Review: Shadowhunters Off to a Slow Start
Tonight, January 12, Freeform will debut its new series, Shadowhunters. Inspired by the books series by Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments, the show stars Katherine McNamara as protagonist Clary Fray and Dominic Sherwood as her male lead Jace Wayland. The story follows Clary as she realizes that she is no normal human being, but a shadowhunter, a human-angel hybrid, who must protect the human world from demons.
Fans of the book series will be a little surprised by the show, as will fans of the 2013 movie, The Mortal Instruments. The first episode follows the main plot of the first book in the series, City of Bones, but how the story is played out in the episode is very different. There are a number of additions and changes made in the show that may deter book fans. My lips are sealed on what they are, so I don’t spoil anything for you, but one scene that includes Clary’s mom, really threw me for a loop.
Katherine McNamara and Dominic Sherwood were solid choices for Clary and Jace. The chemistry between to the two is good and both stars do a great job of bringing their character’s to life. Alberto Rosende (Simon) and Isaiah Mustafa (Luke) also play big parts in the first episode. Alberto did a decent job with Simon, he had his ups and downs throughout the episode, but overall not bad. Isaiah, on the other hand, really shined in this episode. His take on Luke is really enjoyable to watch and will have you wishing there was more of him in the episode.
In regards to the CGI and stunts, for a TV show, they are not terrible, but they are not great. They definitely aren’t anything to write home about, but hopefully as the show continues they continue to get better.
When you watch tonight remember that the show is INSPIRED by the series and not entirely based on it. The TV writers have taken their own liberties, but the story is still the same. Do not go in thinking that it is going to be exactly like the books. If you go in with an open mind you should be fine. I went in expecting it to be like the books and, because of that, I wasn’t 100% satisfied with how the story was told. We’ll have to see if that changes as the series continues.
Make sure to let us know what you think of the show after you watch tonight!
Grade: C+