Cursed (2020) User Reviews

Curse broken

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 5 February 2022]

There was a lot of promise here. Just having Floki (Skarsgard from Vikings) play a version of Merlin you have not seen before ... well as they say in Greece, that is all the money. Which is high praise, in case it does not translate as well as I think it does.

Having said that, the show is not just about Merlin. We do have more of the Arthurian legend ... well retold! You have people/names that you probably recognize ... but you will not really recognize the side of them as they are portrayed here. Unfortunately a lot of times the show remains bland and a bit vague in certain respects. And while it does not seem to hold back any punches ... it does resolve and use a lot of cliches. Which is a shame all things considering.

What is a shame for sure, especially for those amongst you who actually loved this way more than I ultimately did (and I wanted to love it more): there will be no season 2. And with so many characters future being ... not fully told or resolved ... you might not be too happy about the cliffhangers and the open questions this leaves you with.

That being said, it does have really good production values and it does look good (and is quite violent, more than some may like I reckon). Acting is good and if the "woke" and inclusive mentality of it all does not bother you, you will have a lot to discover.

I tried

[stefyk13 · 6/10 · 17 July 2020]

I tried, I really did. But something's missing. My feeling is the actors' performances. But I don't understand why, because they are, generally, great actors. Still, the dullness and lack of spark were disappointing.

I actually like it

[anna_regenboog · 7/10 · 18 July 2020]

Reading all those negative reviews made me want to say something positive. It's very simple: I like it. It's not perfect, but it entertains me. And that's that. Good day!

A mish mash

[pendletonsa-91109 · 7/10 · 19 July 2020]

This show is obviously not trying to be one thing, or retell a story you know. It is trying to invent something new and create its own universe, albeit derived from existing material. I guess they made a mistake by borrowing familiar names. If everyone had been called something different I don't see how most of these negative reviews would be valid. I think it's good enough to keep watching, though it didn't hook me at first. If you go in with an open mindset and remember the show is trying to be playful with its namesakes and not butcher them, you might enjoy it.

I'm an Asian and this forced diversity is insulting.

[jponline-13293 · 1/10 · 26 July 2020]

I'm a big fan of Game of Thrones and I didn't get offended by their lack of diversity. Do you know how ridiculous it would look if a white guy was casted as a prince in Ming Dynasty? Hollywood really need to stop this PC nonsense and focus on producing quality shows. Have some backbone and dignity. This is a total trash and insults to the minority. I am a big fantasy fan but sorry, I had to give up after episode 2.

Decide For Yourself

[lukecole24 · 7/10 · 14 August 2020]

I was reluctant to give this a go. A lot of these reviews seem to be people who are crying over the lore. It's messed up for real but it's an alternative spin, it's something different.

It's a decent ride. I agree it doesn't know what it wants to be, it goes from some good action and fantasy to teenager love affair / empowerment frequently. Teething issues are to be expected and I hope it finds a good balance in new seasons. Some CGI good, some not so good.

I enjoyed this overall. If you're into fantasy TV and want a light hearted casual watch then this is a really good bet. If you're hardcore into lore and hate change, or you're expecting an epic in the GoT category, then don't bother. But do give it more than a couple of episodes.

Netflix did it again

[Asulgard · 1/10 · 17 July 2020]

I want to start by saying that one of my favorite shows of all time is Sense8 by Netflix. It is one of the most diverse shows ever made until today and it was breathtaking, strong and beautiful.. you know why? Because it had depth, quality, everything made sense and most importantly it wasn't forced. All the LGBTQ+ representation (and there was so much of it), diversity and everything worked flawlessly.

My point is

• Diversity = Good
• Forced diversity in the name of being progressive, to fill a quota = Bad
• Strong female lead = Good (Alien, Kill Bill, Annihilation etc)
• Man bashing female empowerment just for the sake of it = Bad (Starwars, the new Ghost Busters etc)

Everything got too political in our day and we just want unbiased entertainment. I personally don't want any political views regardless of the side (conservative, liberal, progressive, centrist doesn't matter which side it belongs to) shoved down our throats. Unless it is a show/movie about politics of our day, then you could run wild with it.

Make good Movies / TV, not propaganda.

