User reviews

I must be in the minority on this one and I'm sure lots of people who disagree with me will downvote this review in disgust or perhaps because they can't accept that other people might enjoy something that they didn't enjoy and they want their opinion's constantly reflected back to them.

But... I thoroughly enjoyed this and watched the first 3 together and would rate those 8 for enjoyment. Ep 4 was ok and the last 2 didn't enjoy as much and I found the climate messaging to be hamfisted and a bit preachy but as I say I did actually enjoy it overall and not really sure why people seem to be down down on this show.

I'd give it a go if you haven't tried it. Love the actors too especially the GoT brethren.

Not sure why the negative reviews. This series reminds me of Vigil but I am enjoying it far more. There are some stellar and well known faces in this series, especially Owen Teale in a different role for him. Also it seems to me that anything with Martin Compston or Mark Bonnar in it is sure to be a good watch and they have not disappointed. It's not particularly original, there are subtle shades of Alien, The Thing and various other horror movies that I can't remember the titles of, but definitely not as frightening. This is a good solid thriller and mystery to enjoy after the excitement of Christmas and the current wet weather here in Oz.

Strange things happen on an oil rig in the middle of the sea when a strange fog descends, and a member of the crew suffers an accident.

The much anticipated Rig is one of those shows that you could easily watch in one gulp, it's very watchable, action packed and fast paced.

If you're a Doctor Who fan, and know Fury from The Deep, it's quite a similar storyline, it has that kind of vibe, I spent the first couple of episodes wondering exactly what was going on, was it a thriller, a mystery, it doesn't really fit one genre, it covers quite a few.

Some wonderful visuals and special effects, this series is jam packed with atmosphere, you get a real sense of claustrophobia here.

Billed very much as The Martin Compston series, and he is good, but in the first few episodes he's not hugely present, it's Owen Teale that stands out early on, but Compston does come into his own later on.

I won't argue that it's brilliant, there are quite a few flaws, but I did think it was very good.

7/10.

My wife and I binged watched this over 3 nights, and it certainly started well, with an interesting premise, but then, it just became a bit weird. That's not to say it didn't keep us interested though, you kind of want to know what's going to happen next all of the way through, but not in a way that made it compelling, more curious to see what they were aiming for with the writing. I will also say that some of the effects were pretty shoddy, which, in this day and age, is unecessary. In the end, I thought it was a load of clichéd nonsense, which, while well acted and written, was a great disappointment.

After 40 years working on North Sea oil production platforms I was quite happy with the "1st Generation" oil rig sets, and the reasonably acurate patter. Remember lighting the flare with a shotgun. Just brushed over the lack of safety glasses and lack of oil risers. Visually good, however the story was not great. Stephen King's "The Mist" probably did it better.

Nice touch that most of the actors are named after North Sea oil fields.

Iain Glen - Magnus Molly Vevers - Heather Richard Pepple - Dunlin Martin Compston - Fulmer Owen Teale - Hutton Stuart McQuarrie - Murchison Mark Bonnar - Alwyn.

With a strong cast and an intriguing storyline I was actually looking forward to this show. However, even in the first episode there was the all too familiar characters that we have all seen a million times before, including the angry at the company, aggressive, always looking to stir up trouble one.

The far fetched story is the least far fetched thing about this show, as on numerous occasions we see the crew act in such stupid ways as to ruin the whole premise of the show. 'Make sure you stick together', the boss tells them, only for them to split up so something bad can happen to them. Or the discover of something important where they decide to tell a couple of colleagues but not any of the bosses who are trying to get things sorted. Or the Head Engineer/Technician, (so arguably one of the most important people on the rig), been the one who undertakes the most dangerous/life threatening of tasks that anyone else could have done.

The writer of this show was been tipped as a rising star, but if this is his best work, then I hope we don't see anything else from him.

I expect better from Amazon, and this feels more like the badly written stuff I'd expect to see on Netflix.

I've been looking forward to The Rig and really liked the premise of the show: An oil rig in the middle of nowhere gets enveloped by a mysterious fog that cuts off all communication while something huge begins to stir at the ocean floor. While this might sound exciting the creators completly squandered the potential of a great idea. The result is a poorly crafted by-the-numbers show that feels like it is based on a fifty year old script. Everything you'll see here has been done before and much better.

To be fair, there are a few good individual performances but that isnt enough to save the show. Especially since some other performances are so bad that the respective characters ruin every scene they are in.

