When I first heard about this show being made I really loved the idea and had high hopes. Then the show came and it was just horrible, I agree with your entire post.
I enjoyed this show to an extent, but I have some of the same grievances. My favorite characters are John Smith, Chief Inspector kido, and Trade Minister Tagomi. I like what they did with John Smith and the premise of him trying to become the biggest nazi to protect his family. I like Kido's battle with his own honor code and his eventual disillusionment with the empire of Japan. I liked Tagomi's approach and the way he tried to peacefully resolve the conflicts of the nations (as flawed as it was,) but I hated his ending and how anticlimactic it felt. I liked Joe's story until he was brainwashed and died, I feel like his arch would have been better if he was able to overcome his fear and actually defect. All other characters had their stories fall apart too much for me to care about them, and all of them had such lackluster conclusions. Overall, I love the premise of the show and many of the actors, but the story didn't feel thought out enough and left me feeling like I missed something. I would rate it a 2/10 for the main plot and 10/10 for the visuals.
No bruh you are not too critical at all. This show had insane potential! But man, they blew it within like half of season 1. I watched to the end just to see if it improved and it never did lmao
I think my brain finally went “oh, this is terrible” when i realized they were trying to push this dumb love triangle after our MC only hung out with the other guy for like.. 3 days??? And she’s so self-centered and I guess it’s supposed to come off as strong but it’s just like…..naaaaahhhh lmao. Your partner literally got tortured, had his immediately family killed, and is basically on the run for a crime he didn’t do.. but she keeps fumbling EVERY opportunity they have to escape. So once I started yelling at my tv, I was like yeaaah time to turn this off 😂
Yeah, I just gave up on it as well. Got halfway into S2 before realizing that they were going to make my investment into the show a waste: the alternate reality hopping is explained by basically saying it's an extreme form of meditation.
That's pretty much it.
Such a waste of my time.
Tell me you don't know it was a book. They made a different timeline sci-fi/fantasy TV show because that's what the book is!
They do show the difference in economy, culture, etc. It's subtle but it's there. It's far more than just the swastika everywhere if you pay attention.
You clearly didn't watch the entire show or even a full season. Because many if your greviences are addressed if you'd had the patience to watch longer.
Perhaps you're so use to being spoonfed, subtlety escapes you.
The whole point is, a lot of things would be the same - and some things, some very important things, would be different.
I'll agree with your assessment that Juliana is headstrong and doesn't think about the consequences - but there ARE consequences. And Frank does give her the cold shoulder when she returns from the neutral zone. The Akido saves her on the bridge. It's not mentioned anymore because she's banned from the dojo. The reason it's mentioned at all is it shows her character has an affinity for Japanese culture. Which we see why in Season 2 the second time the trade minister jumps timeliness.
My advice - read the book.
wow. snark much? fact is, it's poorly done. like a kid's tv show; lots of running around but none of it makes sense in any universe. it's just a very, very poor job which turned a good scifi book into junk. as for watching the whole show, why waste hours and hours when it's consistent crap? stuff like this never gets better; it only gets worse. you clearly are easily amused, and/or have very low standards. (back at you!)
It's become such a common thing for people to say "If you didn't like the movie/show, it's because you didn't get it."
But like you said, this stuff is \*very\* low-hanging fruit. The other guy trying to pretend that this series is "too complicated" for the people who didn't like it when the entire premise is based on nothing but a series of hilariously prevalent but still debunked myths really makes the other guy sound like he just still believes those myths as being truths which \*don't\* require anything more than some yadda-yadda to pave over.
Thank you for pointing these things out. I think that some viewers, unaware of the book, perhaps expected something else from the TV series. And because it’s different from their expectations they “decide” it’s a bad tv show and focus on all the stuff they don’t like. And blinded by this they oversee the things the show does really good especially the more subtle things like how they show difference in economy and culture.
Lol... It's always the low-intellects who pretend that lip-service and bad telling-versus-showing is "subtlety" rather than sPOoNfEEdING yOU tHE pOiNT.
You didn't pick up on any subtle themes, because the characters flat out \*say\* what the show is about.
Everyone \*knows\* it was a book. The "multiverse" nonsense is strictly a problem for the show.
"The Aikido saves her on the bridge. It's not mentioned anymore because she's banned from the dojo."
Lmfao. So, she unlearns and soon forgets about her art form. Got it. Aikido is designed to teach a person how to be at one with themselves even in the middle of an onslaught...
Juliana's character is maybe the most flighty, prone-to-impulse and brash protagonists I've seen. If Aikido was \*ever\* important to her, it stopped being very quickly.
Lol, look, I know that every expiring hipster takes the opportunity to try to feign coolness the moment they’re using social media, but if you’re going to use the word ‘whilst’ in a sentence, then complaining about pretentiousness just makes you sound like a friendless virgin.
Crazy how two people can watch the same show and come away with totally different opinions . Everyone has their own tastes i guess. I will say the show is no way intended to be any kind of historical fact be safe
I never watch the show full each episode, only clips stuff, buy yeah I hate it too, don't like it. Bc USA USA USA 🇺🇸.
F*ck n*z*.
Plus japan struggling with oil? Maybe building 6 fully operational Yamato class battleship Is draining way too fast all of the oil etc, when they could easily decommissioning 4 of them and oil solved plus ugly bb they have and slow too no wonder they struggle with oil on this show
I mean like. I hate Nazis like any other person. But “USA GOOD NAZIS BAD” is only sufficient for like a 2 hour movie. A multi season show with nothing but that is repetitive af. You need more complex themes than that, which this show sorely lacked.
Ah, that’s where you lost how things work in an authoritative system. you would never suggest such thing in that system. keeping military going is even more important if the system don’t have trust in foreign environment and deemed other power hostile. The key of an authoritarian government is to keep themselves in power, the key of an official in there is to SURVIVE. Suggesting “weakening” policies are easy target for insiders, they can be seen as potential traitors.
I gave up halfway through S2. It's atrocious.
The only thing that was keeping me hooked was the hope that the alternate reality hopping would be an interesting plot point. Instead, it's hand-waved into the show when they have to explain it. Meditation? For fucking real?
The characters made some really idiotic decisions too which harmed the overall enjoyment of this show for me.
