As I watched the series, I related it to a lot of different horror animes I have seen, in terms of how the storyline moves. Baccano! and Paranoia Agent both have a storyline that moves out of chronological order, and various clues are given in each episode to show how the characters are connected and what the overall plot is. Divine works in this way, and so far they are doing a great job at it. I like watching a show that leaves me figuring things out and asking questions. I think Ivan Hayden needs to push more for the comic book feel that he is going for, but knowing there are more episodes being written, I can understand that the series is evolving. I like the show a lot and I enjoy Divine's relationship with Father Andrew. I can't wait to see more of their interactions. I'd recommend the show to anyone.
14 Reviews
I'm loving the series, and I hope to see more.
MintyTea29 December 2011
Divine: The Series is a beautiful and dark web series with the feel of a graphic novel. Considering that it has a low budget and relies heavily on the generosity of volunteers, it is shining example of what people can achieve when they work together as a team.
With the brilliant minds of Ivan Hayden, Kirk Jacques, Jason Fischer, Misha Collins, and many more fueling the web series, this show truly has a lot of potential. If you are familiar with CW's Supernatural, then these people are not strangers, and it just makes Divine: The Series all the more exciting to watch.
Each of the characters are truly unique, and since it's a new series, you really don't yet know everything that's going on in their heads. This leaves you wanting more because only bits and pieces are revealed at a time. This also leaves plenty of room for character development, which I'm sure will be seen more in the future if the series can create more episodes.
The actors, which include such names as Ben Hollingsworth, Dan Payne, Allen Sawkins, Misha Collins, and Chasty Ballesteros, really give it their all despite only having mere minutes of screen time. With more time to develop their characters through additional episodes, the performances will only get better.
The visuals are stunning, and especially, again, considering how little the show has to actually work with. It is certainly dark and broody, which is just perfect for the troubled clergy and the mysterious Divine (along with his companion). The sets are well-planned and the various forms of special effects also tie everything together.
A great amount of effort goes into everything that is done with the web series, which is why I think that it can really go somewhere if it can get all the support it can. Also, there are subtitles available in English, as well as other languages, which is definitely a plus. This means that many more people can connect with the show, including those with hearing issues. Not many web series I've encountered have implemented this, so it really stands out.
All in all, I think Divine: The Series is a fantastic show with room to grow, and I am looking forward to seeing more episodes in the future!
With the brilliant minds of Ivan Hayden, Kirk Jacques, Jason Fischer, Misha Collins, and many more fueling the web series, this show truly has a lot of potential. If you are familiar with CW's Supernatural, then these people are not strangers, and it just makes Divine: The Series all the more exciting to watch.
Each of the characters are truly unique, and since it's a new series, you really don't yet know everything that's going on in their heads. This leaves you wanting more because only bits and pieces are revealed at a time. This also leaves plenty of room for character development, which I'm sure will be seen more in the future if the series can create more episodes.
The actors, which include such names as Ben Hollingsworth, Dan Payne, Allen Sawkins, Misha Collins, and Chasty Ballesteros, really give it their all despite only having mere minutes of screen time. With more time to develop their characters through additional episodes, the performances will only get better.
The visuals are stunning, and especially, again, considering how little the show has to actually work with. It is certainly dark and broody, which is just perfect for the troubled clergy and the mysterious Divine (along with his companion). The sets are well-planned and the various forms of special effects also tie everything together.
A great amount of effort goes into everything that is done with the web series, which is why I think that it can really go somewhere if it can get all the support it can. Also, there are subtitles available in English, as well as other languages, which is definitely a plus. This means that many more people can connect with the show, including those with hearing issues. Not many web series I've encountered have implemented this, so it really stands out.
All in all, I think Divine: The Series is a fantastic show with room to grow, and I am looking forward to seeing more episodes in the future!
An amazing internet series whose time has come!
Patricia_Casey25 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
What an amazing concept whose time has come! In today's age of "Smart Phones" and tablet computers on the go, the time has come for mobile internet programming and Divine: The Series fits the bill perfectly. Little snippets of about 10-15 minutes each that you can watch on your smart phone while waiting at the bus stop or taking a taxi across town without killing your battery. The show is done in a non-linear fashion so that it doesn't really matter what order you watch the episodes in but the order the Producers, Writers, and Director have placed the episodes gives you a maddening amount of questions in each episode, the next episode answers a few questions and leaves you with a lot of new questions.
From the very first episode Divine: The Series graphically reaches out and grabs you and makes you say "What in the world was that?" and then makes you ravenous to see the next episode so you can try and figure out what you just saw and watch the episode again to see what little 'easter eggs' you might have missed. The acting is excellent and the lighting and visual effects are superbly done with a very small budget. This show is a labor of love for many people and the graphic novel/comic book feel of the show's lighting and story can be seen throughout.
