I was first drawn to this series when I read someone compare it to Taboo. There some similarities for example the quality of the writing, the storytelling and the high calibre of acting. There are shades of John Carpenter's The Thing, and later on, The Shining, but it gives way to something higher, almost supernatural and spiritual. The last four episodes of this magnificent series have left me shaken and stunned and deeply moved. I can recommend this series wholeheartedly and say it is one of the best I've seen in the past years. That is up there with Breaking Bad and more recently, Mindhunter. The acting is of the highest calibre, with the performances by the almost exclusively male cast, just magnificent. Jared Harris will hopefully be rewarded come awards time, as should the series itself, its beautiful production design, score and cinematography. Just a brilliant series really. This series will linger for a very long time, in my mind.
9 Reviews
Haunting, Heartbreaking but Beautiful
jamericanbeauty22 May 2018
This series better clean-up during awards season! The series was perfect! Perfect sound, production and acting especially Adam Nagaitis and Jared Harris.
One Complaint: I wanted more of Cornelius Hickey's (well the man pretending to be Cornelius Hickey) backstory. He is evil yet captivating.
My eyes were not deceived
Thumper-11322 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The Terror has finally reached its conclusion tonight, and once again AMC has outdone themselves with this 10 episode series. Even this far in, we were still shown to the brutality, risks, sacrifices, and strong emotions among all of the remaining crew of the late Captain Sir John Franklin's expedition into the arctic.
Captain Francis Crozier is still struggling to lead his men to safety after having lost another one of his men over a brief refusal to cooperate from Cornelius Hickey's group. With him even among the group of Cornelius, he still doesn't lose hope in returning to his men.
Now in the presence of the mysterious Inuit monster once more, as well the men who have begun to fall sick over Dr. Henry Goodsir's personal tainted meat, most of Cornelius' group, including himself begin to fall prey to the monster. Even when they are able to defeat the monster once and for all, the remaining few men, now unable to even move, have nowhere else to go.
Meanwhile Lady Silence, whose real name is now found out to be Silna, finds the injured Francis Crozier and ends up treating him for a while until he is able to walk again. Later he finds his remaining crew still within the arctic, but was only able to make it just in time to see his last surviving man covered in jewelry freeze to death on his shoulder.
The effects in this show from glaciers, to snowy and rocky mountains, to frozen oceans were miraculous to gaze upon all throughout the series and especially this finale. Not only did it get the viewer to understand the atmosphere these men were surrounded by, but also the men themselves and the struggles they all had to go through throughout these 3 years of being stuck within the arctic.
The acting was also one of the biggest highlights of this series and episode. All of cast were mesmerizing to watch with their performances for their characters both main and supporting. As each episode went on, we could begin to see the slow pace of despair, corruption, emotion, and/or desperation occur among these men.
The story of these men were also amazing to see, as even the slightest notes of decisions among these men ended up leading the story to great depths of hope and despair. An atmosphere such as this series would inevitably bring in some interesting conflicts and resolutions whether it was leadership, trust, food, lies, deaths or choices, and this series pulled them off perfectly.
Overall, a brilliant conclusion to the end of another great AMC series about the terror itself of survival, human instinct and fear. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who is not only interested in the certain historic elements of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition, but also viewing the elements of horror, drama and tragedy through a whole other perspective for this series.
Captain Francis Crozier is still struggling to lead his men to safety after having lost another one of his men over a brief refusal to cooperate from Cornelius Hickey's group. With him even among the group of Cornelius, he still doesn't lose hope in returning to his men.
Now in the presence of the mysterious Inuit monster once more, as well the men who have begun to fall sick over Dr. Henry Goodsir's personal tainted meat, most of Cornelius' group, including himself begin to fall prey to the monster. Even when they are able to defeat the monster once and for all, the remaining few men, now unable to even move, have nowhere else to go.