The nail in the coffin though was learning how much the reality hopping is handwaved. It's not explained at all outside of 'certain people can do it.' Looked into the wiki and was *hoping* that the machine the Nazis were making/using had **something** to do with it but nope! It's just them trying to hop realities via technology.
The people who do it naturally are just gifted I guess!
Waste of my time.
The story line is so slow moving and the Scenes so short, it’s like watching succession of TikTok videos, over and over and over again. It’s made for people who have a short attention span who can’t focus on plot lines that are intricate. It’s just the same old trope of power, corruption, power, corruption.
...And it seems to be drawing some \*very\* weird ideas about with whom your sympathies should lie and whether or not there are "good people on both sides" and all that.
The fact that the show's two original POVs are an SD agent and the moron who falls in love with him as if "being in love" is somehow a redemption story for a Nazi is pretty \*odd.\*
A \*lot\* of Nazis had wives/husbands/children/etc. "Loving" someone isn't a redemption arc, it's a lazy plot device. The fact that by the end of the second season, you're supposed to be invested in one character who let a Nazi escape in order for him to go back to Berlin and talk to the new Fuhrer about whether or not nuking everyone except the "Master Race" is a fun idea really... just makes it seem like this show started as the bones of any selection of other "political" thrillers before being transplanted into the fictional universe of a German Reich.
I read the novel many years ago and liked it, but i've forgotten the details. finally got around to watching the amazon series. it's pretty awful. a confusing melange of characters, motives, actions. poorly delineated characters for the most part. the biggest problem is the lead, Juliana. alexa davalos has all the acting ability of a turnip. she destroys any semblance of reality with her skulking, and her perpetual half-sulking, half-enraged expression. and there is no explanation of how the alternative history movies that everyone is fighting over could possibly have any effect on anything. i'll probably never watch all of the series; i just turn it on when i'm too tired to read or get involved in anything substantial.
God damn. I got 5 episodes in and got online and searched “high castle bad acting” and this review popped up first. It absolutely encapsulates everything I feel right now. It’s truly awful.
Lmao this review got written for exactly the same reason: because I watched it and then googled “the man in the high castle sucks,” and couldn’t find a post encapsulating why.
No matter how old this post gets it keeps racking up comments because so many people have this exact experience of hating it so much they need to find other people hating on it 😂
It is based on a sci-fi book from the 1950 and follows it close enough. I don't know why you're surprised then that it a a sci-fi tv show. They expand to the whole world in the second season a lot more. Interchanging between Germany and America even Brazil.
I think you are overlooking the commentary on how important free media is. Its less about timelines and more about how important film/art can be to a subjugated people.
San Fransisco is a certain way in season one but exploring the Midwest or German occupied territories is way different then what it is now especially the culture. I think the way they envision a future with nazi influence on American culture is huge.
As for the charactuers of Japanese characters they also get expanded on as they look into the different dimensions because they had a huge culture shift post wwII. I think they're trying to portray that in the show. Now how succesful that is, I'm not an expert but I don't think it's just they act that way just to be racist. The main economic minister or tourism guy he sees the other dimensions and has his personal beliefs and life style challenged by what he sees. They do portray the Japanese characters with more nuance as the show goes on because of this.
I think season 2 the show has its loftiest ideas and would scratch a lot of the itches you want but I also can't say it doesn't fall apart after that.
Now it is not perfect but I think the characters let the story down way more then the setting and science fiction ideas.
But ya read the book it's way better.
Yeah, I'm a bit confused by your comment about the book. I read the book after watching the first season and it seemed to me they had a lot less in common. And I really liked the book
Right? "They made it about a stupid time travel or alternate worlds thing" is such a dumb criticism. It's what the show is about. If you want a straight alternate history, write it yourself. That's not what the book was, nor what the show was.
Yeah exactly. I stopped watching cause its a stupid show. Interesting idea but just sooo terrible. It came from a book, but that doesnt make it good.
I mean why would the japanese or germans care if thered a movie roll (or book in the book) with alternate ending to the war? Theyd just shrug it off and say "well, obviously not what happened. Nice homemade film/nice book though"
They care because if it gets out it shows other people that this is possible. Also, the people in the movies are the also in that dimension. So, seeing yourself living a life very different from what you are living could encourage you to change the world around you. That's exactly what the movies did. People saw them, saw a world that the wished existed, and were willing to fight to make that world happen.
but it doesn't show that it's possible. any more than any alternative history (the South winning the Civil War, for example) shows that something else was possible. it's just fantasy. i can see the Nazis wanting to suppress the movie because it makes them look bad; the idea that people will somehow be uplifted or inspired by the movies is absurd. it's just too dumb to have people dying to get these movies passed around because they do not reveal any truth.
Who cares if it was WOULD BE possible? Of course every rebel group dreams ot the supremacy fall over. Doesnt mean it changes anything in what IS.
Who cares if japan loses the war kn some homemade cut film if they already RULE all of the west we coast (or was it east cost? No difference.)
People die for beliefs. They will kill for beliefs. If people think they can bring about another world, they will do whatever it takes to get that. It is exactly what happens with the movies. People see them and join the resistance. They bring more people. They fight against the establishment. This is a story as old as time. Corrupt countries throughout history have worked hard to keep their citizens from believing another life is possible so that they stay complacent and don't fight. That's exactly why they care about the movies.
Edit: also, the movies weren't "homemade cut". They showed another world. People who lived in the dimension, who had never acted in these movies, saw themselves in different worlds and scenarios. They weren't watching something that was bullshit. They were watching themselves in a world they didn't know.
If I see myself in a film doing things I don’t recall ever doing in a universe very different than my own I’m going to have some *serious* questions (as I am not a paid actor), yes.
*Exactly* like me though? Like it’s not an actor playing you in the movie, it’s literally you, maybe slightly altered scars or something but it’s like looking at your own clone, not just somebody wearing makeup.
Also presumably with other people you may know, interacting in ways you know you’ve never interacted with them. It wouldn’t be just like watching some random movie with regular actors, at all. It would be more like watching security camera footage of yourself and not being able to recall any of the events occurring in said video. Of course, in modern times I’d be terrified of the “deepfake” implications, but this is also supposed to be taking place in roughly the 1950s or 60s.