Give it a chance

[joette-67783 · 9/10 · 20 July 2020]

The first couple of episodes move kind of slow but give it a chance because mid ways through the series it gets really good and the last episodes really get you wanting more, at least it did for me and my husband. The young actor, who plays the brother of the main actress (Squirrel) is an awesome little actor. I hope there is a season two. Overall I really enjoyed this series, a lot of good actors.

Better than people make it out to be

[christhemarl · 7/10 · 18 July 2020]

I am guessing most of the 1 star reviews are from people that watched only 1 episode, the show gets better as it goes and is a decent distraction.

Wasted potential

[jamhough · 3/10 · 16 August 2020]

This show was a big disappointment. The overall production of the show just feels off... It's poorly written and feels like the majority of the actors are just phoning it in and taking that juicy Netflix money. Some scenes even felt like and out and out parody.

I feel like if they created a show with feys and humans without shoehorning the King Arthur mythology into it, it could have been better. (Definitely couldn't have been worse!) The great British hero Arthur is reduced to a thief and a liar. Portrayed by an actor with the personality and screen presence of a brush. And considering Arthur was famous for defeating the Saxons this show skips the entire British invasion of Saxons and Jutes and advances Britain 200 years into the future to the Vikings invasion.

Some of the fight scenes are ok but they do little to redeem the overall production and tone of the show.

Entertaining eyecandy

[yespis · 8/10 · 19 July 2020]

Was eager to watch this and... I am not dissapointed. It could have been better, it could have been worse. I don't know why ppl hate it though. Cursed bring new life to the King Arthur legend. I think Skarsgård and Langford bring something really interesting to Cursed. As entertainment it is easy to watch, nice eyecandy and pretty OK action.

I'd loved to seen a better cast for some characters, like Arthur because him and Nimue are not well together. Sister Igraine is decent but does not fit the character at start. King Uther? Horrible. But after 10 episodes they all make sense.

Scenery and settings are pretty good. Story then? Jumpy. Too many different sidestories, too many characters to follow from time to time. Gets slightly confusing sometimes.

Overall I really like Cursed. I enjoyed watching it. Give it a chance. This is not GoT. It is not Witcher. This is the Arthur legend from a new point of view.

Hmm ... so much potential, but wasted.

[misko-mozolik · 6/10 · 18 July 2020]

First major issue. Lot of reviews are about that this show cannot decide, if this is a proper fantasy for adults or teenage romance drama. I agree and add one thing to this idea, that balance between this two formats is weird and for me, as more demanding viewer, dumb. Add 2 stars if you are casual viewer.

Second major issue is a lore of that world. You start watching it like: " there will be some paralel between legend of king Arthur and Excalibur sword". And that is mistake. Only the names are similar. I like historical accuracy, but this is about something else and it should be mentioned for example in first 5 min of show.

Third major issue is "Netflix pattern" for this shows. So rebel teen got power, fighting against parents, want to run, then "unexpected" twist, ... :D So this is hard to watch again and again and again.

Dialogues and script. I have feeling that i have seen and heard it already in others fantasy shows or movies. So unoriginal. Acting is sometimes bad, sometimes good. Fighting choreography is ... is there at least :D

In general, good show for summer. With tons of blood in there not for kids, with weak plot and dialogues and lot of teen drama not for adults.

Political correctness be damn*d

[sidz79 · 1/10 · 24 July 2020]

Let me start off by saying that I have watched all the 10 episodes, not out of interest but in hopes of this series getting any better.

Did someone mention GoT in the same sentence as this? Blasphemy.

Never have I seen a fantasy show with lead characters so bland and forgetful.

So this supposedly "gifted" girl is to be the true wielder of the most powerful sword and she can't even swing it properly? All throughout the fight scenes, she swings it around in hopes of hitting something. Not to mention, she's also a witch but has trouble using her powers to get out of tough situations and to kill her enemies. That's TWO of the talents wasted on her.

Now, let's come to the casting. As a POC, I despise changing classics to include diversity, which seems so forced and ridiculous!

Here's an idea, why don't these film makers instead write NEW material for POC as leads? I for one would love to watch that. "Black Panther" wouldn't be such a huge hit without a black lead. Get my point.

