The Terror: Season 1 [Blu-ray]

It's shameful that "The Terror" received no Emmy acknowledgments for Season One. Exquisitely, tautly written and magnificently acted by some of the best British performers today, it is one of the finest man-against-nature adventures ever lensed for film or TV. Based on a true story, The Terror balances themes of brotherhood, duty, imperial arrogance, and tampering with the balance of nature. The tragedy plays out as an exploratory expedition of two Royal Navy ships which become frozen in place at the onset of the first of two brutal Arctic winters. Provisions run low. Shoddy workmanship undermines the dwindling supplies they have. The lack of daylight puts the crew on the precipice of paranoia. An accident sets a vengeful creature against the men aboard the stranded ships, The Terror and the Erebrus, resulting in gruesome accidents, unforeseen tragedies, treachery, and madness. You will be hard pressed to find better performances than those of Tobias Menzies, Adam Nagaitis, Ian Hart, Nive Nielson, Liam Garrigan, Jarred Harris (!!!!!), and my favorite, Paul Ready, who plays the expendition's apprentice doctor and the embodiment of Victorian intellectual curiosity and humanity. Phenomenal production values on a tight budget, a first-rate score by the late composer Marcus Fjellström, and jaw-dropping, good dialogue. You must watch this series. TV doesn't get any better than this.

I avoided this when it first came out because the NYTimes TV reviewer really trashed it. Plus, I'm not a fan of horror. Then finally, when I got bored enough with Amazon TV offerings I decided to try the first episode, and then I was hooked.I already knew the Franklin expedition story so that was not news. However, I loved the way the series brought even the minor characters to life. Every character was textured, and there was a sense that even if you saw a seaman appear only three times in the series, the show still kept showing interiority and conveyed the sense that if we got to know each man there would be an interesting story there. Harris, Menzies and Hines were all great--totally consistent throughout, with great nuances to each character---all their fallibilities totally believable.I also like the fact the the series provided a series of backstories to explain the end of each historical actor whose skeletons were found by later expeditions. So how did Armitage end up with Peglar's diary? The series posits that they were lovers and after Peglar died Armitage took the journal and willed himself to death, because once his lover died, there was no point continuing after that. Some people might not like tuunbaq, which was a tad cheesy, but I was find with that, because I was so taken by each character.I'm now watching the series again, and savoring the characterizations once more.I still think the actual historical actors were nuts--I mean in the end the whole Northwest Passage thing was about finding the quickest way to bring commodities to market.

I really enjoyed the book by Simmons. And then we watched the movie - and really liked it. The plot is solid, the characters are genuine, and the actor play is great. And the movie closely follows the book (although not completely) - which is a rarity nowadays.

I've had to rewrite my review 3 times because as the series progresses the producers/directors had to get their fix of whatever it is that drives these people. You can't use the words progressive, liberal or socialist to describe the act of making up historical falsehoods. I'm not sure if they actually believe the Arctic explorers hunted the wildlife to extinction, but that idea is actually depicted in this series. There is no way you can actually come to that conclusion if you know the history of the area, so the other alternatives as to why it is depicted could only be explained by the directors themselves. It would be interesting to see how they would weave that one. It's sad because the series really is good and for so much of it they left out identity politics and all the other annoying clichés that have infested all forms of entertainment.It's important to note that there was never any confrontation with the Inuit natives during the Arctic explorations. Some Millennials might watch this and take it for history. I encourage people who are interested in this series to watch a documentary called "Buried in Ice" that recounts the disaster of the Franklin Expedition, which this show is inspired from. Obviously they weren't being hunted by a ravenous monster, but basically the events like getting stuck on the ice and trying to survive for a few years all the while being slowly poisoned by contaminated canned food and fighting Scurvy. Then of course the forlorn escape effort that this series turns into something sci-fi. One thing that I found bizarre in this series is the depiction of "Sir John" who is based on Sir John Franklin, leader of the expedition. He was by all accounts a beloved commander who was an inspiration to the men. The series treats him with a level of disrespect. I was intrigued by the idea of the men on this expedition who really had to keep spirits up and come together in extremely dark and trying times, however I was disappointed by this depiction that strayed completely from history after halfway through the series, Once again, the real historical account is very inspiring with regards to how the men came together in the face of death and starvation. I think it would do people good to see history from this age in a realistic light. Unfortunately most people today only see this historical era with exaggerated clichés that are extremely unflattering thanks to how it benefits progressive narratives. These arctic expeditions are amazing documented events that give us actual insight to the thoughts and experiences of real people from the era. On the whole this show is way better than other current shows, but its incredible potential was squandered by going sci-fi instead of trying to express more historically accurate experiences.

This series is a masterpiece thriller. I loved it, and have watched it several times. Great acting & cast, fantastic script, and realistic cinematography. It's absolutely gripping to watch.Ciaran Hinds and Jared Harris are soooo good, you are hanging on every word.I'm so in awe of people who can create this kind of drama. LOVED IT!!!!! Highly recommend!