
Carnivale - Intrigue, suspense and attention to detail!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
I bought Carnivale having never seen an episode when it was originally aired on HBO. I was taking a chance since I bought both seasons at the same time, but it was well worth the purchase!
The series is based around a travelling carnival called "Carnivale". The group includes acrobatic, conjoined twins, a bearded lady, a tarot card reader and her clairvoyant mother, a little person (who is in charge), a gecko man, a human pretzel, a giant, a muscle man, a snake charming lady and a hooch show!
Without giving too much away, here's the idea of the series: it takes place during the Great Depression/Dust Bowl. The carnival happens upon a young man whose mother has just passed while he is attempting to bury her. The state is taking over the land due to lack of payments and are ready to bulldoze the house while he is attempting to bury her. The carnival intervenes and young Ben Hawkins begins to travel with the carnival. Ben is a loner and seems to possess a gift...or is it a curse?
Meanwhile in California, a well-to-do minister and his sister Brother Justin and Iris) begin to witness some strange events. Brother Justin also seems to possess a gift (or curse) of his own. Somehow, the Justin and Ben seem to be linked by their dreams and visions. Enough said - buy the series!
There are some elements of comedy, romance, drama, suspense, and perhaps even horror. This is a new take on the reason for the Dust Bowl with elements of the supernatural and religion at its roots. It is a great tale of good vs. evil that keeps you guessing what is going to happen next.
There is much attention to detail as this is set in the past. The amount of dirt on everything and everybody really portrays what it must have been like travelling during the dust bowl. After some episodes, I felt like taking a shower to get rid of some of the dust and sweat from the actors! The attention to period fashions (both home and clothing) is amazing! Most of the characters are believable and well acted. Occasionally there is a want for better acting, but overall the acting quality is high.
The extra features are also nice! There is a summary that precedes each episode. These summaries can be accessed from the menu so that you can review what happened previously just incase you didn't get to watch it in a while. Some insite is given to the creation of the series as well as some interviews with those involved in the series. I'm nearly done watching the series and I have a feeling I will be wanting more! Although I will probably be left wanting more episodes, I think HBO was wise in keeping this series down to two seasons (okay...maybe they could have gone three), but at least this way you don't lose interest or feel like the series is getting stale. Great job HBO!
Review ID: 10000000005917423

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