The plot of the story revolves around Cesar Divine (played by Dan Payne), Deacon Jim (played by Allen Sawkins), Father Andrew (played by Ben Hollingsworth), Father Christopher (played by Misha Collins) and Jin (played by Chasty Ballesteros). We see Divine in different situations battling the powers of evil and the miracle of his continued existence. We have yet to fully receive the answers of exactly who or what Divine is only that he is a tortured soul who tries to protect the innocent in the world without regard to his own pain and suffering. We have a mysterious antagonist, Scorn (played by John Emmet Tracy), we've only seen briefly in Episode 5: Bestiality along with the beautiful hawk (Mohave) that seems to be his ever watchful eyes. Then we have Father Andrew who seems to be our young priest trying to come to terms with his own crisis of faith and faced with the reality that is Divine! Also notable is a voice only appearance by Teryl Rothery playing the mother of Father Andrew in Episode 3: Feed Him For Life. I feel Episode 6: Lips of Men was the best of all the episodes as we get a lot more hints into what this series will show us in the future and some of the things that have already happened. This is also the episode where we find out more about the series namesake Divine and really get into the nuts and bolts of the story. Of course, it wouldn't be an episode of Divine: The Series if it didn't also raise a whole crop of new questions for us! Episode 6 shows us a very quiet and somber part of our story; the simple act of a man going to confession, but this isn't just any man, Cesar Divine is far from ordinary. The lighting at the beginning of the episode is absolutely stunning with the image of light shining through a cross cutout in a door perfectly placed across the face of Divine as he asks his god for forgiveness (in Latin even!).
All I can say is great acting and scripts, wonderful casting, fabulous crew, amazing visual effects and lighting effects (they even made cleaning a fresh fish for dinner something cool to look at) and an idea for an internet only series whose time has come! The best part, I feel, about this entire "experience" that is Divine: The Series is that you have many opportunities to relate to and correspond with the actors, cast and crew of the show through bloging, twitter, facebook and their YouTube page and they do take the time to interact with us on a very regular basis. My thanks to Maple Blood Productions, Divine: The Series, and Kirk Jaques and Ivan Hayden for bringing us this provocative and insightful series that will delve into all the beliefs you have, shake them around a bit, and make you look at them in an entirely different manner! Convert the World, Divinites!
From the very first episode Divine: The Series graphically reaches out and grabs you and makes you say "What in the world was that?" and then makes you ravenous to see the next episode so you can try and figure out what you just saw and watch the episode again to see what little 'easter eggs' you might have missed. The acting is excellent and the lighting and visual effects are superbly done with a very small budget. This show is a labor of love for many people and the graphic novel/comic book feel of the show's lighting and story can be seen throughout.
The plot of the story revolves around Cesar Divine (played by Dan Payne), Deacon Jim (played by Allen Sawkins), Father Andrew (played by Ben Hollingsworth), Father Christopher (played by Misha Collins) and Jin (played by Chasty Ballesteros). We see Divine in different situations battling the powers of evil and the miracle of his continued existence. We have yet to fully receive the answers of exactly who or what Divine is only that he is a tortured soul who tries to protect the innocent in the world without regard to his own pain and suffering. We have a mysterious antagonist, Scorn (played by John Emmet Tracy), we've only seen briefly in Episode 5: Bestiality along with the beautiful hawk (Mohave) that seems to be his ever watchful eyes. Then we have Father Andrew who seems to be our young priest trying to come to terms with his own crisis of faith and faced with the reality that is Divine! Also notable is a voice only appearance by Teryl Rothery playing the mother of Father Andrew in Episode 3: Feed Him For Life. I feel Episode 6: Lips of Men was the best of all the episodes as we get a lot more hints into what this series will show us in the future and some of the things that have already happened. This is also the episode where we find out more about the series namesake Divine and really get into the nuts and bolts of the story. Of course, it wouldn't be an episode of Divine: The Series if it didn't also raise a whole crop of new questions for us! Episode 6 shows us a very quiet and somber part of our story; the simple act of a man going to confession, but this isn't just any man, Cesar Divine is far from ordinary. The lighting at the beginning of the episode is absolutely stunning with the image of light shining through a cross cutout in a door perfectly placed across the face of Divine as he asks his god for forgiveness (in Latin even!).