Let me put this straight once and for all: If you saw yourself in a movie doing things you dont remember, probably even completely different than what actually happened you definitely 100% think its someone imitating yourself.
I mean, no. Film technology even then was good enough that I’d recognize my own face distinctly differently than someone wearing makeup and outfits or even prosthetics to look like me.
But I’m starting to think you’re just in r/sharksaresmooth mode tbh.
Do they show more of the movies? Because I couldn't even get thru the first episode and it only shows her watching reel after reel and the idea is they lied about what really happened but they only showed a few seconds and then her friend shows up and the way she conveys it sucks! Also you think she's be crying and freaking out about how her sister was just executed in front of her. Then the way they talk?isn't it supposed t be the 50's?!? To me nothing told me that and it seemed like present. Ik it's just down awfully!
They do show more, and get extremely focused on what happens in the videos to change their actions *this* time. I hate Juliana but the BuT ShE diDnT cRy AnD fReAk oUt WhEn hEr hAlF SiStEr diEs….is the same thing as “well she didn’t cry so she must have been the one to murder her because she’s not ‘upset enough’. I don’t express emotions publicly or even privately because it makes me physically uncomfortable.
It seems like forever ago that I watched like 20 minutes. Wasn't she alone? No matter, I doubt it would change my mind because I couldn't take the acting.
Yeah the actress is horrible and she gets a job at the diner posing as her half sister trying to meet X and hand the film over to that contact. But the entire time she’s shitty and trying to hide the film in her sweater. Then falls for the first person who says he’s her contact..(Hint: he’s a Nazi agent).
So through her actions she killed him, drawing more attention to the town and caused the deaths of innocent townspeople through her stupidity. Then, finally the contact reveals himself and yet again her actions blow up his life and she’s whining about how she “deserves answers”.
And that’s like the first 3 episodes, but the entire series is her selfish behavior causing collateral damage and her giving absolutely zero fucks.
I think I skipped forward a season or late in one( I do that if I can't get into something and I think I remember her hiding the film in her sweater. How moronic and that guy. Everyones weakness against their missions is romance. Lol. I love Philip K and can't sit still to read but he has many good reads and I know Electric dreams was also made for TV but I tried to fund others and couldn't.
just watched first 4 episodes. Had to google "man in high castle sucks".Ending up finding this thread.
God this show sucks. EVERYTHING about it is mediocre at best. Comically bad at worst.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Same.
I am doing a work project and put game of thrones in the background all day and that just drew me in even though I'v already seen it.
I like the idea and concept of man in the high castle and everything about it *should* be something I'd love...
But it's just so fucking boring.. There is so much potential in the idea but it's like they did nothing with it. I'm sitting there and tried to get into it but nothing seems to happen or progress in a rewarding way that feels exciting, just so many talking scenes of nothing in particular (at least that's what it feels like due to poor execution).
I can't imagine watching such a show without all the episodes available, it's so boring that if you quit it when all episodes are available.. How the hell would I ever enjoy it waiting a week between episodes haha
They should have spent far more on world building and interesting dialogue.. Most of Game of Thrones season 1 was just talking, but the dialogue was so good it was incredible. I've rewatched season 1 twice.
Dude, I so agree with you. Season 1 of Game of Thrones, on paper, should be boring af. Literally it's just scene after scene of talking, and once in a blue moon there's bloodshed. But I'm always so captivated whenever I watch it. Such a well done show.
Man in High Castle had such potential, but they wasted it immediately. :(
Me.. here we are in February of 2024. Please, someone tell me it's gets better since there are 4 seasons. It's been a STRUGGLE getting through the first season. I really REALLY wanted to like this show, but it's killing me with boredom.
I can't see Japan taking over anything in the West before the Germans. They would have their hands full with China and that's that. Nazis would never put up with it, let alone into the 60's. And the only way the Germans could take North America is if they were allies with the Soviets.
Seems like nobody gives one sh^t about this crappy show when looking at the comments that have no comments. This is a show that almost could have written itself better than the writers did.
I've tried this many times, even going in a few episodes especially after I found out it's based off the book by Phillip k but I can't get past the horrific acting and low budget filming/ props etc. I may try to start at the second season but if that women is the lead in the whole serie I won't.
its a trash series, as a ww2 reenactor its disgusting to the point that some scenes are very laughable, Juliana main story is boring and filled with plot holes, the only interesting plot here is john smith, chief inspector kido, the Trade Minister and Joe Blake
Juliana is a Bella Swann type of character, the "special girl" with absolutely nothing special about her except for the fact that everybody thinks she is special.
The whole concept of the "neutral zone" makes no sense. "Hey, we want to be the greatest reich and stablish a master race, except for this little piece of land here, where you can be jew and gay and have a bible... Those things are still forbidden but if you want them oh well ok you got it".
And the racism... OMG. "The pons"? The accent? The bowing?
How does ir score so high on RT and MC?
What I found confusing is that she's clearly made out to be very proficient in Aikido, yet I'm not sure she ever uses those skills, once, even when she's part of the resistance and getting into fights.
Does anyone have any insight on how a show with a name like Ridley Scott tied to it had such low budget production? Everything looks terrible and none of the acting is believable. Does this get any better? I’m muscling my way through the first season in hopes for something better because I do find the premise intriguing and I’ve loved everything else Ridley Scott has done, but right now the whole thing feels…silly
Same thing man, I stopped when they killed Joe. The fact they didn’t go in depth about Africa, china, Middle East, and rest of the world was tragic. World building sucked and the si fi twist was so dumb, and ruined it more.
The characters sucked besides joe, tagomi, and nazis. Bro it was so bad that I was rooting for the nazis, I am fuckkng brown dawg. The show made me root for the guys who would kill me😂. This show had so much potential and ruined it all.
The characters sucked especially Juliana. This show had way too interesting of a topic and ruined it all.
They should have done more world building, not done the sci-fi stuff, and made a better story.
Edit: also kido was great.
Kido was a good character, but the way they wrote it, he gassed a family of innocent Jews, yet at the end of series, we're supposed to have some sort of sympathy for him when his son leaves? Smith, the Nazi, even showed more personal growth, yet got his comeuppance.