When will this PC culture end and stop ruining movies/shows? They did the same with Witcher and now this... it doesn't work.

Judging from the comments, it's obvious this show was meant for teens only. They're the only ones giving it 10 points.

What a complete missed opportunity.

I loved it

[keroyaso · 7/10 · 20 July 2020]

The comments here are rude and unfair. I fully understand and respect if "Cursed" is ultimately not the cup of tea of some people or just hasn't met their expectations , but giving it the lowest rating is definitely not what this show deserves. This is pure exaggeration. "Cursed" deserves a 7 or 7,5/10. It was a good first season, with interesting characters; captivating universe, and story. I was impatient and excited to see each episode, and it took me just two days to finish the season. I can't wait for Season 2. Are there any flaws? Obviously, especially visually (CGI), and I think there are some scenes that could be better filmed, especially Nimue's badass moments. It's rushed and a bit sloppy. But in the end, these things don't ruin the story or anything, and they can be better the next season.

Thanks to all the cast and crew, and of course, thank you Netflix.

Trash.

[blake-turner · 1/10 · 17 July 2020]

The show is poorly acted, directed and edited. It's like the show can't decide if it's a teenage romance drama or a serious fantasy. The show takes absolutely nothing from the ancient stories we all know and love about Arthur, his knights and the quest for the grail other than the names of those famous characters. This show rips away everything you know and love about Excalibur and the true story of the Lady of the Lake as well and turns it into a weak story about female empowerment and diversity. I also have problems with technical aspects of the series. Such as when she's fighting off the wolves on top of the rock there's a white wolf that's trying to jump up and eat her. It's obvious that the CG wolf is stuck in a repeat animation. Like a GIF. Also, for a bunch of villagers back in medieval England living in the woods. They sure seem to have access to a lot of make up and laundry detergent. Netflix isn't a new platform anymore and you'd think they'd have learned by now how to make their shows a little less amateurish and a bit more professional.

The last few episodes make it worth watching!

[Supermanfan-13 · 7/10 · 11 August 2020]

Cursed starts off pretty slow and I have to admit that I almost gave up after a few episodes but I stuck with it and it payed off because the last few episodes are amazing, especially the last episode! It sets up would should be a way better 2nd season with all the surprises at the end! If you can stick with it and power through the first half of the season it will absolutely pay off in the second half.

Lackluster fantasy series that waste its potential.

[cruise01 · 2/10 · 15 September 2020]

Season 1 (1 out of 5 stars).

Cursed fails to master at being an epic fantasy series. It is no Game of Thrones or The Witcher in its epic storytelling. It does lack the emotional depth with the characters and story. Like it was difficult to care for Nimue or Merlin or Arthur. It has its own spin on the King Arthur concept. It disappoints with poor storytelling. Boring villains. Dull script and direction. The action was nothing new. The set and visuals were eh. The cast ensemble was poorly put together with dry performances. It was a slow burn roller coaster of 10 episodes. Which if they make another i may definitely skip.

Unsure why the low ratings- probably due to today's world.

[garysheerin · 10/10 · 19 July 2020]

1. Thought Leonardo DiCaprio deserved the Oscar for Blood Diamond. 2. Thought Hostiles was seriously under rated and Bale's performance teetered on Oscar nomination worthiness. 3. Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul/Dark/a few others... binging material- so is Cursed-

Agree with others on head scratcher on such bad reviews. Maybe group with a grudge, an individual... I don't know.

Only used the names

[dirkvh · 7/10 · 19 July 2020]

***EDIT: I have revised my score after 7 episodes. Keep watching, it's rather gripping and there are some great actors here, known and new.. ***

Black Arthur? Why not. Nimuë of Arthurs age? hmmm Fey lore? Nice! Arthur a thief and cutthroat? Could work.

But: This show tries to contain so many stories it doesn't do right by any. The only decent idea was having Merlin be a bitter man. Then there's all the names: Igraine, Morgane le Fey, Ector and Bors... But Morgane is not a Fey, Nimuë is. Ector and Bors aren't even related. Hell, Uther Pendragon, father of Arthur and Morgane isn't related to either in this series!