All I can say is great acting and scripts, wonderful casting, fabulous crew, amazing visual effects and lighting effects (they even made cleaning a fresh fish for dinner something cool to look at) and an idea for an internet only series whose time has come! The best part, I feel, about this entire "experience" that is Divine: The Series is that you have many opportunities to relate to and correspond with the actors, cast and crew of the show through bloging, twitter, facebook and their YouTube page and they do take the time to interact with us on a very regular basis. My thanks to Maple Blood Productions, Divine: The Series, and Kirk Jaques and Ivan Hayden for bringing us this provocative and insightful series that will delve into all the beliefs you have, shake them around a bit, and make you look at them in an entirely different manner! Convert the World, Divinites!
Great start, hope to see more!
mystofavalon31 December 2011
Divine is quickly hitting its stride as a great web series. The production value is outstanding, and the scripts just keep getting tighter and tighter. I love the non-linear story line and how the creators like to keep the audience guessing. I watch several web series, and Divine is the best for giving off that graphic novel feel. For every clue you get, there are about 10 more questions. I hope they get to film the rest, I need to know how it ends!
In addition to being very deep, visually appealing, and highly entertaining, Divine has a fantastic cast and crew that are very friendly and accessible to their fans. Interacting with them makes the entire viewing experience even more of a pleasure. They truly believe in the project and have poured all of their heart and soul into it. Give it a try!
In addition to being very deep, visually appealing, and highly entertaining, Divine has a fantastic cast and crew that are very friendly and accessible to their fans. Interacting with them makes the entire viewing experience even more of a pleasure. They truly believe in the project and have poured all of their heart and soul into it. Give it a try!
Simply amazing!
rockdawgsapparel27 December 2011
I had heard about this web series and decided to check it out. I'm glad I did, its the best web series out there. There are so many different web series online now but this one is different. From the professional look to the story you won't be disappointed. It left me hanging and wanting more. I hope there's more to come. With so much junk on TV it's nice to watch something that is different. I had to go back and watch them all over again so I could understand the complete story. Such a talented cast, from Dan Payne as the lead character to his counterpart Chasty, it's well done. I really hope to see more of John Emmet Tracy as he's a very talented actor.
Intriguing, visually rich, and innovative!
Dreambound29 December 2011
I was a skeptic when I first discovered the premise of Divine -- during its Kickstarter fundraising campaign. It sounded like a pretty generic concept until I watched the fundraising video. By the end of the video, I was hooked.
Genre-wise, the series fits with other scifi and fantasy genre shows I enjoy, it interests me with the unique take on religion as preached and lived, and the acting is compelling and enjoyable.
It's a visually appealing series, to say the least. It reminds me of graphic novels, comic books, and video games, and I really hope they capitalize on this and expand the Divine franchise into these fields. I would love to play the Divine video game someday!
The episodes themselves have only a few weak points, and I think this is a result of only having six episodes out so far. Most North American shows have 22 episodes of ~40 minutes each to establish their characters, plot, background, and so on, so some of the characters can seem confusing or weird because you just don't know who they are and what their motivations are yet. A few rewatches of the episodes can help, and in the meantime, we'll just have to wait patiently for more episodes to find out the rest!
The bite-sized episodes aren't a limitation of the series; instead, I think they make it better, because the producers have had to compress character development and plot arcs into short episodes with no filler or pointless dialogue. Every line is potentially important. It also makes it easier to watch these episodes when you're on the go, because you don't have to dedicate an hour of your life to each episode!
Oh, and this web-series has closed captions or subtitles for each episode -- English, French, German, Italian, Persian, Russian, and Spanish are available for episode 1. That's very unusual for a web-series (unfortunately!), and I hope others take a lesson from this! It really opens up the series to international and hearing impaired audiences.
I'm always interested in projects that break the traditional funding model, and the community-backed support for Divine was inspiring to watch! I was fascinated by how readily people responded to this potential new model and hope other web-series can do the same in the future.
This is a web-series that I'd call very innovative in several ways, visually rich, and from the point of view of a writer, intriguing. Can't wait to see more!
Genre-wise, the series fits with other scifi and fantasy genre shows I enjoy, it interests me with the unique take on religion as preached and lived, and the acting is compelling and enjoyable.
It's a visually appealing series, to say the least. It reminds me of graphic novels, comic books, and video games, and I really hope they capitalize on this and expand the Divine franchise into these fields. I would love to play the Divine video game someday!
The episodes themselves have only a few weak points, and I think this is a result of only having six episodes out so far. Most North American shows have 22 episodes of ~40 minutes each to establish their characters, plot, background, and so on, so some of the characters can seem confusing or weird because you just don't know who they are and what their motivations are yet. A few rewatches of the episodes can help, and in the meantime, we'll just have to wait patiently for more episodes to find out the rest!