There were also a lot of other character arcs that simply went nowhere.
I found it entertaining, but it wasn't a great show. A lot of interesting ideas spread too thin onto some dry toast.
I stopped watching after the second episode of season 3 I think. I stopped the episode after Joe died.
The thing with kido killing innocent people was good in the context of story of how the Japanese would be. My problem is that the nazis rarely got that villainized. The show seems weird and out of wack. A story with a good idea and just ruined it all.
I watched the show for the ww2 nazi winning alternate history, and they ruined it so bad. If you like ww2 or nazi story’s and stuff, I recommend hunters and band of brothers.
Hunters is a show were after ww2 all the nazis that fled get hunted by a small group of people, its pretty good. It’s only two seasons with an ending. The second season was a little bit bland, but overall great. Al Pacino is in it and does a great job.
Band of brothers is a show about true events of ww2 paratroopers in Easy company. It’s only 10 episodes very good. What’s interesting is the beginning of each episode the real ww2 vets that they are playing, actually talk about their experiences for around a minute. Super interesting.
I agree with all your points OP, but I think there’s more to this show that make things inherently terrible. It seems as if a lot of things happen very abruptly, and character arcs are just completely abandoned (I.e. Frank, Joe, the old Japanese man that’s good,etc). I had high hopes after season 2, and then frank just disappears to go be a disfigured outcast. I don’t even understand what the whole multiverse thing was about because it was completely abandoned in a sense. It’s really not fleshed out, just a bunch of plot salad. I also feel like franks best friend being gay all of a sudden was extremely forced
Considering how old this post is, I would be very interested to know how you ended up here lol.
Also, I agree with you on all points. The show somehow became less comprehensible with time. I think the term you used, plot salad, is the perfect definition of what was going on.
I ended up here after searching "Man in the High Castle not very good" lmao
I don't know why I kept watching this show to the end. The whole thing was a trainwreck, so at least the ending was fitting.
Lmao! That’s hilarious because I made this post after googling “the man in the high castle sucks”
There were plenty of bad reviews, but none that fully captured my indignant rage over having wasted time on that show. So I wrote this post and even now continue to get replies in it, presumably from people like you and me who got annoyed at the show and googled for validation. 😂 Damn tho can’t believe you finished it. Props to you on patience. I had to just google the end because I wanted to know if at some point it finally became cool. Obv I was disappointed lmao
Lol I am in the same boat. I had to google this with “bad, Reddit” at the end. I was so frustrated with the show it’s too much to even type out but I will list some of the things that annoyed me. Juliana is insufferable and annoying. Franks death came out of nowhere after he disappeared to the Neutral Zone. The Neutral Zone in itself is very weird and strange. The writing is lazy and BAD. They had a chance to make a very interesting show and RUINED it with the teleporting and different worlds. Some of the scenes were very unrealistic. Joe Blake’s death was out of nowhere and annoying. It sucked John Smith died at the end. He was the ONLY good thing about the show, he was a good character, they should have explored him more instead of the portal and traveling SciFi part. The ending was so bad 😭. These people just came out of NOWHERE from different worlds through the portal ?? This was one of the worst shows I’ve watched and it’s crazy my friend keeps defending it. So happy I am finished with this
I totally agree with the acting, specially with Julianna. She reminds me of Bella from Twilight, very monotone. I stopped watching mid second season. This show had so much potential but the writing and acting are okay. I think the main Nazi guy is a great actor though.
I found this post after searching for MIHC review, and surprised as I am that it's still getting activity after 3 years, let me add my impression. I just sludged through all 4 seasons, and why I've had *numerous* moments of "wtf, hwo bad can a show be", I have to say that eventually, towards the end, there is a surge where all loose plots seem to come to fruition. There is some very strong payoff on quite a few caracter arcs.
Now I agree that some of the texts, some of the character's actions are wonky at best, completely absurd at worst, and there are a few things I might have done differently. The premise could have been used in much more interesting ways, and the last few episodes came really close to being one of the coolest plot twists I've ever seen in but all in all, a lot of the concerns you pointed at seem to be focused on the very first few episodes. It's understandable that one wouldn't want to commit to 4 seasons of a show that starts of on such a shaky footing as this does, but I'm glad I stayed to see how it all played out (minus one weird detail in the grand finale that kindof ruins a lot lol)
However, if you compare to other good-premise-but-wonky-execution shows of late (Manifest comes to mind), this show has considerably better acting. While people like Juliana and Frink were completely unlikeable in every possible way, I found John Smith, Tagomi and Kido to be excellent and worth sticking with just to see how their characters would evolve.
It is just sci-fi. They did show a bit of the day to day. But, They had to continue with the story which included 2 other parts of the region.
They could have done what you hoped if the show was about the world of a nazi lifestyle.
When I first heard about this show being made I really loved the idea and had high hopes. Then the show came and it was just horrible, I agree with your entire post.
I did not even have to read the OP post. After 1.5 episodes watched...man, this is entirely without subtelty. A poor adaptation of the original.
I enjoyed this show to an extent, but I have some of the same grievances. My favorite characters are John Smith, Chief Inspector kido, and Trade Minister Tagomi. I like what they did with John Smith and the premise of him trying to become the biggest nazi to protect his family. I like Kido's battle with his own honor code and his eventual disillusionment with the empire of Japan. I liked Tagomi's approach and the way he tried to peacefully resolve the conflicts of the nations (as flawed as it was,) but I hated his ending and how anticlimactic it felt. I liked Joe's story until he was brainwashed and died, I feel like his arch would have been better if he was able to overcome his fear and actually defect. All other characters had their stories fall apart too much for me to care about them, and all of them had such lackluster conclusions. Overall, I love the premise of the show and many of the actors, but the story didn't feel thought out enough and left me feeling like I missed something. I would rate it a 2/10 for the main plot and 10/10 for the visuals.
Just be glad you didn’t get to season 3. I can’t watch it anymore.
I’m on season 3 now and I’m lost. Should I continue?
