Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere

Rating:
Summary: full of surprises
Review: A great story--well told with the limitations of television (and a BBC budget) Clever twists and especially nice villains. It prompted me to re-read the book. (Which I read before seeing this series and enjoyed independantly)

Rating:
Summary: Once it sucks you in...
Review: After being a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's work in comics, I bought the VHS release of Neverwhere when it first came out... and to tell you the truth I got a bit disappointed at first. The production is typical of the BBC of those times.. almost like a theater production... but on television. The sets, costumes, acting and camerawork all feel pretty cheap.. but I'm not saying that in a negative way.. it does have it's charms, but at the same time it works a bit repelling for the story and does feel really strange, especially for a Gaiman fan, because it's like seeing a Gaiman comic on-stage-on-screen.. But this is where I get to my point: it IS a Neil Gaiman script and a very good one at that. And like the best of his comics it does suck you in and is very enjoyable... even though the cheap production does make it a bit more difficult than from what you've come to expect from his comics...

Rating:
Summary: Neverwhere is finally on DVD!
Review: After seven years, Neverwhere is finally available on DVD, and can be found on major shopping sites like Amazon. I'm sure many of you heard of it, but much fewer have seen it. This fascinating 1996 BBC mini-series was created by Mr. Neil Gaiman, accomplished and acclaimed author of American Gods, Coraline and Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett) among others, and co-written by Gaiman and the wonderful British comedian Lenny Henry. Gaiman fans such as myself have waited for quite some time to see this series introduced to American audiences - and since Gaiman is now finally breaking ground in the States (American Gods actually won the Hugo award, and was an international bestseller) this seems like the perfect time. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a video of the series a couple of years back, but those are quite rare. If you love Neil's work, take the chance to finally see this lovely piece of work.

Neverwhere is a highly imaginative story of urban legend, rich with Gaiman's special brand of British black humor. The script is really wonderful, and Henry helps with his own experience in screenplay writing. Acting is terrific by everyone involved - I loved Gary Bakewell (frequent Paul McCartney impersonator on various BBC tele-biographies) as Richard Mayhew, the ordinary Englishman drawn into a strange adventure underground, and many other accomplished British actors - such as Laura Fraser, Trevor Peacock, Freddie Jones and Peter Capaldi - give a great performance. Unfortunately, the series suffers from the same problems shared by most British TV series - a budget lower than that of one episode of 'Dharma and Greg'. Therefore, the scenery, though highly inventive and original, doesn't look very impressive. Dewi Humphreys directs like he would direct a soap opera or a murder mystery, and though the directing of the dialogue is flawless, the action scenes are immensely disappointing, especially the 'Beast of England' battle, which is incredibly unconvincing.

Despite these weaknesses, though, the series is still well worth watching, especially if you're fond of the genre, and also if you're fond of British television. A word on two great artists who contributed much to the series: Dave McKean, for one, the great artist who collaborated with Gaiman in works like 'The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch', 'Black Orchid' and Coraline, created an astounding opening sequence to every episode, which is a fascinating piece of work by itself; if you enjoy his work on such graphic novels as Arkham Asylum, Cages and his covers for Neil's Sandman series, the DVD is worth it just for this one sequence. Secondly, the brilliant Mr. Brian Eno, the inventor of Ambient music and musical collaborator of the likes of David Byrne, David Bowie and Robert Fripp, supplies the wonderful score to the series, very eerie and atmospheric synthesized music. Thank god for that, because without him we'd probably have basic British TV music, which tends to be quite awful - and Eno's sound really adds a lot to the atmosphere of the story.

It's important that, if you read and enjoyed the novel Neverwhere, you won't approach this series expecting Hollywood - or even modern American television - production values, because you'll be disappointed. A movie version of this nature, in collaboration with Jim Henson co, has been in talks for some time, but it doesn't seem very likely. If fantasy films are to you special effects and big battle scenes, you probably won't be impressed by Neverwhere. If you love fantasy literature, though, and especially Gaiman's work, you'll find Neverwhere highly rewarding. It's very entertaining, and very imaginative. And in the end, imagination is what fantasy is all about. Isn't it?

Rating:
Summary: If you can live without millions spent on CGI...
Review: and love programs with strong writing and acting, you'll probably love this collection that has seen little airplay since it's original release. Having cut my teeth on Dr. Who, I was able to look past the lack of 'whizbang' special effects. To see an example of flash and eye candy w/o story to back it, rent Underworld. On second thought, don't!
Neverwhere is a delightful romp through the London tube system with an interesting array of characters and ideas. To try and compare this program to anything else out there doesn't truly do Neil Gaiman any justice.

