1899 MOVIE REVIEW






1899 is a multilingual German epic period mystery-science fiction television series created by Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar The creators of the mind-twisting TV series Dark.

It premiered on Netflix on November 17, 2022. 1899 tells the story of passengers on a steamship heading to New York from London, whose occupants are from different corners of the world and walks of life.

Not long after their ship sets sail, they encounter another steamship adrift in the sea that has been reported missing. Soon after the ship is discovered, strange mysteries that will change their reality start to unravel.

1899 is eight episodes long. Each episode is around fifty minutes long. Being a multilingual TV series, you must deal with subtitles to keep up with what is happening in some parts of the series.

There are English, French, Danish, Spanish, and Cantonese. This might be a turn-off for some people already, and I can cite an instance of a friend who doesn't like reading subtitles while watching a movie.

That said, it's already a turnoff for people like that. You might also be wondering why there are multiple languages and how these characters interact even if they don't understand one another.

While it creates a unique dynamic to watch, it quickly gets old, but there is a reveal at the end that might offer an explanation in the future for the multiple languages and races of the characters.

The cinematography and visual effects in this series are also good, as it relies on them to set the tone and mood of the movie; anything less might have been a little disconnecting for the audience.

One also has to recognize the visual representation of some technological concepts. I found it quite appealing.

The best way to describe this series without spoiling it is by calling it another take on The Matrix. When you remove the action in The Matrix, you get 1899.

But then you have the issue of the slow burn, and when I say slow burn, the pacing of this series is languid! The last time I watched a series with similar pacing was Castle Rock’s season one.

It is unclear why they used such a style, but it made the plot drag on for so long under the guise of the mystery it relies so much on. At some point, I find it a chore to watch some scenes once the core of the mystery becomes clear.

A lot of the scenes started to feel unnecessary. It felt like if you missed out on some of them, you didn't miss anything that important to the core of the plot. It also relies on quite a several characters to tell its stories.

Once the mystery starts to unravel, You can barely feel any reason to care about many characters as you already know the most important ones. I believe its slow pace was a burden on curiosity.

Death had no consequences or barely carried emotional weight. This is one major issue I had with this series. This part may become high stakes later in the series, which I hope it does. There was a moment where people were dying, and I felt it was a strong point in the series, but then again, I realized the deaths bore no consequence. Hence, removing any sense of high stakes for the story.

I wanted to like this series, but it didn’t just scratch any itch for me, nor was it mind-blowing in any way. The characters haven’t been that memorable, or I didn’t connect with their stories well enough.

I believe this season one might not have sold me on the story 1899 has to tell, but with a second season, it might just be able to kick things up a notch. On the bright side, if you haven’t seen Dark or The Matrix, you might enjoy this series.

Overall, my experience with this series puts it in the average category, but newcomers to this genre might find something interesting.

About the Author

Olayinka Ajayi is a writer, creative director, and movie blogger from Nigeria. Having been involved in the entertainment circle since childhood, his interests range from comics, movies, and animations to video games. He has consistently developed his interest in the entertainment field which led to the creation of his movie review blog, 'Review Krunch', the blog is distinct for its engaging reviews and analysis. 

When he is not analyzing the latest movies or working on some creative designs and stories, he's helping out as a contributor in mobile game communities.

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