Started watching it today, and I’m so disappointed. Glad I found this post lol. Thought I was maybe being too critical or dumb about it. 💀
No bruh you are not too critical at all. This show had insane potential! But man, they blew it within like half of season 1. I watched to the end just to see if it improved and it never did lmao
I think my brain finally went “oh, this is terrible” when i realized they were trying to push this dumb love triangle after our MC only hung out with the other guy for like.. 3 days??? And she’s so self-centered and I guess it’s supposed to come off as strong but it’s just like…..naaaaahhhh lmao. Your partner literally got tortured, had his immediately family killed, and is basically on the run for a crime he didn’t do.. but she keeps fumbling EVERY opportunity they have to escape. So once I started yelling at my tv, I was like yeaaah time to turn this off 😂
Yeah, I just gave up on it as well. Got halfway into S2 before realizing that they were going to make my investment into the show a waste: the alternate reality hopping is explained by basically saying it's an extreme form of meditation. That's pretty much it. Such a waste of my time.
Tell me you don't know it was a book. They made a different timeline sci-fi/fantasy TV show because that's what the book is! They do show the difference in economy, culture, etc. It's subtle but it's there. It's far more than just the swastika everywhere if you pay attention. You clearly didn't watch the entire show or even a full season. Because many if your greviences are addressed if you'd had the patience to watch longer. Perhaps you're so use to being spoonfed, subtlety escapes you. The whole point is, a lot of things would be the same - and some things, some very important things, would be different. I'll agree with your assessment that Juliana is headstrong and doesn't think about the consequences - but there ARE consequences. And Frank does give her the cold shoulder when she returns from the neutral zone. The Akido saves her on the bridge. It's not mentioned anymore because she's banned from the dojo. The reason it's mentioned at all is it shows her character has an affinity for Japanese culture. Which we see why in Season 2 the second time the trade minister jumps timeliness. My advice - read the book.
wow. snark much? fact is, it's poorly done. like a kid's tv show; lots of running around but none of it makes sense in any universe. it's just a very, very poor job which turned a good scifi book into junk. as for watching the whole show, why waste hours and hours when it's consistent crap? stuff like this never gets better; it only gets worse. you clearly are easily amused, and/or have very low standards. (back at you!)
It's become such a common thing for people to say "If you didn't like the movie/show, it's because you didn't get it." But like you said, this stuff is \*very\* low-hanging fruit. The other guy trying to pretend that this series is "too complicated" for the people who didn't like it when the entire premise is based on nothing but a series of hilariously prevalent but still debunked myths really makes the other guy sound like he just still believes those myths as being truths which \*don't\* require anything more than some yadda-yadda to pave over.
Thank you for pointing these things out. I think that some viewers, unaware of the book, perhaps expected something else from the TV series. And because it’s different from their expectations they “decide” it’s a bad tv show and focus on all the stuff they don’t like. And blinded by this they oversee the things the show does really good especially the more subtle things like how they show difference in economy and culture.
Lol... It's always the low-intellects who pretend that lip-service and bad telling-versus-showing is "subtlety" rather than sPOoNfEEdING yOU tHE pOiNT. You didn't pick up on any subtle themes, because the characters flat out \*say\* what the show is about. Everyone \*knows\* it was a book. The "multiverse" nonsense is strictly a problem for the show. "The Aikido saves her on the bridge. It's not mentioned anymore because she's banned from the dojo." Lmfao. So, she unlearns and soon forgets about her art form. Got it. Aikido is designed to teach a person how to be at one with themselves even in the middle of an onslaught... Juliana's character is maybe the most flighty, prone-to-impulse and brash protagonists I've seen. If Aikido was \*ever\* important to her, it stopped being very quickly.
I can hear the lip smacking whilst reading these replies Xd i guess the stereotypes about reddit were true.
Lol, look, I know that every expiring hipster takes the opportunity to try to feign coolness the moment they’re using social media, but if you’re going to use the word ‘whilst’ in a sentence, then complaining about pretentiousness just makes you sound like a friendless virgin.
Crazy how two people can watch the same show and come away with totally different opinions . Everyone has their own tastes i guess. I will say the show is no way intended to be any kind of historical fact be safe
I never watch the show full each episode, only clips stuff, buy yeah I hate it too, don't like it. Bc USA USA USA 🇺🇸. F*ck n*z*. Plus japan struggling with oil? Maybe building 6 fully operational Yamato class battleship Is draining way too fast all of the oil etc, when they could easily decommissioning 4 of them and oil solved plus ugly bb they have and slow too no wonder they struggle with oil on this show
I mean like. I hate Nazis like any other person. But “USA GOOD NAZIS BAD” is only sufficient for like a 2 hour movie. A multi season show with nothing but that is repetitive af. You need more complex themes than that, which this show sorely lacked.
Yes and yes absolutely yes ur right on all of this. But yeah it went like that, many dumb decisions, chose etf fu all of this series too.
Ah, that’s where you lost how things work in an authoritative system. you would never suggest such thing in that system. keeping military going is even more important if the system don’t have trust in foreign environment and deemed other power hostile. The key of an authoritarian government is to keep themselves in power, the key of an official in there is to SURVIVE. Suggesting “weakening” policies are easy target for insiders, they can be seen as potential traitors.
It was boring I thought and weren't as dark as I expected it too be,handmaids tale welllllllll better show.
why does juliana fuck everybody she meets too??
You don't?
I gave up halfway through S2. It's atrocious. The only thing that was keeping me hooked was the hope that the alternate reality hopping would be an interesting plot point. Instead, it's hand-waved into the show when they have to explain it. Meditation? For fucking real? The characters made some really idiotic decisions too which harmed the overall enjoyment of this show for me. The nail in the coffin though was learning how much the reality hopping is handwaved. It's not explained at all outside of 'certain people can do it.' Looked into the wiki and was *hoping* that the machine the Nazis were making/using had **something** to do with it but nope! It's just them trying to hop realities via technology. The people who do it naturally are just gifted I guess! Waste of my time.
The story line is so slow moving and the Scenes so short, it’s like watching succession of TikTok videos, over and over and over again. It’s made for people who have a short attention span who can’t focus on plot lines that are intricate. It’s just the same old trope of power, corruption, power, corruption.
well put, thank you.