Meanwhile Lady Silence, whose real name is now found out to be Silna, finds the injured Francis Crozier and ends up treating him for a while until he is able to walk again. Later he finds his remaining crew still within the arctic, but was only able to make it just in time to see his last surviving man covered in jewelry freeze to death on his shoulder.
The effects in this show from glaciers, to snowy and rocky mountains, to frozen oceans were miraculous to gaze upon all throughout the series and especially this finale. Not only did it get the viewer to understand the atmosphere these men were surrounded by, but also the men themselves and the struggles they all had to go through throughout these 3 years of being stuck within the arctic.
The acting was also one of the biggest highlights of this series and episode. All of cast were mesmerizing to watch with their performances for their characters both main and supporting. As each episode went on, we could begin to see the slow pace of despair, corruption, emotion, and/or desperation occur among these men.
The story of these men were also amazing to see, as even the slightest notes of decisions among these men ended up leading the story to great depths of hope and despair. An atmosphere such as this series would inevitably bring in some interesting conflicts and resolutions whether it was leadership, trust, food, lies, deaths or choices, and this series pulled them off perfectly.
Overall, a brilliant conclusion to the end of another great AMC series about the terror itself of survival, human instinct and fear. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who is not only interested in the certain historic elements of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition, but also viewing the elements of horror, drama and tragedy through a whole other perspective for this series.
A terrific send off.
Sleepin_Dragon24 March 2021
In the final showdown Mister Hickey has Captain Crozier brought to him, he hatches a plan to take on the Tuunbaq.
It's been a tremendous series, and the finale is a worthy final episode. It's intriguing, gripping, revealing, and very exciting. There is a complexity to this episode, which is refreshing.
Several brilliant scenes, the first being the intense showdown between Hickey and Crozier, the second being the big showdown with The Tuunbaq, it's wonderful to learn of its origin, and the implications it's existence had for Lady Silence, Silna, nice that we finally get to learn her name.
Phenomenal acting, Jared Harris never puts a foot wrong.
I loved it, 10/10.
It's been a tremendous series, and the finale is a worthy final episode. It's intriguing, gripping, revealing, and very exciting. There is a complexity to this episode, which is refreshing.
Several brilliant scenes, the first being the intense showdown between Hickey and Crozier, the second being the big showdown with The Tuunbaq, it's wonderful to learn of its origin, and the implications it's existence had for Lady Silence, Silna, nice that we finally get to learn her name.
Phenomenal acting, Jared Harris never puts a foot wrong.
I loved it, 10/10.
A Nice Surprise
ryanpersaud-5941516 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The Good: the period costumes and sets are absolutely gorgeous. This show transports you into a different time and world and is uncompromising in its depiction. This show empathizes with all of its characters as individuals in a struggle, without losing sight of the broader historical context. I thought the performances were uniformly great. While I was skeptical about the fantasy aspect at first, I thought it was handled well and added to the spiritual, mystical aspect of Inuit and seafaring, colonial culture.
The Bad: I thought the series dragged just a bit; the turning point, when the crew leaves the ship took perhaps a bit too long for me to buy. It honestly felt like they were treading water in the middle to get to that point.
The Ugly: that Tunlaaq. Damn. Such a creepy, weird creature.
The Bad: I thought the series dragged just a bit; the turning point, when the crew leaves the ship took perhaps a bit too long for me to buy. It honestly felt like they were treading water in the middle to get to that point.
The Ugly: that Tunlaaq. Damn. Such a creepy, weird creature.
Solid end
Leofwine_draca20 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
And so THE TERROR comes to a solid end with this decent close to the storyline. The quality of the acting from Jared Harris is strong here although I do think that the Hickey role was slightly miscast and should have gone to a more charismatic actor. The action is well handled and the climax is slightly predictable but nonetheless effective.