The bite-sized episodes aren't a limitation of the series; instead, I think they make it better, because the producers have had to compress character development and plot arcs into short episodes with no filler or pointless dialogue. Every line is potentially important. It also makes it easier to watch these episodes when you're on the go, because you don't have to dedicate an hour of your life to each episode!
Oh, and this web-series has closed captions or subtitles for each episode -- English, French, German, Italian, Persian, Russian, and Spanish are available for episode 1. That's very unusual for a web-series (unfortunately!), and I hope others take a lesson from this! It really opens up the series to international and hearing impaired audiences.
I'm always interested in projects that break the traditional funding model, and the community-backed support for Divine was inspiring to watch! I was fascinated by how readily people responded to this potential new model and hope other web-series can do the same in the future.
This is a web-series that I'd call very innovative in several ways, visually rich, and from the point of view of a writer, intriguing. Can't wait to see more!
Talent & intrigue
charlottekinzie-974-763273 January 2012
There is a lot of talent behind this production and it shows. It's kind of like being sucked into a live version of a graphic novel - and by the time you get out the other side you're questioning everything.
Great acting, great script - stunningly beautiful scenery and lighting. Fans of the genre will LOVE it. I would recommend that everyone give it a try - the story is solid and I was surprised that I grew to care about the characters in such a short period of time.
Very visceral - a bit classic and a bit forward-thinking. It's the kind of show that makes you think.
I'd love to see more of this.
Great acting, great script - stunningly beautiful scenery and lighting. Fans of the genre will LOVE it. I would recommend that everyone give it a try - the story is solid and I was surprised that I grew to care about the characters in such a short period of time.
Very visceral - a bit classic and a bit forward-thinking. It's the kind of show that makes you think.
I'd love to see more of this.
Excellent series
mcyunger6527 December 2011
If you are looking for cut and dry entertainment, then this series isn't for you! If you are looking to be entertained with creative and thoughtful content, then this series IS for you! Read the overview, read our comments, but make sure you watch Divine the Series with your mind open for your own interpretations. The concept is Christianity based but it doesn't matter what you believe, because the excellent actors and production will draw you into the story. The series is full of dark content, but you HAVE to watch! The characters are evil, hopeful, raw, but never cut and dried! The story is non linear, so the time-line will change and new characters and situations will leave you with more questions, so re-watching each episode is a must! You get to use your brain! Enjoy the series, and pray, cross your fingers, consult the latest spells, whatever you need to do, to help get more episodes. I also recommend divinetheseries.com to "learn" more; Ivan is there, sometimes, when he's not hiding!
Great web series
dfreya27 December 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this and being able to fully enjoy it in one afternoon. The episodes are short but contain a good amount of action and the dialogue is great. I was highly impressed with the visual effects as well and the acting is brilliant. The concept is very interesting and I hope to see where the story goes. I look forward to seeing the characters develop and finding out more of how they have come together. I would like to see how Divine ended up in the mission and how he and Jin became sidekicks. I also want to see more about the origins of Divine. I fully support projects like this and was pleased to see that Maple Blood Productions is a Vancouver based company and that the series is filmed there. I highly recommend this web series and will keep checking the web site for updates on future episodes.
Divine: the Series
KMSee28 December 2011
Divine: the Series has the stylings of a graphic novel, the action, pathos and effects of a movie and a creative team to be reckoned with. Maple Blood Productions and Divine: the series Creator and Director, Ivan Hayden really pulls out all the stops with this exciting new show. If you're looking for a show that does more than just run images across your screen while your brain switches off, if you're looking for a show that leaves you gasping, anticipating and questioning motives, consequences, causes and direction then Divine: the Series is for you!
And that's not even the half of what makes Divine: the series great. The crew are incredibly involving too, sharing Behind The Scenes photos and videos, along with podcasts and interviews and blogs ensuring an unparalleled connection with the audience.
And that's not even the half of what makes Divine: the series great. The crew are incredibly involving too, sharing Behind The Scenes photos and videos, along with podcasts and interviews and blogs ensuring an unparalleled connection with the audience.
"Divine: The Series"
zipp-barbie3 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
My first review. A friend sent me the link for 'Divine: The Series'. Below the banner I read, "A young priest must come to terms with his crisis of faith or risk damnation to the soul of a living miracle. With man's freewill held in the balance, the bloody conflict surrounding the immortal being known as Divine will take him further into his religion than ever he dreamed possible."
Not a genre that I would normally watch, but was intrigued by the first fast paced 'web-episode', I just had to click and see more.
Visit the website and watch 'behind' the scenes. I then really needed to see more.It was great to see the make-up magic and the crazy cool stunt choreography.