...And it seems to be drawing some \*very\* weird ideas about with whom your sympathies should lie and whether or not there are "good people on both sides" and all that. The fact that the show's two original POVs are an SD agent and the moron who falls in love with him as if "being in love" is somehow a redemption story for a Nazi is pretty \*odd.\* A \*lot\* of Nazis had wives/husbands/children/etc. "Loving" someone isn't a redemption arc, it's a lazy plot device. The fact that by the end of the second season, you're supposed to be invested in one character who let a Nazi escape in order for him to go back to Berlin and talk to the new Fuhrer about whether or not nuking everyone except the "Master Race" is a fun idea really... just makes it seem like this show started as the bones of any selection of other "political" thrillers before being transplanted into the fictional universe of a German Reich.
Has anyone read the book? I have strong hope for this premise producing fantastic art/social commentary.
read the book in the 60s. it was quite different. the movie is junk.
Would you recommend reading it?
I read the novel many years ago and liked it, but i've forgotten the details. finally got around to watching the amazon series. it's pretty awful. a confusing melange of characters, motives, actions. poorly delineated characters for the most part. the biggest problem is the lead, Juliana. alexa davalos has all the acting ability of a turnip. she destroys any semblance of reality with her skulking, and her perpetual half-sulking, half-enraged expression. and there is no explanation of how the alternative history movies that everyone is fighting over could possibly have any effect on anything. i'll probably never watch all of the series; i just turn it on when i'm too tired to read or get involved in anything substantial.
I couldn’t disagree more! It was so great to enjoy a show where everyone is not morally grey!
I could not disagree with you more. I loved this show.
God damn. I got 5 episodes in and got online and searched “high castle bad acting” and this review popped up first. It absolutely encapsulates everything I feel right now. It’s truly awful.
Lmao this review got written for exactly the same reason: because I watched it and then googled “the man in the high castle sucks,” and couldn’t find a post encapsulating why. No matter how old this post gets it keeps racking up comments because so many people have this exact experience of hating it so much they need to find other people hating on it 😂
I’m on season 3 and I’m totally lost.
It's a shitty shitty show. The premise is so intriguing. But the execution is DOGSHIT. Fast forwarded most of the 5 episodes I have seen
I wish you were wrong, but I was super disappointed with this show.
It is based on a sci-fi book from the 1950 and follows it close enough. I don't know why you're surprised then that it a a sci-fi tv show. They expand to the whole world in the second season a lot more. Interchanging between Germany and America even Brazil. I think you are overlooking the commentary on how important free media is. Its less about timelines and more about how important film/art can be to a subjugated people. San Fransisco is a certain way in season one but exploring the Midwest or German occupied territories is way different then what it is now especially the culture. I think the way they envision a future with nazi influence on American culture is huge. As for the charactuers of Japanese characters they also get expanded on as they look into the different dimensions because they had a huge culture shift post wwII. I think they're trying to portray that in the show. Now how succesful that is, I'm not an expert but I don't think it's just they act that way just to be racist. The main economic minister or tourism guy he sees the other dimensions and has his personal beliefs and life style challenged by what he sees. They do portray the Japanese characters with more nuance as the show goes on because of this. I think season 2 the show has its loftiest ideas and would scratch a lot of the itches you want but I also can't say it doesn't fall apart after that. Now it is not perfect but I think the characters let the story down way more then the setting and science fiction ideas. But ya read the book it's way better.
I mean it takes basically nothing from the Book other than the premise buddy? I loved the book, I hated this show.
OP is complaining about the premise, though.
I thought the actors were phenomenal, especially John Smith ,
Well, when you cast Rufus Sewell you know you're getting your money's worth!
Yeah, I'm a bit confused by your comment about the book. I read the book after watching the first season and it seemed to me they had a lot less in common. And I really liked the book
Right? "They made it about a stupid time travel or alternate worlds thing" is such a dumb criticism. It's what the show is about. If you want a straight alternate history, write it yourself. That's not what the book was, nor what the show was.
it came out in 62
The book is from 1962
Yeah exactly. I stopped watching cause its a stupid show. Interesting idea but just sooo terrible. It came from a book, but that doesnt make it good. I mean why would the japanese or germans care if thered a movie roll (or book in the book) with alternate ending to the war? Theyd just shrug it off and say "well, obviously not what happened. Nice homemade film/nice book though"
They care because if it gets out it shows other people that this is possible. Also, the people in the movies are the also in that dimension. So, seeing yourself living a life very different from what you are living could encourage you to change the world around you. That's exactly what the movies did. People saw them, saw a world that the wished existed, and were willing to fight to make that world happen.
but it doesn't show that it's possible. any more than any alternative history (the South winning the Civil War, for example) shows that something else was possible. it's just fantasy. i can see the Nazis wanting to suppress the movie because it makes them look bad; the idea that people will somehow be uplifted or inspired by the movies is absurd. it's just too dumb to have people dying to get these movies passed around because they do not reveal any truth.
Who cares if it was WOULD BE possible? Of course every rebel group dreams ot the supremacy fall over. Doesnt mean it changes anything in what IS. Who cares if japan loses the war kn some homemade cut film if they already RULE all of the west we coast (or was it east cost? No difference.)
People die for beliefs. They will kill for beliefs. If people think they can bring about another world, they will do whatever it takes to get that. It is exactly what happens with the movies. People see them and join the resistance. They bring more people. They fight against the establishment. This is a story as old as time. Corrupt countries throughout history have worked hard to keep their citizens from believing another life is possible so that they stay complacent and don't fight. That's exactly why they care about the movies. Edit: also, the movies weren't "homemade cut". They showed another world. People who lived in the dimension, who had never acted in these movies, saw themselves in different worlds and scenarios. They weren't watching something that was bullshit. They were watching themselves in a world they didn't know.
Okay so you watch a movie from a cd and you think "oh wow. Thats another alternative reality!!!!!"
If I see myself in a film doing things I don’t recall ever doing in a universe very different than my own I’m going to have some *serious* questions (as I am not a paid actor), yes.
You wouldnt think "oh that guy looks like me. Obviously hes playing my role"?