The special effects and visuals are also pretty disappointing. The interior of the oil rig is pretty cool but everything on the outside looks so fake that its immersion breaking. The backgrounds look fake, the lighting is off and there is nothing like rain or wind that would convince the viewer that the show is taking place in the middle of the ocean. All things combined it often felt like watching an old sketch comedy show.

The worst part for me was that I've been waiting for some cool twist or a redeeming idea until the very end but that never came. No big revelation, no cosmic horror and no tough decisions or moral dilemmas. Almost everything is completly by the numbers and the cookie-cutter characters behave exactly like you would expect them to. In addition there are huge plot holes and nothing to ground the show in reality.

All things considered the show was a huge disappointment and doesn't even work as enjoyable schlock. Best save your time and watch something else.

Another fine no from Amazon Prime. It's no wonder people are turning their backs on terrestrial.

A very different kind of plot, all we seem to get are boring Police procedurals, and heavy, boring shows like Vigils, this dared to be a little different. The science fiction angle coming as a refreshing change. It may have felt a little bit slow in the middle section, but it was never slow, far from it. A good set of actors and actresses, and good use of CGI.

I don't understand why the reviews are so negative, reading some reviews, people are basing them on ten minutes of the first episode, it makes zero sense, misleading.

The two main things that let this drama down are the poor script and the dreadful visual effects. You don't empathise with any of the characters therefore you don't actually care what happens to them with little to no suspense. As for the visual effects, very poor. It is so obvious this was filmed on a set. The lighting is all wrong and actually takes you out of the story it's so bad. There are a number of great actors in this drama but some seem miscast and the others are trying their best with the poor writing. The story isn't new, it's just a few ideas from a selection of 80's movies cobbled together.

You don't need to watch for long to know that this is another dumbed down TV drama made for the lowest common denominator. It feels like it has been written and produced by children. It is just so painfully made.

Full of non sensical scenarios. Exaggerated characters. Convenient story lines. Ridiculous dramatic music that feels more suited to a parody.

I recognise a lot of faces in this and know they can act. But this is just too much of a lemon to hope for any success in the acting department. They all come across as amateurs. The story and direction sinks them all.

I have no idea why this was made. But if failed big time. It's an insult to any intelligent viewer.

Sci-Fi with at least a different location. No monsters or Super Hero's . Acting was good but probably needed a little bit more suspense . A few goofs spotted and some CGI was noticeable in the outside scenes but it did feel like you were on a rig with the interior scenes .It was spot the GOT actors for a while and Mark Bonner turns up in everything nowadays as he is so dependable. So a good 7/10 for what it is . 6.5 for the CGI but its better than many others .Its set up for a 2nd series so should be good. Just good to away from all this Super Hero stuff in the Sci-Fi world and certainly takes a dig at fossil fuels and the worries of workers futures.

A supernatural thriller that follows a group of oil rig workers who become trapped on their rig by a strange fog. As they struggle to survive, they discover that their drilling may have awoken an ancient, supernatural force that wants to punish mankind for disturbing the natural order. Despite its predictable survival-horror plot, "The Rig" is elevated by its charming cast of characters and its underlying themes about the damage caused by oil work and our responsibility for it. While the central mystery may not be particularly original, the body horror and special effects are well-done and add to the tension. Overall, "The Rig" is a satisfying, if formulaic, watch that is worth checking out for fans of the genre.

The problem with the series is symptomatic of most of the big streaming giants. Good idea, great cast, adequate budget - then no idea of how a script develops. Six episodes for this was far too much, leaving the plotline long and dawn out. The character development is minimal and rudimentary and ends up with generalised cliche and arguments that they need to sustain conflict.

Owen Teale, Iain Glenn, Mark Addy and the effortlessly brilliant Mark Bonar are great. It's just the whole thing is drawn out, under developed and with four episodes the whole thing would have been tighter and the cgi budget more targeted. Not great.

I found this to be very easy watching,but there are several things that stopped it from being really good.

Won't mention any names,but some of the acting, including from fairly major characters, was truly lamentable and stopped this from being believable! Seemed to me that they were more schooled in stage acting than film/TV productions, with wildly over the top facial expressions at times!

Also, at times it didn't feel like it was filmed on an oil rig at all,I don't know if it was or it wasn't,but at times it had a stagey/set feel about it which took away from the feeling of isolation,that to me, it should have had.

Having said all this,it was an easy watch,just switch your brain off before you start viewing, and don't question it too much. I'm sure some of the bigger names in this might leave it off their CV though!

