It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

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

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Full disclosure: I pretty much love everything about Amanda Tapping. So it's not a big surprise that I love this series so much.Like her portrayal of Samantha Carter (Stargate SG1), to Helen Magnus she brings the perfect mix of strength, humour and vulnerability. But with Helen Magnus she takes it to a whole new level with a self confidence that you can't help but be drawn to. She's the coolest, smartest and most beautiful woman in the room and you desperately want to be her.But it's not just Amanda that makes this series great. The supporting cast including Robin Dunne, Ryan Robbins, Christopher Heyerdahl and Jonathan Young all portray wonderfully relatable and flawed characters who all contribute to this dysfunctional but loving family dynamic.Speaking of Jonathan Young, his performance as the sassy, irreverent, self-absorbed vampire Nikola Tesla (yeah THAT Nikola Tesla)is the highlight for me. Honestly if they had made a Season 5 of this series they should've put him in every episode.The story structure, photography and directing is familiar for SG1 and SGA fans (with Martin Wood and Damian Kindler at the wheel).Now I will say. Season 1 is a little hit and miss. The special effects and green screen work is clunky and the story lines are not the greatest.(With the notable exceptions being "Kush", "The Five" and "Requiem") But from Season 2 onwards it's bloody fantastic.

This is an extremely frustrating series, because so much more could have been done with it. Granted, the main plot is original, the special effects phenomenal, the characters interesting, the makeup believable, etc. And yet... The plot holes, oh the plot holes. Not many people I know have watched more than one or two seasons, but I assure you it gets better with time. Season 3 is by far the best written of all. In the end, you get attached to the characters, despite the mythological and historical discrepancies, especially with an actress as formidable as Amanda Tapping. But now that they've announced there won't be a Season 5, many of our questions will forever remain unanswered...frustrating, I tell you.

I didn't think that this series could get any better than Season 1 but I was wrong! Difficult as it must have been to top Season 1 of Sanctuary, the creators some how managed to do it. The story lines of the individual episodes are more bold and daring (as seen in Eulogy and Pavor Nocturnus). The CGI and FX from Season 2 are even better. The directing and cinematography is more creative and the actors' performances are excellent. Additionally, the musical score (by Andrew Lockington) improved the overall quality of the series. Additionally, I like that the creators are not wasteful. The physical (as in non-CGI) sets are often recycled for used in subsequent episodes and they generally try to avoid destroying props.The most interesting thing about the Sanctuary series the writers have managed to balance the sci-fi nature of the show with episodes that deal with the relationships of the characters to each other and to their world. In season two these relationships are expanded. The writers/producers/network have taken a lot of flack for killing off Ashley (Emilie Ullerup). Although at first I didn't like the character of Ashley, by the end of Season 1 she had grown on me. I liked the mother/daughter dynamic and I was very sorry to see Ashley go. However, her departure created a new dimension to the character of Magnus and the writers dealt with Ashley's death in a very realistic way. The addition of streetwise and morally ambiguous Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi) has brought yet another interesting facet to the series. So, although I would love to see them bring Ashley back, I hope that if they choose to do so they keep Kate as well.The most enjoyable thing about this series is that it seems to be different from everything else on TV (even within the sci-fi genre). I'm looking forward to Season 3!

It's a very nice idea. In other reviews the same has been said: a nice blend of genres, etc. A 9 for originality. A 1 for all the rest.Every single aspect of every single scene is soooo very really unbelievably BAD!Her accent: totally unnatural and incredibly annoying. Her language: totally unnatural and incredibly annoying. You know who I'm talking about. Pretty much the same goes for her daughter and the thirteen year old looking doc: what they say makes no sense half of the time and what they bring to the table is... wait, it's nothing: he has absolutely no skill (which shows in every episode: Magnus does all the work) and neither does she: she thinks she can fight but she gets her ass kicked all the time!Yet, somehow at the end of every episode (I've seen 9 and cannot bare to watch a single second anymore) everything worked out and they win... Weird.Also, Magnus contradicts herself at every turn. Even if you don't pay any attention, you gotta see that! Also, what's with her having been friends with every single famous person? Even if you're 200 years old, you can't have known em all can you? Also, everyone in her family seems to be (or have been) brilliant and a scientist (or pretty much the most famous person in England).Also, please get some acting lessons or something! It's a deadly combination of: The story is bad, there is no guiding principle, everything they do and stand for is unbelievable (literally, I just don't believe them), Magnus' voice is incredibly annoying AND they can't act! AND: They can't act!! It's a pain to look at! Every they themselves are just standing there like they don't know what to do!