The Gryphon (2023– ) User Reviews

YA novel from the 1990s with influences from "Dark" and "Stranger Things"

[thivai-1 · 8/10 · 27 May 2023]

I felt like this series was made with me in mind, but I realize of course that it is also targeted at young adults and teenagers. I was a teenager in the 90s and had a frenzied Wolfgang Holbein phase where I read many of his most popular books. "Der Greif" was one of the most popular and one of the best.

I was a huge fan as a teenager. I also bought the audio play version as a young adult. I realized when I got older, that Holbein has many faults (mostly repetitions of language patterns and plots/characters, lots of clichés and he got his ideas from other famous authors I didn't know as a teen). But "Der Greif" as a live action show is a dream come true for my inner teenager none the less. It's amazing to see the world they came up with, and I really like how they did it.

They did an incredible job overall with a few weak elements that I can forgive easily. The changes and additions they made are reasonable and well done. I don't care for fantasy or teen drama, but I found the characters sympathetic and the drama engaging. That alone is rare for shows from this genre.

I think I could see the influences from "Stranger Things" and "Dark", but they did it very well.

If you like me were a teenager in Germany in the 90's, you will find they have you in mind (especially in the first episode) and lots of music is referred to in almost every episode. The main character is making mix-tapes for his love interest. It almost gets a bit too much, but doesn't take away from the overall story.

I will definitely watch the second season and I also think you don't need to have read the book to "get" what is going on. To be honest, the story of the book is rather weak, it is more about atmosphere and teenage angst stuff. The story in the show is interesting enough, they made it look really great and have nice character building and good drama. A good pace and some action.

Good show

[beyer-sebastian · 8/10 · 31 May 2023]

I was excited to see, this will be a series. The novel this show is based on was my start into fantasy and is probably not known to an international audience. Funnily the plot is set in 1994 which is about the time I devoured the book as a 14-year-old. I remember reading around 250 pages on a rainy Sunday.

So as it is obvious the creators are trying to follow the success of "Stranger Things" in some ways, do not make the mistake to compare The Gryphon too much to the Netflix hit. It is an original story that Hohlbein created long before. As far as I can tell after three episodes (earlier start in Germany as it is a German production) the buildup is good and leaves enough things to your imagination, while hinting enough to keep it interesting.

The series seems to be a little darker than the book, which was youth fantasy, whereas this is fun to watch as an adult. CGI quality is better than I expected and acting and plot are fine. So is the depiction of 1994 Germany, although the town of Krefelden is fictious. I feel like most clothing styles of the teenagers came up a few years later.

After almost thirty years after first reading the book (and many others by Wolfgang Hohlbein) I enjoy this so far and will keep watching, respectively bingeing the episodes to come. I just fear this season will end in a cliffhanger and the wait for continuation will be painful.

Good series, but damn...

[registratiesites · 8/10 · 27 June 2023]

It's a good series. A very good series. But the further I watch it the more I am starting to get annoyed by Mark. His.... passiveness is truly irritating and the way he does NOT communicate, with anyone is not "mysterious and silent" anymore. Meso is a totally different character. Much much love for Becky. What a sweet and pretty girl she is and what a smile.. I love that Sara came around. Ben isn't such a pushover anymore and Maya..... well, Maya.. is indeed Maya. But damn, Mark, my dude....... come on!

Overall: the tempo is solid. The fact that it's not an American series is a big plus. The mystery and suspense building is kept in check very well. They way and speed we learn about all the characters' their background is nice. After ep. 4 the pace is quickening and things start to take off.

The setting: 90's, metal/rock. Very very cool. Of course there are parallels with Stranger Things and an (also) German series like Dark but this one is very much on its own.

I can't wait for season 2. Let's go people!

If only it had been made around the time of the Lord of the Rings

[finetunes · 7/10 · 26 December 2023]

Easy to identify the great ideas of the book vs the poor budget and very bad dubbing of the movie. The CGI of the series is very limited and isn't cutting edge unless this is 2005. Seem's on the level of Stargate SG-1 which is 25 years old.

You can't tell if the actors are good or bad because the dubbing acting is so poor. Interesting difference between Hollywood productions and this one is that this one has no pretty people in it. Even the spoilt rich blonde friend has a peculiar ugly, duckish kind of face.

