Firebite (2021–2022) User Reviews

Not Great, But Not Terrible

[trademarcdesigns · 6/10 · 16 December 2021]

Caveat - I've only seen one episode, so please take that into consideration when reading this review.

The show focuses on an Indigenous Australian father-daughter team of vampire hunters operating in the area of a series of abandoned opal mines in the Outback. And we have all the usual clichés: dad is a ne'er-do-well who loves his kid but leaves most of the parenting to her, the over-achieving daughter is openly bullied because of her race, the tough-but-kindly ex-girlfriend is picking up the slack, and the vampires were brought to Australia (along with guns and smallpox) by the evil British "colonizers" to subdue the indigenous population. It's a simplistic world view, but since the target audience for this show appears to be young adults, we shouldn't expect Tolstoy.

On the plus side, the acting is competent, the Outback is stunning and the show is at least as good as any of the other vampire-zombie-demon hunting shows out there. And this one has one big plus - it's not one of those shows aimed at young teenagers but peppered with f-bombs and sex scenes that would be inappropriate for the said-same audience.

I will probably update this review after I've had a chance to watch a couple more episodes. But so far I have to say that though it's not great, it's not terrible, either.

Only ok

[info-5918 · 5/10 · 18 December 2021]

Visually great, and an interesting setting, but it sort of comes across as ultimately, your cliche bad guy vampires vs some good guy underdogs... not too different to the many straight to video vampire movies.

There's some very heavy handed politics tossed in from the start, (the white people that came to Australia were all vampires apparently) which is clumsy and really, may be of interest to some people, but seems to be oddly shoehorned into the whole thing and is a bit obvious. The messaging could of been done, but may be a bit more subtlely.

The photography and setting is great, and it has a mad max feel.

Storyline wise, its nothing special. Some of the acting isn't great, though overall its ok.

Vampires are a bit cliche.

Overall, could have been better if the villains were a bit less 2D, and if more importance was given to the story than the political messaging.

Great for in the background when you're doing laundry

[degrees-33365 · 5/10 · 17 December 2021]

It's really not a terrible show - it's just not too exciting or great either.

The plot and characters feels re-used from a thousand other stories, the acting is quite ok and the special effects are kinda bland.

Having said that, it's watchable. It just won't blow your mind in any way or make you desperate for the next episode.

5/10.

What A Nothing Show

[classic-cap · 3/10 · 16 December 2021]

There is really nothing in this show,

the acting is ok, nothing to scoff at for being really bad, or nothing to impress you, just bland.

The story is bland and has been done probably about 100 times now, with nothing new aspect it is set in Australia.

And I can not think of anything else to add, like what my title says this show has nothing.

Rubbish is a good name for it

[boggie4758 · 3/10 · 13 January 2022]

I forced myself to watch all of episode 1 and it took all my strength to do so. The acting was just terrible and so was the writing. I did like the fact it took place in Australia and the opal mines that was different but, the rest of it was not worth watching. I give this one a thumbs down.

I don't watch vampire stuff, but can't resist Rob Collins

[thejdrage · 7/10 · 3 January 2022]

When a movie has great Australian scenery AND Rob Collins, I have at least give it a watch. I had no idea this was about vampires. I don't "do" vampires. I watched the first season of "The Walking Dead" and when the second season came around, it was literally the same as the first. That was that. The Twilight Saga cracked me up with all the pale "beautiful" people. Can't look at Robert Patterson to this day without cringing at exactly how white white can be (and I am Scottish white, so...). He makes my skin crawl. But back to Rob Collins and Shantae Barnes-Cowan and the rest of the amazing native Australian actors in this series. What a breath of fresh air! If not a bit dusty, but you know what I mean. Reviewers who say it's all old stuff, well, what vampire movie isn't. From what I've read, this actually is a new take on vampires and their hunters. Come on now - Vampires brought over with the first convict ships!? Who thought of THAT before!? And while they are just turning people in Episode 3, at least they aren't sleeping with them ad nauseam. Reviewers who say it's all about "me too" and "racism" are right. It's part of the story. It's part of Australian (and American and any where else) history. Don't get your panties in a twist over it when it's part of the story. Geeze. And you call yourselves woke. Wake up and just enjoy the ride in the outback!! Yes, it's bumpy. If you don't like it - don't watch it.

Bad in everything except acting

[Evil-fennec · 3/10 · 16 January 2022]

First of all: we, viewers, are not stupid, ok?

If you want tell a story about racism and discrimination ingenious Australian people, can you just try to make it interesting and non clishe? And this tv-show doesn't even try a bit.

Vampires are stupid as hell (so there is a question why hunters have't kill them all before, because vampires are really stupid and weak).

People are stupid too. If they are white they are not only stupid, but also cruel and bad. See a white character? He/she will be a a***le, or a vampire. Or both.

Some good character motivation? Nah. Charismatic characters? Nah. Maybe some interesting plot? Nah. Forget about it.

On another way i really like acting!

