The Darkness

Was expecting a cheesy theatrical Icelandic cop drama but was pleasantly suprised to find a beautiful, suspensful and unpredictable series. The Icelandic actors really stood out as proper good even though they were not acting in their mother tongue. Björn Hlynur and Thorvaldur were great!

Lena Olin was a bit stiff at first but as the series plays out her character deepens and her acting starts fitting the character better. Bannon was great!

Cinematography and lighting was top notch and the aerials were superb in the low light conditions. Street lights, snow and tire tracks are a suprisingly pretty combo, who knew?

Definitely recommend.

I have seen many of the Nordic Noir / Crime series such as The Bridge, The Killing, Wallander, Beck, Trapped, Valhalla Murders, Karppi, etc. And I can assure you that this is one of the worst series in this genre that I have ever watched. The acting is so overreacting that you cannot stand it and I did not like the way how Lena Olin performs. On the other hand, there are plotholes in this series. I wish it was not so easy to guess who the killer was. It did not meet my expectations at all and I recommend you to skip these series and instead watch Den Som Draeber (Those Who Kill) series instead of wasting your time with this one. I give 3 over 10 only because it was filmed in Iceland.

This show just isn't worth your time. I tried to give it a chance, but after watching two episodes, I couldn't bring myself to continue. The pacing feels sluggish, and the story lacks any real hook to keep you invested. The characters are uninspired, and the dialogue often falls flat, making it hard to connect with anyone on screen. Additionally, the predictable political correctness woven into the narrative feels forced and unnecessary, detracting from any potential intrigue. Overall, the series feels unoriginal, lacking excitement or depth. It blends into the sea of standard content without leaving any lasting impression. Save yourself the time and skip this one.

I'm Icelandic and worked crew on The Darkness. This was a big one for us, with many local people involved - all the way through to post. Even though it's in English, it still feels Icelandic to me. The silence, the light, the landscape - the feeling.

Most people don't know, but the first scripts had Huldakona - real hidden people - and I loved that. The director tried hard to include things that are deeply Icelandic, even if some parts were cut later (I don't know why). There was more of our culture in this story than what ended up on screen.

I just hope people stop attacking it. If there's no season two, we all lose. It was something good for Iceland. Don't kill it from pride.

Some absolutely great parts here - the photography, the field locations, Reykjavik looks beautiful. There are also some weak red-herrings in the plot. Also, some real acting talent is available but Doug Henshall from "Shetland" is completely wasted in a nothing and pointless role. But it's all squandered on a poor and poorly stitched-together narrative that felt rushed to a conclusion. Too many plot lines went nowhere, too many ideas thrown in (misogyny, indigenous and migrant bigotry), character motivations were poorly articulated and the lead actress had a cryptically explained personality and background too say the least.

Really disappointing.