There were too many glaring "why did they do that, react to that, didn't do that" behaviors from the characters.

Besides the limitations, I recommend watching it but only if you enjoy sci-fi.

Simple, Yet Impressive - Season 1 Review

[JoshuaMercott · 7/10 · 23 August 2023]

This German fantasy series had plenty to appreciate. They not only incorporated several admirable fantasy-genre tropes but did it in ways that evaded cliché and enhanced curiosity.

The show's inherent beauty and nuanced wonder sourced largely from the novel "Der Greif" (published, 1989) by Wolfgang Hohlbein which they adapted.

A sinister family secret and a teenager who found himself being thrown in the deep end of a magical fate were some of the elements that set an ominous tone in the show early on.

The teen in question was Mark Zimmerman (played by Jeremias Meyer) and his coming into possession of his family's Chronicle of the Black Tower - a leather-bound tome practically oozing with intrigue - established a series of events that eventually saw him encountering The Gryphon.

Mark's father Karl Zimmerman (played by Golo Euler) died in mysterious ways, but in connection with this Chronicle and the creature that ruled the alternate dimension it led into. By this point in "The Gryphon" season one, I was already hooked and hungry to know more.

The 80s setting (palette and aesthete included) worked marvels for this show. It was in keeping with the book, of course, which was published in 1989. It made me feel nostalgia just watching.

Mark being into music gave the team plenty of room to naturally weave in some brilliant yester-year classics into the storyline as well. I loved the soundtrack choices.

Mystical artefacts, warrior gargoyles of all shapes and sizes, and The Gryphon which needed the Zimmermans to give in to their hate so it could survive all added up to a superbly unnerving story that I couldn't get out of my head.

The Gryphon is no 'good guy', but an enslaver who controls its realms with an iron fist and rules from the Dark Tower inside the dimension which Mark learned to access with the help of the leather-bound Chronicle of the Black Tower. He received the tome on his sixteenth birthday and hasn't been the same ever since.

A murderous agenda next unfolded, with too many ways for things to go wrong. Suffice to say, season 1 of "The Gryphon" had me on the edge of my seat and failing to predict the ending. The season finale became one of those moments when it was a good thing not to have read the book beforehand.

As of this writing, "The Gryphon" season 2 has not been renewed, but there are plenty of valid reasons for Amazon Prime to greenlight it. Season one adequately covered the standalone novel "Der Greif" by Wolfgang Hohlbein and did justice to the theme and genre in all the right ways, but they left some amazing cliff-hangers worth exploring in a second season.

"The Gryphon" S01 was defined by its simple plotline, one that hid manifold layers of storytelling gold. So if the author is willing to pen a second book or work on an original script exclusively for future TV seasons, Fantasy fans like myself will raise a glass to welcome either move.

Great, fun show

[grella713 · 10/10 · 27 May 2023]

The Gryphon is an exciting show that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The story is interesting and the show has a cool 90s fantasy movie vibe to it. The soundtrack is really good and there's some great classic songs that play throughout the show. I liked all the characters, Memo I'd say is my favorite with Becky a close second. There was good chemistry between the characters and it was a good experience watching them work together. I look forward to what this show may bring in the future in the next season. The first season is only 6 episodes, I wish it had 8, because it felt a little short.

Jeremias Mayer (Mark) and Lea Drinda (Becky) are excellent

[leh-843-872070 · 6/10 · 30 June 2023]

A watchable German sitcom. Don't expect too much: it's a teenage "Terror Role Playing Videogame" series with hints of nostalgia for the '90s, following the steps of "Stranger Things".

The couple of young actors Jeremias Mayer (Mark) and Lea Drinda (Becky) are excellent, both responsible for best moments in every episode. Zoran Pingel (Memo) acting is also worth mentioning, as he adds humor and human interest in every scene his character appears.

The storyline and dialogues are predictable and, sometimes, boring. But the cast does a good job keeping their stereotyped characters interesting and relatable.

As I said, don't expect too much. It is a simple and unpretentious piece of entertainment for youngsters and nostalgia for their parents.

Stumbled upon this and I'm here for it!

