Rio Selvagem

Got me hooked to watch the whole thing in two days after work. Good writing, story was good and kept you wondering who done it. It needed to show longer pauses when the camera shot was on pieces of paper or texts; I couldn't read what it said. Character development was slow, Miki did develop somewhat and the story had enough movement to keep you watching. There were some good acting moments notably from the "good news in a box moment" around the table, that moment was very believable. It just showcases a very Australian way of life from chops for dinner, Vegemite toast, pub life, driving Holdens, yeah m8. Good job 👍🏻

An above-average crime drama mystery series where everything is too mild, whether believable or unbelievable. The best acting in my opinion goes to Hattie Hook (Ivy) who played naturally and with real charisma, wish everyone played as charismatically and with an enough mix of youth naive craziness & seriousness as her, though second best to her was her mother character Rachel Kennedy.

The screenplay plots are so so, the photography and sceneries the "best" in the show as are various realistic/unrealistic relationships throughout.

In one word, it's mildly recommended, but don't expect anything shiny as in Nordic series.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6
• Development: 7.5
• Realism: 6.5
• Entertainment: 7
• Acting: 6.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
• VFX: 7
• Music/score/sound: 6.5
• Depth: 6.5
• Logic: 4.5
• Flow: 6.5
• Crime/drama/mystery: 6.5
• Ending: 5.5.

It seemed to me that SAVAGE RIVER was trying to create a Scandinavian-type dark crime story. The impressive opening titles certainly gave me that impression. But, for me, it didn't live up to that expectation.

The story is about Miki Anderson, who returns to her hometown in rural Tasmania after serving a 15-year prison sentence for murder. She is determined to put her life back together and figure out who she is on the outside. But her presence dredges up long-held secrets from the past and Miki realizes everything she thought she knew was wrong.

The show is set in the present day, but it has a timeless feel to it. The pacing is slow and deliberate, and the cinematography is beautiful. The problem is that the story is just not that interesting. It plods along and takes ages to go anywhere. And the ending was anti-climactic.

So, while I appreciate the effort that went into making this show, I can't say that I would recommend it.

I really hoped this was just another great mini-series like the ones that are based on Harlan Coben's books. But it really isn't that good. I don't wanna spoil anything, so I'll try to stick to the broad pros and cons: Pros: The surroudings. The scenery of Tasmania is really beautiful.

The acting is pretty good. No complaints here.

Cons: It's a veeeeery slow show. It draws out every scene like it's a drama serie. The pace is the same every scene. You never get some action. And this is really weird for a series that is about a crime. In the end, I kept watching because I wanted to find out who did it. But the last three episodes felt like a choor.

There's one big mistake in this series. I really can't believe the makers didn't see it when they watched it for themselves.

Savage River was a brilliantly paced crime/drama with an incredible cast to back it up. From the outset, the plot line found a grounded feel, and escalated in a suspenseful, subversive manner.

The cinematography was stunning and shots pretty laconic. The soundscape behind it was charming no doubt.

Defiantly emblematic of regional Australia and thematically hit the nail on the head of many issues facing these townships.

The spoiler free ending was deeply satisfying - sticking the balance of answering as many questions as it perhaps raised. Really hopping that along with Mystery Road Origins, we see this renewed for another season.