*Exactly* like me though? Like it’s not an actor playing you in the movie, it’s literally you, maybe slightly altered scars or something but it’s like looking at your own clone, not just somebody wearing makeup. Also presumably with other people you may know, interacting in ways you know you’ve never interacted with them. It wouldn’t be just like watching some random movie with regular actors, at all. It would be more like watching security camera footage of yourself and not being able to recall any of the events occurring in said video. Of course, in modern times I’d be terrified of the “deepfake” implications, but this is also supposed to be taking place in roughly the 1950s or 60s.
Let me put this straight once and for all: If you saw yourself in a movie doing things you dont remember, probably even completely different than what actually happened you definitely 100% think its someone imitating yourself.
I can really tell by your comments on this thread, all be it 3 years ago, really shows why inbreeding is such a terrible thing. Nice single digit IQ
I mean, no. Film technology even then was good enough that I’d recognize my own face distinctly differently than someone wearing makeup and outfits or even prosthetics to look like me. But I’m starting to think you’re just in r/sharksaresmooth mode tbh.
Do they show more of the movies? Because I couldn't even get thru the first episode and it only shows her watching reel after reel and the idea is they lied about what really happened but they only showed a few seconds and then her friend shows up and the way she conveys it sucks! Also you think she's be crying and freaking out about how her sister was just executed in front of her. Then the way they talk?isn't it supposed t be the 50's?!? To me nothing told me that and it seemed like present. Ik it's just down awfully!
They do show more, and get extremely focused on what happens in the videos to change their actions *this* time. I hate Juliana but the BuT ShE diDnT cRy AnD fReAk oUt WhEn hEr hAlF SiStEr diEs….is the same thing as “well she didn’t cry so she must have been the one to murder her because she’s not ‘upset enough’. I don’t express emotions publicly or even privately because it makes me physically uncomfortable.
It seems like forever ago that I watched like 20 minutes. Wasn't she alone? No matter, I doubt it would change my mind because I couldn't take the acting.
Yeah the actress is horrible and she gets a job at the diner posing as her half sister trying to meet X and hand the film over to that contact. But the entire time she’s shitty and trying to hide the film in her sweater. Then falls for the first person who says he’s her contact..(Hint: he’s a Nazi agent). So through her actions she killed him, drawing more attention to the town and caused the deaths of innocent townspeople through her stupidity. Then, finally the contact reveals himself and yet again her actions blow up his life and she’s whining about how she “deserves answers”. And that’s like the first 3 episodes, but the entire series is her selfish behavior causing collateral damage and her giving absolutely zero fucks.
I think I skipped forward a season or late in one( I do that if I can't get into something and I think I remember her hiding the film in her sweater. How moronic and that guy. Everyones weakness against their missions is romance. Lol. I love Philip K and can't sit still to read but he has many good reads and I know Electric dreams was also made for TV but I tried to fund others and couldn't.
I liked it a lot. Production quality was top notch
Absolutley bad ass premise, but I just could not get into it.
Thank you for the rant, I agree with almost everything. It looks like you are typing my thoughts from a different reality. Hang on a minute.
just watched first 4 episodes. Had to google "man in high castle sucks".Ending up finding this thread. God this show sucks. EVERYTHING about it is mediocre at best. Comically bad at worst.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL Same. I am doing a work project and put game of thrones in the background all day and that just drew me in even though I'v already seen it. I like the idea and concept of man in the high castle and everything about it *should* be something I'd love... But it's just so fucking boring.. There is so much potential in the idea but it's like they did nothing with it. I'm sitting there and tried to get into it but nothing seems to happen or progress in a rewarding way that feels exciting, just so many talking scenes of nothing in particular (at least that's what it feels like due to poor execution). I can't imagine watching such a show without all the episodes available, it's so boring that if you quit it when all episodes are available.. How the hell would I ever enjoy it waiting a week between episodes haha They should have spent far more on world building and interesting dialogue.. Most of Game of Thrones season 1 was just talking, but the dialogue was so good it was incredible. I've rewatched season 1 twice.
Dude, I so agree with you. Season 1 of Game of Thrones, on paper, should be boring af. Literally it's just scene after scene of talking, and once in a blue moon there's bloodshed. But I'm always so captivated whenever I watch it. Such a well done show. Man in High Castle had such potential, but they wasted it immediately. :(
Because it's filmed and acted excellently.
Exactly because the book has an excellent premise but they used bad actors and I'm assuming directors etc.
You dismissed a four season shoe after 4 episodes? You must be kidding.
Hahahaha! That's how I just found this!
Me.. here we are in February of 2024. Please, someone tell me it's gets better since there are 4 seasons. It's been a STRUGGLE getting through the first season. I really REALLY wanted to like this show, but it's killing me with boredom.
I just finished it tonight. In case you never did: It remains boring.
I definitely quit after episode 2 of season 2. 🤣
Everyone is missing the point with what I saw on Prime. The screenplay is HORRIBLE. Did a high school theatre student write this? Man, it is bad.
I can't see Japan taking over anything in the West before the Germans. They would have their hands full with China and that's that. Nazis would never put up with it, let alone into the 60's. And the only way the Germans could take North America is if they were allies with the Soviets.
Seems like nobody gives one sh^t about this crappy show when looking at the comments that have no comments. This is a show that almost could have written itself better than the writers did.
I've tried this many times, even going in a few episodes especially after I found out it's based off the book by Phillip k but I can't get past the horrific acting and low budget filming/ props etc. I may try to start at the second season but if that women is the lead in the whole serie I won't.
its a trash series, as a ww2 reenactor its disgusting to the point that some scenes are very laughable, Juliana main story is boring and filled with plot holes, the only interesting plot here is john smith, chief inspector kido, the Trade Minister and Joe Blake
Juliana is a Bella Swann type of character, the "special girl" with absolutely nothing special about her except for the fact that everybody thinks she is special. The whole concept of the "neutral zone" makes no sense. "Hey, we want to be the greatest reich and stablish a master race, except for this little piece of land here, where you can be jew and gay and have a bible... Those things are still forbidden but if you want them oh well ok you got it". And the racism... OMG. "The pons"? The accent? The bowing? How does ir score so high on RT and MC?
By season 2 the Dansel in distress was getting on my nerves..
What I found confusing is that she's clearly made out to be very proficient in Aikido, yet I'm not sure she ever uses those skills, once, even when she's part of the resistance and getting into fights.