[christinabr · 9/10 · 28 May 2023]

I randomly stumbled upon the English dubbed version of The Gryphon and it's a YES for me. Kind of surprised by the mediocre reviews. I feel like it has a Netflix 'Dark' x 'Stranger Things' kind of feel to it. It's set in the early 90's (ish) and has a lot of that synth background music like stranger things (love that). In addition to the 80's synthe music there are a ton of well known alternative songs and old school popular hip hop songs. The villains kind of look like white-walkers, and the other creatures to be feared look like something out of the "Alien" movie franchise. All-in-all I am happy that I found this series and I look forward to future season(s). Fingers Crossed!

Reminds me of The Dark Tower.

[dkyforever · 7/10 · 21 September 2023]

I keep seeing people talk about Netflix's Dark and Supernatural or Stranger Things. Personally, the first thing I thought about upon seeing the first two episodes was the Dark Tower series from Stephen King. I also got Supernatural vibes with the two brothers following a book from their dad... and definitely see the Stranger Things connections as well.

As for my opinion and rating. First off, I'm only two episodes in and honestly don't like the main character, Mark. Something about him just runbs me the wrong way. Probably his "no sell" attitude. That sort of thing always irritates me. That and he regularly has a "duh" look on his face. Like I said, just rubs me the wrong way.

As for the other characters, I like the older brother so far, and the main girl is alright. Memo seems like he could be a good character.

The script (English translation at least) is a bit sub par. It's one of those "why would he say that" or "why is he not saying anything right now?" Type of things. I watched on Amazon with the subtitles on and it was interesting seeing the difference between what was said and what was translated. Dialogue was pretty Meh, regardless.

On the plus side, the set design, monsters, atmosphere and cinematography are all excellent. I love cheesy 80's fantasy movies, and this blows a lot of that stuff out of the water.

I just wish it was translated or written by the people who made The Librarians series. The dialogue in that show was my absolute favorite as far as scripted shows go.

Overall, I will definitely check out the rest of the series and hope it does indeed get a second season. I'd love for more high fantasy series to be made.

ok, but nothing to write home about

[cismaj · 5/10 · 26 May 2023]

Even if you know it is an original story, and the storyline is different, it feels like a cheap rip-off of stranger things.

Half of the cast seem to have more theater than film experience and make it look stiff and forced.

For german standards the special effects might be ok, but when you want to hop on the "stranger things train" you should do better than that.

Over all it is a 'can' but not a 'must have seen'.

It isn´t bad and I did finish the season, but I doubt that I would watch a second one.

I hope the fans of the book had there fun with it and I hope that the german fantasy genre finally finds its footing and there will be more films/series, so the funding will go up too.

Supernatural Meets Stranger Things

[shoppsi · 10/10 · 29 May 2023]

I really enjoyed this; it was fun and interesting, in my opinion. The first episode gave me huge Supernatural vibes; two brothers, an old fashioned car, the atmosphere, even flashbacks. But then it quickly diverged into Stranger Things territory...except the Mom in this show was absolutely horrible almost all the way through the whole first season. I hope they'll come out with a Season 2; I'd like to see what will happen next.

I have nothing more to say about this movie but still have more characters. I really hate that; what is this, a high school essay? Wish the people at IMDb would give their heads a shake and let us write as much or as little as we'd like.

OK

[m_oleyar · 5/10 · 25 November 2023]

So this had a really good music soundtrack. It had a really rubbish voice dub. I think I personally would rather read the subtitles than listen to a crappy voiceover. I dislike subtitles, but I dislike bad voice acting much more than subtitles. So for those in the industry who want to bring foreign cinema, television, and film to English speaking audiences leave the subtitles and ditch the bad voice actors and overdubbing. You are just ruining the work of the original actors. If you absolutely feel you must use overdubs, than you better get damn fine voice actors to do the job, not someone who has no skill at all, as if the case heretofore.

Germans make great stuff.

[MiloSuperSpesh · 9/10 · 30 May 2023]

English dub is pretty good, beyond the typical lip syncing issues.

Strong acting, good direction, strong production value, pretty good cgi, and prosthetics used for custom/ monsters, story is a lil predictable at times even for people who didn't read the novels.

Similar vibes to stranger things, the hollow, where teens cross over to another world, but this is a darker tale, not for the squeamish or people looking for a happy ending where everyone is fine and healthy with minimal trauma.

Hope for season 2 !

What else to mention,

minimal filler it gets to the point, some threads left open (teen drama bs and some villain stuff).

Other wise resolved.

