There have been additions to it since the original run completed (successfully, I might add) in '96. It's my favorite illustrated work, let alone favorite comic. It challenged me, and pushed me, and made so many side references I didn't grok that I ended up reading classics, greek myth, and Shakespeare to make connections. I'd spent too much time reading pop fiction, and it kinda showed me that there was really good stuff on those "other" shelves, but it required more work. I'm glad I did that work, and grateful to Gaiman for doing what no English teacher ever did -- helped me appreciate the manifest beauty of language and story.

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by null View Post
                            Narrative changes were also, to me, relatively minor. The largest, and what @ShawnPS mentioned, was that The Corinthian is re-purposed in the show as a larger character. However, he's essentially used as a through line, and doesn't actually change either tone or specific story. He adds some connectivity and additional color as well as a nominal "Big Bad".
                            He'd be my least favourite part of the show so far. Hopefully they do something with the character if he's going to stick around because he's a walking cliche at the moment. I assumed from the early going that Thewlis' character was going to be the Big Bad. He was a much interesting presence.



                            "Never let the fact that they are doing it wrong stop you from doing it right." Hyman Mandell.

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                            • #29
                              We finished ep 5 earlier. I went back and re-read the issue,was the Diner one,and yea for me the comic did it slightly better. More Subtle. But the episode was still good.

                              Really hard to not just binge the rest of it in a day. But rather lessen how long the wait for season 2 is by doing this one out slow.Figured back when it was a comic i waited 30 days for a new issues. And wasn't like the last year of the title every 2 months?

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                              • #30
                                Knocked over the rest yesterday. It's a strangely structured show which makes viewing slightly confusing as you never really know where you are in a story.. Episode 1-5 are following the same narrative thread but are episodic. Sandman gets kidnapped and then wants his stuff back, each episode a new adventure like loosely connected Dr Who. Episode 6 is standalone. At that point I figured that would be the style. Then 7-10 aren;t episodic at all. They're one long movie. It would be nice if you got a little primer at the start of each episode to tell you what you are in for.

                                I'm happily surprised to have enjoyed it though as it really didn't look like my thing at all. And I guess it's not, it's just high enough quality that that doesn't matter. Little disappointed in the direction Sandman's character took. I was assuming he was going to be this unknowable, terrible but ultimately good hero. Like a Goth-y Aslan. By the end of the season he's all fluffy and learning lessons. If he's going to go that direction it felt like he got there too fast.

                                Sounds like it's drawing unexpected numbers for Netflix so a second season should be a given. Gaiman's also teasing that he wouldn't mind a Joanne Constantine sequel. I would watch that one too.
                                "Never let the fact that they are doing it wrong stop you from doing it right." Hyman Mandell.

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