Men In the Wilderness
searchanddestroy-129 May 2020
This amazing and terrific series has many influences, though being adapted from a Dan Simmons'novel. We think about MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, THE THING, MAN IN THE WILDERNESS, with a bit slim slice of PREDATOR, but set in the ice setting and in the nineteenth century. I am not that surprised that Ridley Scott himself produced this show. This is truly a terrifying, intelligent and brillant piece of work, with a superb character study too, in addition to riveting, brutal, shocking actio scenes for the common viewer. But this show is not flawless, in my own point of view. It could have been a bit shorter, five épisodes, that would have spared the audiences some lengths. but, I repeat, that's my own opinion.
We Are Gone
Prismark1015 February 2022
The Terror comes to a conclusion. It really is a tale of morality, madness and monster mayhem.
The monster being the Tuunbaq and the men who resorted to cannibalism.
Crozier is brought to the camp to meet Hickey. Dr Goodsir leaves behind his poisoned body knowing that Hickey and his followers will not be able to resist his meat.
There is some startling imagery in the final episode. Hickey offering his tongue to the Tuunbaq. A bizarre and useless sacrifice. It looked like some of it was inspired by Dante's Inferno.
For Crozier there is a future but it is with the Inuit.
The series did suffer for being overlong with pace being glacial at times. The final run of the episodes in the first series, ramped up the pace and the horror.
The monster being the Tuunbaq and the men who resorted to cannibalism.
Crozier is brought to the camp to meet Hickey. Dr Goodsir leaves behind his poisoned body knowing that Hickey and his followers will not be able to resist his meat.
There is some startling imagery in the final episode. Hickey offering his tongue to the Tuunbaq. A bizarre and useless sacrifice. It looked like some of it was inspired by Dante's Inferno.
For Crozier there is a future but it is with the Inuit.
The series did suffer for being overlong with pace being glacial at times. The final run of the episodes in the first series, ramped up the pace and the horror.
Season One Review
southdavid27 May 2021
Exceptionally late, I've finally gotten around to watching the first season of "The Terror" which aired on the BBC towards the end of 2020, whilst of undoubted quality - ultimately the pace of the series started to lose me, and I ended up skipping most of the second half of the season, to come back for the finale.
A two-ship expedition led by Captain John Franklin (Ciaran Hinds) tries to find a fabled northwest passage to aid quicker transportation around the Northern Coast of Canada/North America. The ships become trapped in the ice, and are forced to spend more than one winter in the tundra. As isolation, frostbite and eventually starvation take their toll on the crew, they are also picked off by a polar bear so unfeasibly large, as to be the stuff of nightmares.
Despite the enviable quality of the cast, despite the (mostly) excellent CGI and practical effects work, "The Terror" was just too slow for my taste. It may indeed have been my loss, but I feel it's telling that I missed four episodes, came back for the finale and didn't feel like I'd missed anything that made me struggle to understand what had happened. It was only a sense of interest in what the conclusion would be, that kept me from giving up entirely. This is again, accepting the fact that some of these actors I think are extraordinarily good, Ciaran Hinds, Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies and Paul Ready.
If the opportunity to watch the second season appears, I will approach that with an open mind, but I hope it proves a touch more dynamic than this one.
A two-ship expedition led by Captain John Franklin (Ciaran Hinds) tries to find a fabled northwest passage to aid quicker transportation around the Northern Coast of Canada/North America. The ships become trapped in the ice, and are forced to spend more than one winter in the tundra. As isolation, frostbite and eventually starvation take their toll on the crew, they are also picked off by a polar bear so unfeasibly large, as to be the stuff of nightmares.
Despite the enviable quality of the cast, despite the (mostly) excellent CGI and practical effects work, "The Terror" was just too slow for my taste. It may indeed have been my loss, but I feel it's telling that I missed four episodes, came back for the finale and didn't feel like I'd missed anything that made me struggle to understand what had happened. It was only a sense of interest in what the conclusion would be, that kept me from giving up entirely. This is again, accepting the fact that some of these actors I think are extraordinarily good, Ciaran Hinds, Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies and Paul Ready.
If the opportunity to watch the second season appears, I will approach that with an open mind, but I hope it proves a touch more dynamic than this one.
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