I binged it all oops,

90s Dark Fantasy with 90s rock anthems

[sergioperezgarcia · 9/10 · 29 May 2023]

This show is really good, OST counts with 80's & 90's rock classics and it represents perfectly the Dark Fantasy of that decade, but with an european twist. Love the way how in the mistery flows with the rock music.

It gives vibes of Stranger things x Supernatural on first chapter, but later on, plot takes flight on his own.

Idk why people are giving such bad numeric reviews, actors are more than ok, ambientation and CGI are very different from other shows, the pace of the script is well taken and thought.

Hope this is given credit and they go for season 2, cant wait to see how story continues.

It's an average fantasy show

[jimwt66 · 5/10 · 11 September 2023]

Many of the characters are unlikable. Is it the script, the actors or just the way it comes off with it being dubbed? It also kind of drops you in the middle of this long family history with another dimension that doesn't really explain how this family is tied to it and why now of all times it is trying to cross worlds.

It has plot holes. The biggest is that it seems one day on Earth is 3 weeks on the alternate plane. After Mark goes to the other plane it looks like another day has passed on Earth but yet it seems only 3 days on the alternate plane.

It also seems that any injuries or birth defects you had on Earth are cured on the alternate plane but then come back when you go back to Earth. And cured again when back on alternate world.

Then they are supposedly being stealthy and waiting for the horned ones and yet are playing music and catching these screaming fish. Things that would give them away at least a half mile. Sometimes they are standing watch out this hatch and other times no one is looking. I guess they needed to do that so the doppleganger could sneak in?

They have these creatures that can either make things change into other things or they make people believe what they see is something different. If they make people see something different (illusion) how do people who show up hours later see the same thing as the other? If they can make things change into others then why didn't it do that for other things to make the plot work better?

And finally...What is the stone angel? It had a part to play for about 5 minutes and never addressed again.

It is an OK series...And since it is first season I will give it some slack but we shall see how it does in season 2. It was a little slow in season 1 but it was doing filler.

Amazing------- for a german show

[erikbender · 9/10 · 26 May 2023]

Long time fan of the original books here: It has very little in common with the original text, I was a huge fan of back when I was a child. But let this not be a deterence to watch this show.

The actors, even if a little stiff at times, leave little to be desired. The overall "feel" of the show, albeit a slight ripoff of the more recent "stranger things" was very fitting.

The makup/special effecs vaguely reminicent of del toros pans labyrinth and the overall very fitting sounddesing will leave the viewer with an overall very satisfying experience.

I highly recommend this show from a book-reader perspective. If you can ignore the obvious deviances of the source material and are able to enjoy this show on it´s own merits.

For anybody who wants the true experience of the teenage psychological horror i cannot recommend the original book enough, though.

Merlin- Low standard of Lord of The Rings

[Nikki-D3 · 4/10 · 30 May 2023]

I was hooked in almost immediately. Then ever so slowly I found it harder and harder to stay engaged and yet I was still invested enough that I started briefly fast forwarding through the drawn out or pointless scenes. I did love the choice in some Nirvana songs. The idea of what these levels were in a Tower. The fight scene outside the church between the 2 statues while the 2 brothers were stuck in there. (Why did 1 fight to kill them vs. Another fighting for them). Ultimately I mentally checked out too much. The main actors had so much of the same dialogue (Mark & Remi?, Romie? Idk, some name like that) Ideas were too murky or unnecessary altogether. It could be the German to English crossover but there's plenty of foreign movies I've loved. Maybe they were trying to lean on actors that just didn't fit the bill to carry enough of it. Judge for yourself but get ready for a sllllooooowwww burn.

Overall, great show.

[allanpinonsky · 10/10 · 29 May 2023]

The character pacing is great in the show. The main character is developed slowly and is allowed to learn instead of feeling like an overpowered individual that is just there to save the day.

It never felt too cringe. And for the most part, the show was beautifully shot. It had a cinematic feel to it and the actors did a fantastic job as well.

There were some side characters that I honestly did not care too much for, and it did distract from the main story line. But the supporting characters were awesome!

Also, you'll notice a bunch of great 90's music sprinkled through out the show which made me feel a bit nostalgic! Overall, great show!

Fantastic and original!