Rating:
Summary: Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere": interesting, not captivating
Review: Apparently in England unless you are doing a period piece where everybody gets to dress up you can forget about getting a budget that will give your mini-series the production values it deserves. Such is the case with "Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere," which proves that things have not progressed much beyond the "Doctor Who" stage when it comes to dressing up a show that would be categorized as science fiction/fantasy. So the key thing to know going into watching "Neverwhere" on DVD is that your high expectations given Gaiman's reputation are going to be dashed mainly because of how cheap and cheezy the production looks. But "Neverwhere" embraces this limitation and camp things up to hold things together, even though the sets were lit for film and short on video (go figure).

In the first of the six episodes collected on these two DVDS, Richard (Gary Bakewell) is walking his fianceé, Jessica (Elizabeth Marmur), home one night when he comes across an injured young woman named Door (Laura Fraser). Despite his girlfriend's protests, Richard lends a helping hand and quickly discovers he is in way over his head. Door is part of a secret society that lives in London Below, in an underground world that people living above ground know nothing about. But by helping Door, Richard becomes one of the misplaced, entering the world of London Below where he tries to help Door, who is basically some sort of fairy princess with magic powers, in her search to find out who murdered her family.

Thus, Richard is introduced to a strange world and even stranger characters, which only serves to make Richard as the main character look rather dull in comparison. In addition to the engaging rogue the Marquis de Carabas (Paterson Joseph) there is the Earl of Earl's Court (Freddie Jones), Hunter (Tanya Moodie), and the Angel Islington (Peter Capaldi). However, the most intriguing characters are the eternal assassin tag team of Mr. Croup (Hywel Bennett) and Mr. Vandemaar (Clive Russell), who are the ones that killed Door's family and are always looking for another assignment. They are as interesting as the hero is dull, and some of the best bits in the show are when they argue out the historical accuracy of past jobs.

As Gaiman explains in an interview, he took a large degree of inspiration from the London Tube system. while even those with a limited knowledge of London should recognize the name Old Bailey (Trevor Peacock), although not the character with that name. But Gaiman brings in bits and pieces from lots of disparate sources (Marquis de Carabas is the title given by Puss in Boots to his master) and the creator also gets props for doing all those commentary tracks (it is the basis for my final decision to round up on the rating). After all, he really is the only one who understands everything that is going on, which is why you best change to enjoy "Neverwhere" is the third time you watch it after the original viewing and the second time through with the commentary tracks. There are lots of ideas being tossed about here, and why the production falls well short of being captivating, I think on balance it is fairly interesting.

Gaiman wrote a novel based on the "Neverwhere" mini-series, which certainly makes sense given the limitations of the production, and while I have not yet read it I can appreciate that it would be a lot stronger than what we see in these six episodes. When a creator wants to set the record straight, as was the case with Joss Whedon restoring "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" after enduring the campy movie made from his script, attention should be paid. As for whether you should start with the book or the mini-series, I would vote for the latter, because I have no reason to believe that after reading Gaiman's "Neverwhere" novel that watching it would be exceedingly disappointing. At least if you go to the novel second you will know what everybody looks like as the story plays out in your imagination.

Rating:
Summary: A True Cult Classic
Review: Are you willing to forgive Neverwhere's ghastly technical flaws? The answer will determine if you characterize Neil Gaiman's miniseries as a masterpiece or a disaster.

Neverwhere, an interdimensional murder mystery set in the bowels of bizarro-London, is a skillfully written film hampered by serious production problems. These are fairly well catalogued: horrible lighting washes out the actors' faces, the sound quality is so poor that parts of the dialogue are unintelligible, and the special effects would make even the most die-hard Doctor Who fans wince. Then there's the acting, which tends toward the lifeless and flat (the notable exception is Paterson Joseph's wonderful portrayal of the Marquis de Carabas). At times it has the feel of a Super 8 home movie.

So why would anyone watch Neverwhere? Because it's really good - IF you can look past its many defects. Gaiman is an excellent writer whose novels, stories and groundbreaking Sandman comics have brought respectability to the much-maligned fantasy genre. His dialogue is intelligent, the characters are genuinely interesting, and the visual puns (for anyone who has spent time in London) are outrageously funny. Characters named Old Bailey and Angel Islington feature prominently in the plot - and let's not forget the earl who lives at Earl's Court.

Neverwhere was first aired on the BBC in 1996, but it wasn't widely available in the US until 2003. The seven-year gap was ample time for it to become a cult classic seen only by people who had access to bootleg copies. Like many films that fall into this category, actually seeing it can be a bit of a letdown, especially for fans who read the Neverwhere novel that Gaiman wrote in 1998. And it all comes back to the production value.

Apologists claim that Neverwhere is a triumph of English skill over Hollywood flash. Hogwash. While it's true that special effects can camouflage poor acting and writing, there is no excuse for some of the truly terrible visuals in Neverwhere. Even die-hard fans have to admit that the enormous heifer in the London Tube is a joke. It's supposed to be the world's most dangerous monster, but it just looks like Millicent the Milk Cow ambling past a fog machine.

