User reviews

I read critics review. They seem to think the series was for kids. No way! Although I don't imagine that some won't watch it. I'd say 15+. Yes it was violent but not unnecessarily. Some called it slow, I think the pace was nicely set fast enough to keep interest but not so fast to miss the detail and the detail was needed. Ok it wasn't that believable but neither is James Bond. So what if the number of times Alex rider isn't shot is stupid, it's entertainment not reality. Compare it to other action adventure and forget that your meant to watching a kid. When you do this, you realise it's better that most and compares well with some of the best.

Alex Rider is a typical 14 year old whose world is thrown into chaos with the death of his Uncle Ian. Upon investigating his uncle's suspicious death, Alex discovers that his uncle was an agent for an off the books intelligence section of British Secret services. Alex is unwillingly recruited for an operation investigating a mysterious reform school, Point Blanc, for ultra wealthy problem teens that conceals darker secrets.

Alex Rider is the second attempt to adapt Anthony Horowitz' best selling YA series following the critical and box office failure of Stormbreaker back in 2006. The series was supposed to be James Bond by way of Harry Potter, but Stormbreaker's approach was more akin to Spy Kids than Harry Potter neutering much of the book's action sequences and leaving it a rather toothless and dull affair. With this latest incarnation being made in a post Harry Potter/Hunger Games world where adaptations are allowed to have more breathing room, Alex Rider is given a more than worthwhile adaptation.

The series is developed by Guy Burt of Wire in the Blood and The Borgias, and he brings a more grounded approach to the material that is more in line with the Bourne movies and Daniel Craig Bond movies than with the considerably more fantastical and gadget reliant Bond movies that inspired the Alex Rider series. The approach is very well done and keeps the series' high concept believable and gives weight and a sense of danger and intrigue to the material. Otto Farrant is pitch perfect as Alex Rider and brings both a sense of humor to the character as well as a hair trigger intensity that gives the character a darker edge than he had in the books. Otto Farrant is a massive reason why this series works. The series also has a very capable supporting cast who all fill their roles well and feel very much at home in the shady espionage world created for the show.

Alex Rider is a show knows what to keep from the books and what to change and update. While the show has the arduous task of Frankensteining the second book in the series into a jumping on point, it does so successfully. The show takes the introductory elements from Stormbreaker and does a near seamless job of attaching them to Point Blanc to make for an entertaining ride for both fans of the books and newcomers to the series.

One of the many problems the 2006 film had was that it had to start with in my opinion one of the worst books in the series, Stormbreaker. Clearly learning from their mistakes this time they began with the second book in the series, Point blanc. This in my opinion is one of the best books. This resulted in a well adapted series which, while it does have a few problems, is a solid series which I recommend to anyone who is or isn't a fan of the books.

Alex Rider was a major part of my childhood, so I had high hopes and expectations going into this show. Safe to say, I wasn't disappointed.

Salient Features:

1. Otto Farrant - Otto Farrant does an incredible job as Alex, and he is everything the books made you believe. His physique and that superb run is just what you imagined Alex would have.

2. Casting - The casting for this show is great. Everyone does a very good job, especially Miss Jones, Jack Starbright and of course Tom.

3. Adaption - While they didn't meddle with the source story, significantly changes were made to fit times and make the show less childish. And they were mostly great choices.

Downsides:

1. Takes time to kick off - The show doesn't find it's pace immediately, and takes a good 3 or 4 episodes before it becomes intriguing. So PLEASE just watch the whole season before leaving behind a negative review, cause it really does get better.

2. Lazy writing - At times it feels like things happen too conveniently for Alex. There are a couple plotholes and inconsistencies, but nothing glaring.

3. Smithers - Not having Smithers is one thing, but calling someone Smithers and making his traits completely different is just unacceptable.

Conclusion:

Most of the bad reviews I've seen are people complaining about the show not getting you hooked and them leaving it after the first 2 episodes. Someone even gave a 3 stars for a poor synopsis. The show despite a rocky start finds its footing into episodes 4 and from there it's exactly the Alex Rider action the novels always promised us.

Tl;Dr - It's a great show. Just don't get discouraged by the first few episodes cause it really gets better. And if we get more seasons, the following books have some really great content so buckle up.

I watch a lot of TV -- check out my reviews -- and this is one of the best first seasons I have seen in years. The writing, the suspense, the tension are at a level as good as or better than the best spy films. WOW

I was a huge fan of these novels growing up, Point Blanc being one of the best of them. This is such a good adaptation I was blown away, from the trailer and lack of marketing I figured it would be some cheap attempt but this show is SO well done. Not only is it technically well made, with every shot looking slicker than the last, but it also sticks really closely to the original novel it's based on, while managing to flesh out areas where needed. I think the writers decision to skip Stormbreaker was probably a good one after that awful film, but I really hope this gets picked up for many future seasons. Fans of the books will definitely enjoy the name drop towards the end of the show that makes it clear they want to make this a long running success and I hope it is!

