Any movie or television series in which a group of four or five children get together and bond through adventures could have The famous five thank you for its existence. First published by Enid Blyton in 1942, the children’s book series has been made into television series and films several times over the past 80 years. In 2023, the BBC produced a new version of the book series, produced by Nicolas Winding Refn.
THE FAMOUS FIVE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Initial shot: On a beach, a teenage girl looks around to make sure she is not being watched. She picks up the anchor of her small sailboat to go exploring.
The essence: While on the water, teenager Georgina “George” Barnard (Diaana Babnicova) sees an empty boat she has never seen before. When she boards, there is a dog on board; His collar says his name is Timmy (in real life, the dog’s name is Kip). George sees a cut oxygen line, so she decides to take Timmy home with her.
George hides Timmy in a boarding house, especially when his parents, Quentin (James Lance) and Fanny (Ann Akinjirin), tell him he can’t get a dog. Additionally, his cousins Julian (Elliott Rose), Dick (Kit Rakusen) and Anne (Flora Jacoby Richardson), are coming to stay while his parents are abroad.
The cousins first meet George when she returns from the beach, having found the body of Timmy’s owner, dressed in a ping suit, washed up on the rocks. She shows them the body and then tells them about the curse of Kirrin Island; The island is owned by her father and has been in the family for decades. There is supposedly a treasure buried somewhere on the island, but anyone who searches for it has met a horrible fate. Quentin has forbidden her from going to the island, but she goes there all the time.
As George and his cousins looked at the per’s body, a man named Boswell (William Abadie) watched them. He informs Thomas Wentworth (Jack Gleeson), a wealthy London industrialist who has been interested in this treasure for some time; he is the one who hired the unfortunate per.
George brings his cousins to the island and while they are exploring, Timmy runs off and accidentally falls into a hole in the ground. What George discovers as he tries to rescue the puppy is that there is a secret underground tunnel. What that leads to is a long-buried altar holding a cup; After George grabs the cup from where it is chained, water begins to enter the sealed chamber.
The five manage to escape, but when George shows the cup to his parents, Boswell is there, imploring Quentin to sell the island. But when he sees the cup, he immediately leaves to tell Wentworth what they found.
Through his knowledge of Latin, Dick discovers that the cup is a kind of key to finding where the treasure really is; It has to do with where a 13th century explorer named William Marshal is buried and what he keeps in that crypt. The clue prompts the group to take the train to London and the church where Marshal is supposedly buried. But Wentworth awaits them there, disguised as a priest.
What shows will it remind you of? Based on the book series by Enid Blyton, which was first published in 1942, The famous five has a bit of Goonies-Satisfies-Raiders of the lost ark feel it. The books have been adapted into films and series numerous times over the last 80 years; This version, created by Nicolas Winding Refn, adds a spooky touch Strange thingsSynth style soundtrack for the mix.
Our opinion: Despite some of the modern flourishes that Refn and his writers (Matthew Read wrote the first 90-minute adventure, split into two episodes on Hulu) added some modern touches to Blyton’s popular story, the show is more or less a story simple adventure. Suitable for both children and adults. Things get a little dark and a little dangerous for George and his cousins, but for the most part the three stories that make up the first season of this series will see them bonding over these adventures, using their strengths to figure things out. and then frustrate people. who are looking for what they are looking for.
On a show like this, where a group bonds over often dangerous adventures, it takes a little time for everyone’s strengths to come to light. Despite not being the oldest of the group, George is the obvious leader of the group and Babnicova plays his brave attitude well. Another standout is Kit Rakusen, who plays Dick Barnard, George’s genius young cousin. His extensive knowledge of, well, everything is what helps the group figure out things that most adults haven’t been able to. Does your encyclopedic knowledge base of him sometimes seem a little convenient? Sure. But in a show like this, where kids get into dangerous situations outside of their parents’ supervision, it’s helpful to have a human computer to get them out.
Anne and Julian are less defined; Anne just seems like a spoiled brat, and Julian seems like a nice, solid guy who is… well, that’s it. But there will be times when they will be tested and we will see what their strengths are. We enjoyed seeing Gleeson’s over-the-top villain in the first adventure, which seems to fit the profile of a show like this.
We hope that the mid-century period where the show takes place is defined a little better. We assume this is pre-World War II Britain, but we’re not given many clues to determine exactly when the adventures take place. Perhaps that vagueness is a deliberate choice by Redfn and his writers, to help us focus on the adventure rather than the world around the adventurers. Still a little Period context might have been helpful here.
What age group is this for?: Again, there are some slightly scary moments, but The famous five It is suitable for children ages 8 and up.
Parting Shot: The evil Wentworth takes the sword the group found and locks them all up, including the dog! — in the marshal’s crypt.
Sleeping star: Kip is an incredible doggie actor; Timmy is an expressive pup and seems even more adventurous than the children.
Most pilot line: “The last person who called me Georgina got a slap in the face,” George says when he first meets his cousins.
Our call: TRANSMIT IT. The famous five is a fun adventure series that the whole family can watch, with enough modern touches to keep younger viewers interested and enough dangerous situations to keep older viewers interested in what happens next.
Joel Keller@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and technology, but make no mistake: he’s a couch potato. His writings have appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.comFast Company and other places.