Shantae Barnes-Cowan is brilliant and awesome, Rob Collins also great in playing miserable pathetic dude.

Ngaire Pigram's Kitty is to good for all other characters.

Callan Mulvey deserves better - his character is just typical flat Bad Vampire.

But honestly i'd prefer all this cool actress and actors in some GOOD tv-show.

A Long In The Tooth Tale With An Excellent New, And Original, Approach!

[silicontourist · 8/10 · 8 January 2022]

I thought television land had moved on from the plethora of Vampire series that we, the viewers, were bombarded with a few years back; I think about a quarter of all TV series back then were Vampire programs. So I was surprised when I saw that this was yet another one but, after the first episode it was obvious that this was NOT just another one.

So when I see namstonk rambling on about his 'Woke rubbish' and 'Lefty Wokes' (a truly numb-nut stupid word used by wannabe trendy peeps these days that I cannot stand) and calling it boring and unoriginal its a shame! Its not at all the same old vampire stuff (as they mention) that has been regurgitated for 2021/2022. It has taken a whole new approach to the old legends (especially with it being based on Aboriginal tales of England sending vampires over to wipe out the indigenous people of Australia to prepare for their take over).

They don't live in the cellars of old houses or crypts etc but in the old opal mine shafts, caves and tunnels. They are more or less feral animals and live aimlessly...until we see the new elder (or King as they are known in this series). The vampire killers are utter amateurs in their badly executed but lucky exploits and as a father and daughter, they are nothing like any well organized van Helsing's of the old world...and they are not called van Helsing by the way.

I think I would be absolutely correct that the likes of the negative reviewers - who say its the same old seen before stuff - have NEVER seen vampire hunters using boomerangs and power drills. Its great to see an almost all aboriginal cast spearheading this new wave of bloodsucking TV. The acting is good and very laid back but not too slow and I cannot wait for the next 4 episodes of the current season 1.

Great premise held back by script development

[rich-mac · 6/10 · 8 January 2022]

I like the premise of Firebite - its a great take on an old and well exploited trope - and no doubt a useful way to make use of old opal mines to boot.

There is a BUT though, and that relates to script development, which for me doesn't make the most of either the setup or characters. There is also an air of predictability, but I can forgive it for that - mostly.

With more work this show could have easily been an 8, but for me the script limitations hold back and compromise it - that being said I'll keep watching to see how it might improve.

Poor acting makes it unwatchable after about 2 epsiodes

[lunkentuss-49303 · 2/10 · 6 January 2022]

Some nice ideas but really poor acting makes the rating low. Some actors/actresses are so bad that it´s a wonder how they got casted. Would love to have seen this with "real" actors and I would probably been able to enjoy it so much more.

Cool Vampire Show from The Outback

[sarine_voltage · 8/10 · 4 March 2022]

Australia, awesome sound track, vampires, and vampire-hunters... who could ask for anything more?!?

The acting is fine and the sets are really pretty well done. So it's a little slow or odd here and there and so the "special effects" aren't the kind that cost $3 million--who really cares? It's not that kind of show (which the low-raters would realize if they were cool, but they're not, so don't even worry about their comments).

Did i mention the music? I'd watch it for the interesting and compelling soundtrack alone and want to specially thank Dan Luscombe, Gareth Liddiard, Michael Darren, Jemma Burns, and Leyla Varela (who most likely go unnoticed or under appreciated but who matter hugely): THANK YOU!!! (No, I have no connection with/don't know them, it's just hard to find new shows that feature sounds that are appealing and when I do find one, I very much appreciate it).

I predict this will be a cult classic (if it isn't already), so if you're down with that sort of thing, go make some popcorn and check it out.

A Fresh New Bite

[owen-watts · 6/10 · 12 May 2022]

Structurally quite flabby and endearingly cheap at times but Firebite is a genuinely interesting new take on vampire lore aided by some strong central characters (and performances) that really make it worth sticking with. A potential cult classic in the making.

OMG

[saltpieter · 1/10 · 23 December 2021]

Utter garbage.

Plot is corny, characters are rubbish and storyline is chaotic.

OK now they're the good points!

Do not waste time on this show, it seriously is a load of garbage.

Cheap special effects & bad fight scenes.

[bentate · 4/10 · 3 January 2022]

You would think that a show on premium subscription service like AMC+ would have good Vampire make-up and effects but nope. The Vamp fight scenes are oddly done with some sudden slow motion close ups spliced into the middle of the action. I like the idea of it being set in the Opal mines area of Australia. Hopefully it will improve but I don't have high hopes for it.

Promotes child abuse. Bad writing & editing.

[emmacameron · 1/10 · 17 December 2021]

There is nothing good say about this other than the acting is ok. It just goes downhill from there. After watching the first episode I will not bother watching any more. The writing is attrocious, and the editing makes me want to scoop my eyes out with a melon baller. I can see what they are going for, but missed the mark entirely.