Oh well. In spite of a great premise - creeping horror on an oil rig - this actually turns out to be pretty poor stuff.

For all the histrionics there's just no real drama, only many contrived scenes where the characters are at each other's throats or behave like pantomime villains for no good reason. Perhaps the writers of this tosh assume shouting equals drama, regardless of whether such confrontation is whipped up out of nowhere with no believable point of origin. And I say "characters" - there are no actual characters here, just ciphers for the dreadful plotting. Only Iain Glen manages to make something of his role, with even seasoned pros like Mark Bonnar struggling to play such thin and badly manufactured scripting.

In talented hands The Rig could have been excellent, sadly what's been produced here is an absolute waste of good actors and of the audience's time.

That's how it felt to me, at least.

But I'm old. A rare high rating too... at least from first glances, not wishing to let trends contaminate my fresh impressions.

I was entertained from the beginning, relieved to see no plodding first hour of setting up primary characters and situations. Felt similar to a good paperback. The few absurdities in character (as in one guy who probably would end up in a makeshift brig sitting on his termination/legal charges) were worth it just to see the results. This character also had a damn good "arc" as they say, along with all the primaries. Most of which turned out to be ... different than expectations or first impressions as they developed.

Boiled down? You know the dozens of things you wade through for entertainment. So when something that makes you go back it's a nice change. Did it's job.

The negatives: 1. Oooh, Scottish. Cool as always but thanks for the closed captions at times.

2. CGI from Looks Durn Good To Me to A Bit Funny.

3. Just one character who doesn't seem too impressed about near-death experiences, still drawing breath in the first place and things damn high on the Wow. You Don't See THAT Every Day list.

4. Huh? Well, maybe that's because I've never been on a drill rig but then again, WTF?

-- Finally, already surprised at a lower rating than expected, I suppose I'll get outta here with a final hey... if you want what I saw as excellent writing and a story to match, go for it. It won't take long to see positive first impressions are consistent. Skip thru you choice of subplot.

There's a lot of hate on for this series, from people who wouldn't do any better themselves. Hard, tough men wouldn't do that! Ah, yeah they would, I've seen it. People like to think they could do better in a dire situation but when the chips are down, they fail. They become panicky, scared and self absorbed and they won't admit it. They'll throw their own mother under the bus if need be. They're human. Sure some do rise to the challenge, but not all. Which is exactly what is shown.

Let's be real, this production did not have a Spielberg or Bruckheimer budget, so why are you expecting those dollars on the screen? Get over it! The story was actually good. Yeah, it failed in places but so does every production, it's entertainment not a documentary. I enjoyed it for what it was - entertainment.

The whiners of the PC parts? Get over yourselves. Just because you don't see a particular demographic in your life doesn't mean it isn't there. Careful now! Could be right next to you, and you wouldn't want to "catch" it! Ffs.

Those who watched to the end should be the only people writing a review anyway. The others just bailed, sound familiar?

I was engrossed but every time the Canadian actresss Emily/Rose came on screen, for me the acting became apparent and found it hard to get into it. In fact I'm writing this review whilst the scene is focused on her. Had to look her up to see how she landed this role....

Interesting series held up by strength of other actors besides Emily/Rose....as you may be able to tell not a fan of hers

On a positive the series gives a good glimpse of life out on an oil rig.

The whole series reminded me of 'Lost' which I really enjoyed at first....

Eventually I got fed up of 'lost' after the first 2/3 series; just hope this doesn't end up in the same category.

Not sure why this show has had such negative reviews. It had a brilliant cast and had a line of duty/ vigil feel to it too with the blend of people involved. The cgi was probably it's biggest weakness. But was saved by its intriguing story and plot twists each episode that keeps you on your toes. It was brilliant watch, and after episode one you wouldn't of expected what was to come, which made it even more fascinating to continue watching to see what happens next. Each episode was unpredictable. Fingers crossed there's season 2 as there's more to come from this show as this story isn't done yet!

For all the hype and fantastic cast bar one (Canadian actress emily Hampshire ) this was one of the most disappointing TV shows I've seen in last few years.

Emily Hampshire is the worst of this cast in The Rig and should never have been in this TV series and completely distracts from renowned actors like Ian Glen, Martin Compston and Mark Bonnar.

In parts its atmospheric but in others it is dull as it could possibly be. Not sure why it was recommended to those viewers who enjoyed Vigil as it nowhere near as enjoyable as it is completely amateurish in parts.

Some may enjoy The Rig but I won't be holding out for Series 2 .