Wonderful character development!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The Kingdom is the most technologically advanced hospital in Denmark, a gleaming bastion of medical science. A rash of uncanny occurrences, however, begins to weaken the staff's faith in science--a phantom ambulance pulls in every night, but disappears; voices echo in the elevator shaft; and a pregnant doctor's fetus seems to be developing much faster than is natural.So far as I know, this was made before Lars von Trier became an international sensation, or just about the time that he did. The lower budget is evident, but the film (or show) is actually much more interesting and well-made than some of his later work. Even from the first segment, we see this is a world on the edge of humanity.I hate to compare it to "Twin Peaks", because that is not the best comparison, but I can see a link... a world that is seemingly normal, though waiting just on the other side of the wrong door is a whole other world. The way the two Down's Syndrome characters were portrayed is wild -- characters with a secret knowledge, not limited but transcendent.

The sound quality… the film's lack of a full color spectrum… the jittery camera work — initially it seemed I was watching a student film from 10 years ago shot with a mid-1990's model cellphone.It didn't take long for the story, direction, comedic timing, quirkiness (and subtitles) to take hold. Between the occasional interaction of hospital's 2 dishwashing staff and the new physician's initiation ritual, I was hooked. I'm assuming they didn't have much of a production budget, but it didn't matter — I thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries.I've read they hacked 4 hours out of it and made a 5 hour movie for release to the US and British markets — I'm glad I was able to see the 8 episodes (9 hours) as originally broadcast, there isn't any of "Riget" I'd want to miss. Neither would I want to watch the 2004 homogenized Stephen King 13 episode version — I suspect it bears only a slight resemblance to the original. I can see how this series wouldn't necessarily appeal to everyone, just glad I'm in the group who gets-it :-)The 2nd season was good, but I enjoyed season 1 more. Series 2 was a bit more tongue-in-cheek; much of it funny, some of the gags fell flat. At least the pacing was quick as when it annoys, it's not for long. I think the funniest season-2 scene for me involved poison and some confusion over coffee cups...If there's ever another remake, I hope it's a Danish one with the same director, otherwise, they shouldn't bother. Maybe make a cleaner print of the original for digital release and put it on every streaming service available

If you get a chance to watch this TV series, please do so as you will be well rewarded. More bizarre than Twin Peaks, this series of 8 episodes is eerie and unsettling throughout, always surprising you with the next unexpected, supernatural revelation. It is an early showcase for the talent Von Trier was to show in his later movies and contains many unforgettable characters from Stig Helmer to Udo Kier's baby calling for its mama to the precognitive Down's syndrome children.Stephen King's American remake Kingdom Hospital doesn't hold a candle to Von Trier's original.

Wow... 5 more hours of Riget. Lars continues the great combination of occult, dark horror and soap-opera drama. Picking up exactly where the last episode of the previous series left off(complete with the same high intensity and suspense, though that doesn't last; for better or worse), this installation in the franchise seems somewhat more bent on haste... in the last series, there seemed to pass a day or a week between each episode, whereas in this, it clearly is one long stretch... where one episode ends, the next begins. A lot can be said about Lars von Trier... but he is very diverse and pretty eccentric. Both qualities show in this. The plot continues its excellence, now giving a few regular characters that were minor players in the previous four episodes more attention. Basically every character from the first returns, at least as far as the main roles go. The pacing isn't as sharp as in the first part, and I found myself less gripped by this one. That is not in any kind of way to say that this didn't involve me, though... I still found myself constantly watching, and at several points reacting strongly, often out loud, to what was going on(extremely unusual behavior for me, as I am an incredibly silent person), as I also was during the first. Like the first, this also brings up some loaded ethical questions. Building on the foundation from the first, this brings the story further... and being a sequel, the scope is also bigger. Grander. More spirits, more bizarre occurrences, more subplots. The strong graphic material of the first also returns, and it's been kicked up a notch. The characters are developed further. The acting is amazing, as that of the first. Udo Kier solidifies his immense talent, to anyone who doubted it. Playing a very difficult character(anyone who has seen the first series can most likely figure out what I mean) *and* acting in a language he didn't speak(he was later dubbed)... and still handing in such a strong performance. The cinematography remains great, and is still very hand-held, with rapid zooms and the occasional long take. The editing is sharp, with a few direct cuts in sound(though these were more prominent in the first). Now, with all that said, I would really like to be able to rate this a perfect 10... or at least just under, like the first four episodes. I truly enjoyed watching, and I don't regret it in the least. But this does have shortcomings... the ones the first part had and more. As the first, the humor just takes up too much space... and this time around, it's even worse. There are several new regular characters that are there for no other reason than to provide comic relief... three of them, no less. Scenes are set up and executed for no other reason than to make the audience laugh. Fine for a comedy, but what is it doing in such a dark and unpleasant, yes, nothing short of sadistic at times, horror piece? Helmer's solitary secret hiding place of solitude is changed from the hospital roof... from which he could see his beloved Sweden... to a bathroom. With an angle from inside the bowl. No, you read that right. In general, the humor seems more low-brow... more sex and bodily function jokes, which, again, begs the question "Why?". Whilst most of the writing is excellent, some of it is downright dire. Several scenes are basically copied from the first mini-series(one would guess due to their popularity when it aired). At times, the drama seems a bit more bombastic than that of the first, and it jumps too much at times. Fortunately seldom, but still noticeably, plot points and items are explained away too easily(a certain character living in Denmark for no apparent reason, for example... anyone who's seen it knows who I'm speaking of). The two dishwashers, while still mysterious and insightful, become too much of a gimmick... too overexposed, in the end, I guess. Most of the scenes with them are still enjoyable, though. In addition to that, I want to reassure any reader of this that in spite of all the negative things I have just written that this is still mostly good... definitely enjoyable, compelling, powerful... and in my humble opinion, it should definitely be seen by anyone who liked the first(though if belong in that group; do not expect to feel that the story is finished after watching this any more than you did after the first). I recommend this to any fan of Lars von Trier and anyone who enjoyed the first Riget and wants more where that came from. I urge anyone who's even considering watching this to make sure you've seen all of the first before you do... I bought this before I bought the first, but I held out on watching until I had bought the first and watched that, and I can't tell you how glad I am that I did. Though this features a brief summary of the events in the first, there are an immense amount of details and aspects that you would miss out on if you didn't see it before watching this. Slightly lesser sequel, but definitely still one to watch if you liked the first. 8/10