[andrewbanns · 9/10 · 1 June 2023]

I thoroughly enjoyed this series, very unlike anything else I've seen before. The series had me hooked and I binge watched it, shame there are only 6 episodes. I might have to check out the book that it's based on if it is available in English.

The characters were likeable and well acted and there was a lot of nostalgia for be as I would have been around the same age as the main characters in 1994 and love all of the rock, metal and grunge that they listen to.

I'd highly recommend watching it with the original German audio, with English subtitles, English dubbing kind of sucks and although you can kind of ignore it after a while, there's a lot to be said for watching it in the original audio.

I

[Headturner11 · 5/10 · 30 May 2023]

Saw this pop up and looked and saw it was a series( mostly all I watch now a days)! I looked at the synopsis and after having noting to watch watched Merlin and thought Ok seems kind of similar and what I like well... The whole other world isn't done well! It's all foggy and they mainly only show one area. We never really learn anything abut the creatures etc because all it does is focus on the book! It would have been cool to see the shape shifter things living among them on earth but we also learn nothing of that. It was dubbed porly but I got used to that I just wish we learned more of what exactly this "other" place was about?!? I liked the character Momo how he was so easy going and really did make do and adapt excellently to that world! Idk why they bothered with the teens? In the end that one girls boyfriend had a crowbar at the school and looked like he was going to hurt someone? Did a shape shifter take over him??? I guss will never know...

Great series!!!

[wskghzr · 10/10 · 18 June 2023]

The series is great. Elaborately produced and with a great story. I had concerns at first because it was a German production, but I was pleasantly surprised. I am very excited for the second season. The youth and the rocking sound of the 90s makes this series worth seeing. There is also a fantastically implemented fantasy world. Love, fun, excitement, fantasy are combined here. And the fact that it's not a children's series does the whole thing very well! Production design, mask and action are produced to a very high standard. Clear recommendations to watch. We are eager to see what happens. Great Entertainment.

Bad dubbing or bad dumbing

[pensman · 4/10 · 14 February 2024]

Some nice effects but acting is terrible and English dubbing is terrible. I would have rather heard the actual voices in German and read subtitles. Reminds me of old Saturday kids show Land of the Lost, with a nod to the 1953 movie Invaders from Mars. Actually those were better. This is a good movie for Sony Cassette Tape Players and cassette tapes. There is enough roaring and screaming and cackle laughter to choke a horse. Basically the plot is to stop the Gryphon from getting getting the power to travel from his realm into ours. This is meant to keep you coming back to finish all six episodes. I was glad there were only six and that I could use the remote to skip ahead which I did a lot. One thing you can do is watch with friends and make a list of all the movies this series stole from. Better yet, take a pass.

the 90ies are back

[tnieder · 10/10 · 28 May 2023]

I love the book when I was a Teenager. So i was very sceptical in the beginning. But the 90ies vibe and the goonies-style got me from the first Episode. The german actors are really good and the character developement is interesting. A good example is the mother even when she is just a small sidekick. But the casting could be more diverse. The lenght is with 6 Episode perfect. I had a too much chewing gum story line feeling with a lot of other series but not gryphon . I hope the series will continue with an second season. It would be interesting what the write of the book is saying about the series.

Loved this!

[jescrna · 10/10 · 2 June 2023]

Besides the great soundtrack it had a very strong 90s feel. The nostalgia was uncanny. Especially for someone who grew up in the 90s. I had to double check when it was made. I enjoyed the concept but wish we could have learned more about the creatures and seen more of the levels. It was easy to root for the main character but could have shown a better light on the protagonist's purpose or goal. It left a lot open. I hope they plan to have more than 0ne season. The ending didn't seem like an ending at all. It was like leaving a book in the middle of a chapter. Overall it was entertaining and binge worthy.

German Supernatural? 🙂

[mariuszmisiek · 8/10 · 26 May 2023]

The first episode looks similar to Supernatural. Let's see what's next. So far so good, has a decent watchability. Hopefully it will not be bogged down to social issues but a luring fable.

The sense of humour is not as good as Supernatural but it is still OK. German places in 90-ies. The actors are pretty ok. Some family mistery and a kind of dark heritage.

I am actually wondering if it's closer to Supernatural or Grimm with some elements of the Stranger Things or even Dark. I think it's really a positive surprise to me (as Netflix is playing on my nerves these days). Anyway enjoy the series! 🙂