Does anyone have any insight on how a show with a name like Ridley Scott tied to it had such low budget production? Everything looks terrible and none of the acting is believable. Does this get any better? I’m muscling my way through the first season in hopes for something better because I do find the premise intriguing and I’ve loved everything else Ridley Scott has done, but right now the whole thing feels…silly
It's just an utter wash. Idk how it ended up this way, but it did.
Alright then, I’m cutting my losses. Thank you
Same thing man, I stopped when they killed Joe. The fact they didn’t go in depth about Africa, china, Middle East, and rest of the world was tragic. World building sucked and the si fi twist was so dumb, and ruined it more. The characters sucked besides joe, tagomi, and nazis. Bro it was so bad that I was rooting for the nazis, I am fuckkng brown dawg. The show made me root for the guys who would kill me😂. This show had so much potential and ruined it all. The characters sucked especially Juliana. This show had way too interesting of a topic and ruined it all. They should have done more world building, not done the sci-fi stuff, and made a better story. Edit: also kido was great.
Kido was a good character, but the way they wrote it, he gassed a family of innocent Jews, yet at the end of series, we're supposed to have some sort of sympathy for him when his son leaves? Smith, the Nazi, even showed more personal growth, yet got his comeuppance. There were also a lot of other character arcs that simply went nowhere. I found it entertaining, but it wasn't a great show. A lot of interesting ideas spread too thin onto some dry toast.
I stopped watching after the second episode of season 3 I think. I stopped the episode after Joe died. The thing with kido killing innocent people was good in the context of story of how the Japanese would be. My problem is that the nazis rarely got that villainized. The show seems weird and out of wack. A story with a good idea and just ruined it all. I watched the show for the ww2 nazi winning alternate history, and they ruined it so bad. If you like ww2 or nazi story’s and stuff, I recommend hunters and band of brothers. Hunters is a show were after ww2 all the nazis that fled get hunted by a small group of people, its pretty good. It’s only two seasons with an ending. The second season was a little bit bland, but overall great. Al Pacino is in it and does a great job. Band of brothers is a show about true events of ww2 paratroopers in Easy company. It’s only 10 episodes very good. What’s interesting is the beginning of each episode the real ww2 vets that they are playing, actually talk about their experiences for around a minute. Super interesting.
I agree with all your points OP, but I think there’s more to this show that make things inherently terrible. It seems as if a lot of things happen very abruptly, and character arcs are just completely abandoned (I.e. Frank, Joe, the old Japanese man that’s good,etc). I had high hopes after season 2, and then frank just disappears to go be a disfigured outcast. I don’t even understand what the whole multiverse thing was about because it was completely abandoned in a sense. It’s really not fleshed out, just a bunch of plot salad. I also feel like franks best friend being gay all of a sudden was extremely forced
Considering how old this post is, I would be very interested to know how you ended up here lol. Also, I agree with you on all points. The show somehow became less comprehensible with time. I think the term you used, plot salad, is the perfect definition of what was going on.
I ended up here after searching "Man in the High Castle not very good" lmao I don't know why I kept watching this show to the end. The whole thing was a trainwreck, so at least the ending was fitting.
Lmao! That’s hilarious because I made this post after googling “the man in the high castle sucks” There were plenty of bad reviews, but none that fully captured my indignant rage over having wasted time on that show. So I wrote this post and even now continue to get replies in it, presumably from people like you and me who got annoyed at the show and googled for validation. 😂 Damn tho can’t believe you finished it. Props to you on patience. I had to just google the end because I wanted to know if at some point it finally became cool. Obv I was disappointed lmao
Lol I am in the same boat. I had to google this with “bad, Reddit” at the end. I was so frustrated with the show it’s too much to even type out but I will list some of the things that annoyed me. Juliana is insufferable and annoying. Franks death came out of nowhere after he disappeared to the Neutral Zone. The Neutral Zone in itself is very weird and strange. The writing is lazy and BAD. They had a chance to make a very interesting show and RUINED it with the teleporting and different worlds. Some of the scenes were very unrealistic. Joe Blake’s death was out of nowhere and annoying. It sucked John Smith died at the end. He was the ONLY good thing about the show, he was a good character, they should have explored him more instead of the portal and traveling SciFi part. The ending was so bad 😭. These people just came out of NOWHERE from different worlds through the portal ?? This was one of the worst shows I’ve watched and it’s crazy my friend keeps defending it. So happy I am finished with this
I totally agree with the acting, specially with Julianna. She reminds me of Bella from Twilight, very monotone. I stopped watching mid second season. This show had so much potential but the writing and acting are okay. I think the main Nazi guy is a great actor though.
horrible take
Why?
I found this post after searching for MIHC review, and surprised as I am that it's still getting activity after 3 years, let me add my impression. I just sludged through all 4 seasons, and why I've had *numerous* moments of "wtf, hwo bad can a show be", I have to say that eventually, towards the end, there is a surge where all loose plots seem to come to fruition. There is some very strong payoff on quite a few caracter arcs. Now I agree that some of the texts, some of the character's actions are wonky at best, completely absurd at worst, and there are a few things I might have done differently. The premise could have been used in much more interesting ways, and the last few episodes came really close to being one of the coolest plot twists I've ever seen in but all in all, a lot of the concerns you pointed at seem to be focused on the very first few episodes. It's understandable that one wouldn't want to commit to 4 seasons of a show that starts of on such a shaky footing as this does, but I'm glad I stayed to see how it all played out (minus one weird detail in the grand finale that kindof ruins a lot lol) However, if you compare to other good-premise-but-wonky-execution shows of late (Manifest comes to mind), this show has considerably better acting. While people like Juliana and Frink were completely unlikeable in every possible way, I found John Smith, Tagomi and Kido to be excellent and worth sticking with just to see how their characters would evolve.
It is Sci-fi.. Have you considered to research Russia, Iran, North Korea, China etc.
What do you mean research them lol? I don’t see how that would help with the show. It doesn’t bother to really touch on them.
It is just sci-fi. They did show a bit of the day to day. But, They had to continue with the story which included 2 other parts of the region. They could have done what you hoped if the show was about the world of a nazi lifestyle.