Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

(Contains spoilers)The first episode was marvellous, and it persuaded me to watch the rest. Sadly, it was downhill thereafter.The setting and cinematography are excellent throughout, and create a compelling atmosphere of late Victorian creepiness. The actors do a businesslike job, although the delivery is a touch too theatrical in places. The dialogue, considered scene-by-scene, is mostly convincing. You could take a ten-minute snippet from more-or-less anywhere in the series, and it would look like something I could happily watch.And yet...It doesn't make any sense -- that's the problem. There seems to be an understanding among contemporary writers -- for any medium -- that as soon as a story involves supernatural elements, there's no need for it to have any kind of internal logic. Let's suppose we accept -- for the purposes of the plot -- that people can sometimes experience events from the past or the future. Many good movies have worked with that assumption. But how does that explain a bunch of Victorian farmers finding a wrecked car? And how does it explain the various mysterious deaths? These seem to be attributed to some kind of evil spirit; but what is the connection between evil spirits and time travel? None that is made clear, for sure.At some point we learn that a bunch of Parliamentarian troops massacred everybody in the village during the Civil War. That fact just comes out of the blue, with no preceding references, just when the writers thought it would be nice to have some additional violence, presumably. Such events don't seem particularly plausible from a historical perspective, but even less plausible is that it doesn't seem to surprise anybody that the ghosts of the long-term roundheads come back to repeat their villainy. It just seems par for the course. The male lead character is ostensibly a psychologist, or some form of mental health professional. There was a good opportunity for a plot based on the tension between science and superstition; but that opportunity was ignored, and it wouldn't have made any difference if this character had been a banker or a painter.Similarly, the show alludes to the impact of industrialization on a farming community, but this plot element is not developed at all -- Mr and Mrs Squire buy a steam engine, which is sabotaged. We never find out by whom, or for what purpose, and it plays no further part in the story.And the ending... what's that all about? It just comes completely out of left field with no connection to anything that has gone before.Just think of all the odd plot elements that are crammed into this short series:time travel - forgotten mines harbouring dark secrets - rationality and superstition - ghosts of various sorts - possession by unquiet spirits of some sort - the impact of industrialization on a rural communityAny one of these elements could have been developed into a compelling story, with real character depth. All the right things were there -- the location, the atmosphere, the cinematography. However, it just looks as if the writers jumbled everything together, and then put some additional ghosts in for good measure. Many movies are not easily understood on a single viewing. In the best examples, we get an idea that, although the plot might not be simple, or obvious, there is one in the writer's mind at least. In this case, however, it's clear that even the writers didn't care about the story, beyond the immediate relationships between the main characters.So it's a soap opera with ghosts and time travel. Very disappointing.

Sometimes I have a feeling within ten minutes that I am just not going to like a show, but if it has interesting elements I will often push through in hopes that things gel.The first episode of The Living and the Dead falls in this category for me. The series had a nice sense of period atmosphere, with nice scenery, pretty costumes, and a sense of foreboding. But the show felt inert. It wasn't just the very leisurely pace; there was just something so *bland* about it all.Still, I persevered, thinking that perhaps there would be a riveting character or a plot twist (as promised by some of the other reviewers) that would pull me in.Instead, I just felt this overwhelming sense of restlessness. I kept checking the clock to see how much was left.The characters were wooden and generic. The pacing was glacial.It's not that I can't see why this might appeal to people. It's got that psychology versus spirituality concept and a Thomas Hardy/Henry James literary approach. But I can't even think of sitting through any more of this.

A brilliantly constructed bit of telly showcasing the BBC at it's best. A feast for the eyes with views of the English countryside through the changing seasons. Excellent costume design, most notably for Colin Morgan's character where his clothes reflect his changing mental state. A scary, gripping and clever tale filled with surprising and unexpected twists and turns and a final scene which left me gagging for a sequel. Brilliant soundtrack. Colin Morgan gives a heart wrenchingly good performance as Nathan Appleby and the chemistry between him and screen-wife Charlotte Spencer is wonderful. Cannot recommend this show highly enough and I implore the powers that be to make a second series!

I personally found this captivating and well worth watching.The setting is a lovely location with history oozing thru the storyline. the characters are solid, 3d and fully believable. the directing and background make you believe the story and accept the circumstances.it drags you into the plot and makes you want to know what ever happens next.I cannot recommend this enough.Unlike another critic I felt that the music enhanced the plot and added to the air of mystery.It all becomes explained in the last episode and suddenly it all makes sense.well worth watching.