Check it out http://www.divinetheseries.com/
Not a genre that I would normally watch, but was intrigued by the first fast paced 'web-episode', I just had to click and see more.
Visit the website and watch 'behind' the scenes. I then really needed to see more.It was great to see the make-up magic and the crazy cool stunt choreography.
Check it out http://www.divinetheseries.com/
Loved it!
RefrigeratedSocksLovesNOVK27 December 2011
I watched this shows first 6 episodes as they were released and every episode was great! The special effects were awesome and the way the plot kind of jumped around a bit was really cool cause it left you with a lot of questions and suspense which is always good in horror. Since the people making this were using all of their own funding they had to gather up a bunch of people who were willing to participate in the project without getting paid...how awesome is that that they were able to acquire such a huge well rounded team of people willing to work for nothing? I'm envious of their awesomeness! and in terms of acting: Some of the actors were amazing...in particular Dan Payne and Ben Hollingsworth! They both did amazingly and had me craving more of their story lines. If you haven't watched this yet and you like horror and/or fantasy stuff and you won't be offended by heavy religious imagery then you should definitely watch this show! Its available to watch for free on their website! what's better than free? nothing!
was really good
kathrynza11 November 2011
I really enjoyed the series and thought it was very original and interesting and creative and dark and weird but in a good way was captivating from first episode to the final thought all the actors did a convincing performance hope Misha Collins is my favorite actor didn't realise he was a producer and director he did a great performance and is very talented and very handsome too it surprises me how well he plays these serious characters as he playful and funny in real life anyway really enjoyed the series and hope it will be available to buy on DVD hope Misha produces and directs more shows as he is brilliant at it and is good to see stuff from his imagination and stuff even though Misha is my favorite actor I also thought the rest of the cast were great too
Could be the best sci-fi series on the web right now
chisenbloke798 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
*** Possible minor spoilers ***
I checked Divine: the Series out recently and I have to say I'm impressed. Here's my opinion on why this series could be the best sci-fi series on the web right now:
First off the filming quality is incredible. The show obviously has a budget to do something decent. Nothing I've found on the web looks this damn good. The other reviews mention comic book style - yes, it does have that look, which is cool. Lots of shots of people's eyes.
Intelligent story. There's nothing worse than watching some new show and its obvious they are trying to make something out of nothing. Not the case here. The story details religious debate and human struggles, and so far it has been done in an interesting way that doesn't feel old. Not much is revealed in the first 5 episodes (only 10-ish minutes long each) but there could be a lot brewing under the surface. Here's hoping that's the case.
Edgy violence and gore. It may not float everyone's boat, but I like my blood and guts IF they are well done, and this show does not disappoint. Check out the demon baby in episode 2 for something you don't see every day. ("baby's always hungry ")
Badass character's. Misha Collins does his Supernatural origins proud. I have to say even the priests are cool. Dan Payne, great. Allen Sawkins, great. Haven't seen much of John Emmet Tracy yet, but he is one spooky dude. Impressive acting all around, as far as I can tell.
Surprisingly good score. I checked the credits and it looks like its all original music. Nice touch.
Overall in my opinion, this series has earned its stars so far. Episodes longer than ten minutes would be nice. Good potential. I could really become a fan, and I'm usually right about these things.
I checked Divine: the Series out recently and I have to say I'm impressed. Here's my opinion on why this series could be the best sci-fi series on the web right now:
First off the filming quality is incredible. The show obviously has a budget to do something decent. Nothing I've found on the web looks this damn good. The other reviews mention comic book style - yes, it does have that look, which is cool. Lots of shots of people's eyes.
Intelligent story. There's nothing worse than watching some new show and its obvious they are trying to make something out of nothing. Not the case here. The story details religious debate and human struggles, and so far it has been done in an interesting way that doesn't feel old. Not much is revealed in the first 5 episodes (only 10-ish minutes long each) but there could be a lot brewing under the surface. Here's hoping that's the case.
Edgy violence and gore. It may not float everyone's boat, but I like my blood and guts IF they are well done, and this show does not disappoint. Check out the demon baby in episode 2 for something you don't see every day. ("baby's always hungry ")
Badass character's. Misha Collins does his Supernatural origins proud. I have to say even the priests are cool. Dan Payne, great. Allen Sawkins, great. Haven't seen much of John Emmet Tracy yet, but he is one spooky dude. Impressive acting all around, as far as I can tell.
Surprisingly good score. I checked the credits and it looks like its all original music. Nice touch.
Overall in my opinion, this series has earned its stars so far. Episodes longer than ten minutes would be nice. Good potential. I could really become a fan, and I'm usually right about these things.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