The vile child abuse perpetrated by the main character is horrific, and dressed up as heroic behaviour. Disgusting!

A truly disturbing watch for all the wrong reasons.

It's not bad!

[craigs902 · 6/10 · 1 March 2022]

I'm into the 2ep and I'm enjoying a different take on the vampire culture. Filmed in Coober Pedy it's a stark, dusty place for this outback First Nation people tale. It's a good tongue in cheek story of vampires a bit like Znation, so I think if you liked that you should enjoy this.

Not very good.

[conmck-2 · 4/10 · 27 March 2022]

Amazon Prime has the show sitting with a 7.3 IMDB rating, which is one of the main reasons I decided to watch. However, when you check IMDB, Firebite is only ranked at a 5.3 which fits better, but I gave it a 4. Boring. Too much creeping (poorly, if that is possible) around in vampire caves. Episode 4 has a total black out scene with only grunts and 'ughs' as our heros battle vampires in the dark. Acting is so-so. Young Neeks only has one level of emotion - sullen. I know it's hard to find a good scary movie. I took a chance on this one, but it's not it.

Haters gonna hate,... ignore the fake reviews.

[pidstr · 8/10 · 1 January 2022]

The Alt-Right idiots are spewing fake reviews, and the lefties will praise the 'indigenous content' without even watching.

And, this is one to watch. Yes, there is a bit of 'hard done by' in the writing for the Koori characters, but it's not over done, and it's there to show the characters have depth and feeling.

Some of the characters have a little too much cliche - the white cop implying the witness to an attack was drunk in episode 3 for example - but on the whole, it's no more then you'd expect to hear if you were privy to private conversations, and that's situations you see the characters in, private places, or where they thought they weren't being heard, or just school bullies being dickheads,..

Some of the acting is stilted, no doubt due to the experience level of some of the more local actors, with this show being the only experience listed on their credits pages.

Rob Collins, Shantae Brown-Cowan, Tessa Rose and Ngaire Pigram all stand out as actors to watch, here and in the future.

As for the technical arts, the sound is crisp and dialog clean, the visuals are fantastic, and the editing keeps the show paced along just fast enough, all working together well to keep the view in the story, rather then noticing the hard work done to get this level of production quality.

It's well worth a watch, even if just to form your own opinion, rather then follow the political effluencers comments.

Just nog good.

[Dirk-Janssens8 · 6/10 · 17 December 2021]

I hoped I liked this one but no. The acting is not good and a boring story. I lost interest after 20 minutes. I don't believe it is going to be better in the next episodes. This is a one season serie.

The Message

[melcraig204 · 1/10 · 13 May 2022]

The writers are to busy getting their message shoe horned into this. Rather than writing a compelling story. It's almost child like in its stupidity. I would have loved to have watched an Australian vampire movie but we get spoon fed someone's mental illness instead...

Way better than Twilight!

[khrome70 · 8/10 · 30 December 2021]

I don't know why so many haters on here. Are you expecting an Academy Award winning series or something? I guess most of the bad reviews are from those that enjoyed rubbish like Twilight.

This is a whole new slant on Vampires although some say it's been done before. Not like this it hasn't but seriously, how many different ways can you portray vampires?

I watched the first two episodes and find myself eagerly awaiting the third.

Bloody great way to pass the day.

I thought this was a comedy

[buddymoney · 7/10 · 7 February 2022]

This series does a disservice to the aboriginal people. Fighting vampires with broken broomsticks, pencils and a complete lack of brains throws vampire lore out the window. Finally, the acting and production value are good except for the young girl. She creates the nightmare in the series and brings down the concept. But this series does show that there are extremely talented people in all corners of the world. I would watch a 2nd season but I think it will be tough to get the average person to watch beyond episode 2.

It took me to episode 4 to get into it.

[runtimepictures · 5/10 · 6 February 2022]

I hated all the characters at first but they grow on you once you understand the story. Defiantly a kind of vampire meets mad max thing with a hint of woke going on. Its not "Batwoman" woke that tries to tech you a lesson. Unless of course it's being ready to throw down at a moments notice.

Its low budget for sure but it works. Curious to see how season 2 goes.

These Vampires Suck and not in a good way!

[jjackson3rd · 5/10 · 25 January 2022]

I can get into the premise of outback Vampires. But other than needing blood there is nothing preternatural or interesting about these blogs suckers. They don't have superhuman strength or Supernatural abilities. For that matter the blood hunters have no exceptional skills either. They kill with huge boomerangs for weapons and they aren't even sharp! I think this show is more an allegory for black aboriginal oppression in Australia, but even fails at that. There are some witty tongue n cheek lines by the main character, Tyson. And a lot of Cool Australian Punk music!

Ouch!

[akira-hideyo · 3/10 · 21 January 2022]

Just bite me mate and drive a stake through me mate for watching up till now so late.

Production value seems decent but dreary storyline cum pace is clearly an Aussie buggeroo thingie. Is my stake ready yet? Medium rare please! Ouch.