Oh and also, Otto Farrant, perfect casting. The closest I've ever had to the image I've had in my head when reading a book actually coming to the screen, he nailed it.

Unlike other teenage spy iterations, this one is not as goofy, and is actually done a bit more believably and with cool scenes and above-average production values :-) However, there are also a bit of convenient writing and campy scenes that hurt the credibility of the show some :-(

After the disappointing Stormbreaker movie in 2006 I was feeling nervous going into it but it's really good faithful to the book. My only complaint is they didn't use the "I'd rather kiss the horse" line. Other than that as a longtime fan of the series I'm feeling pretty pleased about it.

I haven't read the books and I think this helps me to enjoy the show much better.. I have nothing to compare it with and I have zero expectations.

It is midnight in UK right now, as I'm writing this review. I'm on episode 4, I really want to go to bathroom, to get something to drink, but am totally glued to the screen. I decided to pause and write this review to express my excitement. Honestly, I don't remember when was the last time a TV show made me feel like that.. Stranger Things season 1 perhaps..

And before you start throwing stones at me, No, I am not comparing Alex Rider to Stranger Things, these are two completely different entities.

All I am saying is that I am hooked.. I am loving it! I genuinely envy people who manage to consume series after series, to binge them. Unlike them I am like that crazy picky eater with tons of allergies. It takes me ages to find something I can digest and enjoy. Tonight I found that and this makes me a very happy person this evening..

STORY

If you read the books, you know 100% more about the story than I do.

If you haven't read the books.. Good! Keep it that way, definitely there are more chances that you will enjoy this. You can always read the books later.

Personally I find the story is captivating and intriguing, the pace is excellent keeps your attention, the action is great.

CHARACTERS

Great casting. Otto Farrant, the one who plays Alex Rider is excellent. His convincing as innocent teenager and as a badass undercover spy! Loving him!

Overall not a single miscast in my opinion. All great performances so far. Well done to all the actors and to whoever done the casting on this.

PRODUCTION One word.. "Great!" (based on first 4 episodes)

Great soundtrack, camera work, action, cinematography. Again.. well done to all involved!

So My SUMMARY to Whoever is reading this!

Please do not get discouraged by low ratings of some people. I encourage you to -**Please give it a try!** It may not be your 'cup of tea' which is fair, but if it is, I just wish that you will enjoy this series as much as I am enjoying it right now!

Stay Safe and Take Care Reader!

The first season was very promising, the cast was performing well, the story was believable (to some degree) and full of background stories such as Alex was trained by his father for example but the viewer was left hanging why exactly.

But then we get to season 2, the cast acting drops huge time and the story goes something like a boomer came in and wrote a script of what he thinks that teenagers like to see. Let's make it about a villain that creates video games, a sidekick woman that comes straight from a horror movie and offcoarse, lets involve the president of the USA and somehow glue that story to season 1 but don't bother to make that glue believable. No more complex stories and where Alex, a character that has been secretly trained and can withstand torture, suddenly changed into some classic Hollywood teen drama queen.

It's like season 8 of game of thrones, a huge potential being wasted.

Without reading any of the details, this looked interesting and after 10 mins I was intrigued. Solid British acting with believable characters and several moving parts to a single story line.

It's a bit straight forward with a few curves and is therefore predictable but still a worthwhile watch. But by the 3rd and 4th episode it's run out of ideas and can't seem to put together an ending.

I loved season 3 and think a masterful job was done with it. I am unexpectedly and unapologetically disappointed to learn of the cancelation. I think it a great disservice to cancel a show that brings such strong writing, acting and action in a clean, intentional manner.

While seasons 1 and 3 were the strongest to me, the entire series is exceptional, and the opportunity to see Alex and company return for more adventures, truly devoted and loyal friendships, and righting wrongs is exciting and intriguing. This cast and crew work so well together to deliver a product that made me create an imdb account and ask for more. Truly good show.

Incorporating modern tech and making Alex older was a great move, edge of your seat stuff, lets go Season 2!!!!!