Fortunately, there are many excellent scenes that make the production worth watching - and make the bad ones even more maddening to endure. If Laurel and Hardy had ever been cast as hitmen in Hell they would have been Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemaar: it's almost worth buying Neverwhere just for their brief appearances. The "ordeal" scene is as imaginative as anything ever shown on television. And Dave McKean's opening credits will make you think twice about ever using your fast-forward button again.

No one is on the fence about Neverwhere. If you can get past the egregious production issues, it's a "must have" for your collection. If you roll your eyes every time Captain Kirk blasts some guy in a fakey rubber alien suit on Star Trek - well, it's going to be a long three hours.

Rating:
Summary: The Birth of Neverwhere
Review: Don't be fooled by those who complain that this BBC series isn't a worthwhile adaptation of the novel. The book that many love so dearly would not exist if not for this series.

Mr. Gaiman actually wrote the teleplay for this series FIRST. He then turned it into a novel afterwards. So if you're a purist, perhaps you should truly watch this before you read the book.

As for the DVD: it seems to be mostly shot on video, so it definitely has that Dr. Who feel to it. Book lovers will want to check out the Neil Gaiman interview included with the DVD extras.

Overall, once you accept the fact that there quite obviously wasn't a multi-million dollar budget, and let go of your (unintentional, I'm sure) Hollywood elitist ideals, you'll find yourself carried off into an alternative fantasy world... and you just might have a good time.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable just by Neverwhere's fans
Review: Even though this miniseries comes with many flaws - that is, poors sfx, ordinary recitation, handmade sceneries and so on - I guess it may be easily enjoyed by the fans of the original book.
In Neverwhere they'll find just the same atmoshpere that tasted so good in the novel; they'll recognize Richard Mayhew as a plain ordinary englishman; even Croup and Vandemar are decently rendered.
Don't expect bunnies out of the hat, but feel free to consider buying this series if you've already read (and loved) the book: you'll be rewarded with 3 hours of pure entertainment. Some smile will rise on your lips as you'll see some naive characterization, but you can make it through and go on 'til the end.
But if you are expecting for a modern mass-market kolossal production just like Raimi's Spiderman, look anywhere else and leave this couple of dvd on the shelves.

Rating:
Summary: Mind the gap, get on board
Review: Fans of "Dr. Who" will feel right at home in "Neverwhere," with its fantastic story line, low-budget look and creaky acting. But "Who" haters will find more of an adult appeal to Neil Gaiman's darkly comic tale, which also brings to mind "The Prisoner," "Clockwork Orange" and, say, "Yellow Submarine." "Neverwhere" wastes no time in hooking viewers, and maintains its loopy appeal over the course of six episodes.

"Neverwhere" imagines a grimy fantasy world beneath modern London that's unknown and off-limits to those who live above. The homeless who inhabit London Below seem to hail from an unspecified time several centuries back, with their own olde English mythologies, rivalries and rulers. Viewers enter their world along with the mini's hero, a yuppie exec (Gary Bakewell of "Backbeat") who falls down the "Neverwhere" rabbit hole while helping a damsel in distress.

Video is just passable -- the BBC apparently backed out on the plan to process the taped mini as film, foiling director Dewi Humphreys' lighting scheme. Still, the images are a big improvement over the grainy bootleg tapes that have been circulating on eBay. Audio is surprisingly effective now and then.

Gaiman has his say in a BBC interview from 1996 and in a commentary that runs the length of the miniseries. He tells how he got art-rock legend Brian Eno to do the score for pennies and how he snuck in a cameo in graphic-novel artist Dave McKean's astounding opening titles.

Rating:
Summary: Mind the gap, get on board
Review: Fans of "Dr. Who" will feel right at home in "Neverwhere," with its fantastic story line, low-budget look and creaky acting. But "Who" haters will find more of an adult appeal to Neil Gaiman's darkly comic tale, which also brings to mind "The Prisoner," "Clockwork Orange" and, say, "Yellow Submarine." "Neverwhere" wastes no time in hooking viewers, and maintains its loopy appeal over the course of six episodes.

"Neverwhere" imagines a grimy fantasy world beneath modern London that's unknown and off-limits to those who live above. The homeless who inhabit London Below seem to hail from an unspecified time several centuries back, with their own olde English mythologies, rivalries and rulers. Viewers enter their world along with the mini's hero, a yuppie exec (Gary Bakewell of "Backbeat") who falls down the "Neverwhere" rabbit hole while helping a damsel in distress.

Video is just passable -- the BBC apparently backed out on the plan to process the taped mini as film, foiling director Dewi Humphreys' lighting scheme. Still, the images are a big improvement over the grainy bootleg tapes that have been circulating on eBay. Audio is surprisingly effective now and then.

Gaiman has his say in a BBC interview from 1996 and in a commentary that runs the length of the miniseries. He tells how he got art-rock legend Brian Eno to do the score for pennies and how he snuck in a cameo in graphic-novel artist Dave McKean's astounding opening titles.