It's like they used only the names of this beautiful legend, pulling them out of a hat every time they needed a new character. Worst. Ever. Adaptation.

About the bad dialogues spoken by good actors: read the other reviews.

It's one of those series that, once you get started, you'll find very easy to stop.

[punch87 · 2/10 · 27 September 2020]

The series handsomely features the expected trappings -- bloody battles, wizardly magic and a heroic quest -- but puts them together in a fairly tiresome way. It's not bad, exactly, just lifeless.

Enjoyable fantasy with cool world building, I'd play the D&D campaign

[fragleswamp · 8/10 · 19 July 2020]

As of writing this, many of the reviews here are 1/10 or 2/10 which in my opinion can't be legit reviews. I suspect they are reviews in large by folks that don't like that Arthur is black or they are people who will go on about agendas and not wanting female protagonists and the like. It is ok to not like a show, don't get me wrong but it should be judged on its merits. I feel context in this case is important. First, I'm not a fan of the Arthurian legend. Nothing against it, I just don't know it by heart and so I'm judging what this show is based on its own merits and not where it sits in comparison to how faithful it is to other tellings of the Arthurian legend. To be fair, I thought the show started a little weak and it took a while for the characters/actors to find their personalities and get comfortable, but once they did it all of a sudden became really good. Some elements were great. The acting is well done. The effects were really good, the plotting and story progression were well paced. I guess, a couple of minor critiques around the effects would be that in some cases I felt there should have been more people on screen and the costumes could have looked more worn and dirty to be believable. It wasn't too bad though. This is understandable and overall they did a good job. The animated interludes (used between scenes) grew on me and in the end I rather enjoyed them. I wasn't expecting them and I had to warm to them, but some are quite cool. I felt at points the plot slowed but I feel those points were necessary for proper development and they paid off. The world building was cool too. For example, I enjoyed the rules around magic in the world, the powers and development around the sword, the underground king, Cailleach, the fey tribes, etc. Also, as someone who doesn't appreciate whiney and toxic "romantic" relationships in shows and movies I was happy that this show didn't have any of that. There was no back and forth love triangle or abusive jealousy that we as an audience are supposed to somehow think is good and be entertained by. The main relationship comes off as equal and balanced to me which was refreshing and the side relationships are also balanced. I totally recommend this show to anyone who isn't looking for a "faithful retelling" of the Arthurian legend (whatever that would be) but for a good fantasy series with cool world building, cool characters, well done effects, good acting and some epic moments. Note, there is also some gore which I'm totally down for. It isn't much, but if you aren't into gore then this is a warning that there is a bit. Hopefully it gets a season 2 but I can recommend watching it as is. There is certainly a lot of territory that could still be covered, but it can also stand on its own. I'd play this D&D campaign.

Much better than previously ratings stated.

[agnesholmberg · 7/10 · 21 July 2020]

Much better than previously ratings stated. Good actors and exciting plot.

Identity Crisis.

[Stollie69 · 5/10 · 17 July 2020]

I'm not sure what this TV series is trying to be.

On the one hand it has a lot of semi OK CGI gore and some pretty dark moments, and the acting is decent.

For some reason though, it occasionally flicks to some light hearted teen story line. The story itself seems to be all over the place, the lead female character seems to jump between some sort of badass that can control the elements when angry to a weepy powerless girl.

By the second episode I just turned it off, frankly, the story line was not engaging at all, which is pretty disappointing given the wealth of source material available.

The TV series really doesn't know what it wants to be, its seems they aimed for the middle line of the Witcher and Merlin yet failed to deliver on either.

Potential

[chantalvanstralen · 7/10 · 19 July 2020]

I think it has potential to be a great series, actors where great, I liked the different angle of the storyline the writers used.

Floki please...

[rebeccahassing-38655 · 1/10 · 17 July 2020]

There's a few things that killed it for me:

Gustaf Skarsgård can't seem to shake his inner Floki. I would have loved to see him actually play a good Merlin and not a cheap imitation of Floki.

Political correctness. The other reviews might have mentioned this already but a black Arthur? Isn't this story set in old England?

Wasn't Nimue the partner from Merlin? Why is there romance between Nimue and Arthur..?

They've butchered one of the world's favourite stories.