It's OK and has its strengths. It starts off well. The parts before Alex gets into his stride as an agent are by far the best. Every scene with Brenock O'Connor in is excellent - he steals the show, which is a big achievement because he had only a hackneyed stock character ("hero's cheery friend") to work with. Otto Farrant does a workmanlike job and is best in those early scenes, but he has insufficient charisma to carry the series. It's a tough role: once Alex becomes action man all nuance has gone and this version does nothing to make him more interesting. They've even taken away his gimmicky toys. When he gets his makeover to become Alex Friend, it's built up as an event, but in reality he just gets a slightly shorter haircut. There is no attempt to make him seem a bad boy who might need to be sent to a reformatory. In fact the Point Blanc school nearly kills the whole thing. It's a boring place, visually and in every way. It's lifeless and the scenes there go on too long. The tiny number of other students there are dull even before anything happens to them. James (the one who looks like Snape) sometimes has an Australian accent, but that's just about his only interesting feature. The plot collapses during the Point Blanc scenes (vast holes open up, which I won't go into). Almost all the adult roles are cardboard characters and the biggest names in the cast are playing them. It might all improve if there are future series, but Otto Farrant is already well over age for the role of a schoolboy, so I don't know how that would work.

I've read the books and listened to the audio books. I did get a shock at first with the differences but quickly adjusted and then really enjoyed the entire 8 episodes. I'm keenly waiting for season 2.

This is the type of show I would loved to have watched on a Saturday evening as a kid. Its definitely worth a watch, and I would like to see another season, but if it has to be eight episodes long it really needs to have a faster pace,the whole story could have been told in six episodes. Well made show, with perfect casting.

From the acting to keeping true to the book's storyline, they did an amazing job with this series. It was soooo much better than I expected as the movie really wasn't up to standard so I was hesitant to watch. You will not be disappointed when you watch this and it will make you want to read the books again. I binge watched the whole thing in a day; that is how enticing this series was. Otto Farrant's acting was spot on along side the acting of everyone else. Can't wait for the series to be renewed.

Stormbreaker has been one of my favourite films since forever. However, I do not particularly like films as they always feel rushed. I much prefer TV series as I like a long, well thought out story line. This series proves exactly this. TV series is always better. I love this show, can't wait for season 2.

This series is produced at a very high level, not "kid's stuff" at all. None of the 2-dimensional adults. In short: ALEX RIDER respects its intended audience, but throws the net far wider.

There are a few plot conveniences that deserve overlooking, because the rest of the script and the entire cast is so strong.

When actor Alex Pettyfer portrayed Alex Rider in 2006, that film treatment was cartoony and Pettyfer's heartthrob beauty was spotlighted at every opportunity.

In 2020, this adaptation is gritty, frequently tense, and star Otto Farrant steals the show through the character he creates. My binge companion compared it to the kookiest James Bond flick and Daniel Craig's CASINO ROYALE. Farrant doesn't telegraph anything he does and none of his delivery feels rehearsed.

Like Craig, Farrant is worse for wear by the second episode. In the 2006 film, Pettyer always looks like he just stepped out of a salon.

One point off for the writer allowing a few story conveniences to become distracting. Otherwise, this version of ALEX RIDER is polished, thoughtful and gripping.

Went into So1 with no clue about this at all, once it started I was very dubious given the teeny angle as so many 'Murican' teen stuff is just soppy love Dwama. I was very surprised by not only the solid acting by all involved, but the restrained teeny guff that often gets incorperated into this type of format. It was junior JB, but believable as in the lead has the limitations of a teen & does not develop (Erm super spy powers). Gritty(ish) & well worth a watch Imo. If you like this type of genre.

This had good potential but ended up being so bad. Alex is supposed to be a teenage spy, right at the start he was in a fight and told his attacker he knew krav maga (a military combat self defense style of fighting). However, from that point, every fight he got into, including the big fight at the end... He seemed to have forgotten it! There were also many more plot holes and just stupid things that the secret task force wouldn't have made in real life. Alex himself turned out to be a spoilt rich kid whimp with a few cool moves.

After watching the dreadful, yet star studded movie I did not have high hopes for this series.

Moreover, Otto Farrant (in & as Alex Rider) looked more like any unassuming, sweet teen; the farthest you can expect from a badass spy when it comes to looks. And oh! Wasn't I in for a pleasant surprise, in the best way possible. He played the kind, humble appearance to the best of his advantage with his splendid acting, alongside the rest of the cast, the beautiful screenwriting and direction.

Came in the evening planning to check out the new kid in the block, before I continued with my work. Ended up binge watching the entire season...and eagerly awaiting the following ones. Give it a go, Recommended!

Had went against reading the books after the movie, but now I sure will! Kudos to Otto & co ;)

P.S. Please someone manage this (& related) pages better.

This is a pretty good show. Not your usual spy show. It's dark and intriguing. The actors are pretty good. Slow burner. Oh and the background music and soundtrack is an absolute treat, it so friggin good.