Marco Polo: An actual review.

First of all I want to apologize for one comment that I made the previous post about Marco Polo, in which I said that there were going to be a fantasy element on the show, I thought I saw one but it was just the illusion caused by quick camera changes and not knowing the series, so what I’m saying is, there is no fantasy in this show.

Also I want to apologize because I had this review ready on December 23 but it slip from my mind and I'm uploading it until now.

  

Well but what can I say about a show that everybody is trashing? First I don’t know what everybody is complaining about, I mean the budget you can see where it went in every shot and every angle, the acting is well balanced, nobody is over or under playing their parts you can feel they were taking it really seriously. The lack of women? There are a ton of female characters, there is at least 1 strong female character for each man. The white guy how gets to civilize the barbarians and save the day? Far from it, and I’ll go deeper on all this themes and no spoilers on the show, because yes, it is that good.

First the review of the show:

This is a show based on an historical figure, I don’t know how accurate or loose is this base but they use it on a good way, I mean, people go and watch movies about exorcisms or an evil doll that are loosely inspired on the ramblings of an old priest, a drunk that called himself a ghost hunter and used to get money from some scared people, so why get so much into details of a story that feels right and have actual facts and investigation.

The show feels great it sets you the mood of every character by how they talk, they walk what do they do, is not black and white and you change your view of everything just by keep watching, at the beginning you might feel that the Mongols are barbarian and savages and then you see them and change that idea, and that happens to every character, and you like a character or the other and all of them feel deep with a rich background and with plans ahead, that makes good characters not just all being cool or having all the powers (Are you listening Moffat?)

 The settings are beautiful, if you don’t get why some people like oriental history give this show a try just sit there and enjoy the panoramic shots, the architecture of the palaces and gardens. The cinematography and photography reflects every moment as it should be the war councils feel the pressure, the conversations on the gardens are relaxed but feel like they have some double intention lurking in the shadows. You can just watch this show without audio and it will be very enjoyable, and I’m not talking about nudes scenes :P

Al the dialog is with an intention, not only to move the plot but to reveal a little more of the characters, but as I said not only what they say but how they say it, what are they doing while they say it, we have to remember that Oriental countries have strong traditions and discipline and patience is one of the strongest points, so they do all the rituals taking their time, you might even see a character holding his/her face when something upsets them during a dance or ritual.

Now to ease up the pain and doubts of people:

-It cost 90 million dollars!

Yes that is an amount of money, but you know what? Helicopter shots are not cheap, neither to hire more than 300 people to stand or represent a war and feed them, or to build throne rooms, make clothes for period pieces is not that cheap either, have a lot of horses and use them regularly, use actual oriental gardens and palaces, film in 4 different countries. What I’m saying is that you can see where all that money went, it was invested so we could watch a really good quality show.

And all these guys eat :P

-It is a copy of Game Of Thrones!

No is not, first this show is based on actual people and actual battles. Yes the idea might have come from making an epic show like GoT but it is very different. You don’t trust me well here I go.

First here there are no children playing war, in GoT you have Rob and Daenerys wining battles and ignoring their war councils in MP all are experienced war lords with seasoned war councils taking their time to make every move because it is important.

Second the camera is way open here than in GoT there you can see is almost all close ups even when they are outside because of reasons, but in MP you get panoramic shots even indoors what is awesome to watch Kublai Khan in his throne room.

Third we have horses, in GoT they avoid the use of horses or running on them, because horses are expensive and running on them means to rent a bigger piece of land and the insurance of the horse goes up, but in MP you can’t have Mongolia without running horses so we get horses running and lots of them.

Fourth there are not many stories, there is the main story threaded by lots of little stories, in Got we have like 5 main plots characters running wild and doing their thing, here is just one story, one war, two kingdoms, and all line up with them.

Don’t get me wrong I love GoT but what I’m saying this show is completely different, don’t look at it as another GoT but as a period piece.

Look they have a wall is a copy of GoT! You know who had wall too? China! And before GoT.

Feels old!

Of course it will feel old is history, and one that has been translated into movies, tv shows, cartoons, books, it even was on Doctor Who. So it will feel like history because it is, but the way is told is what makes it so great.

Two main characters, both women.

There are no women!

If you say that I’ll know you didn’t watched more than 15 minutes in. I mean there are a lot of female characters, each more amazing than the last one and all of them unfolds more mystery on the plot and on themselves. Yes is difficult try to being accurate and turn Maco Polo into a woman, what I’m almost sure all the people who say that there are no women in the show were expecting. But then you see that women are vital parts of the plot and that they have their own plots and objectives. Here is a very good explanation to the saying that “Behind every great man there is a great woman” because they give advice and they are as great as the man they stand behind.

The badassery of women is everywhere in this show!

 Is about a white man being the hero!

No is not, Marco Polo might be the name of the show but the character is our vessel, he is the way to deliver exposition to an audience that is not very familiar with oriental history and culture, but as the episodes go further we are more with Kublai Khan or Jia Sidao “The Cricket Minister” and less with Marco, because they are the main story. Also I’ll give to you to learn why is called “The Cricket Minister”

 

Yes there is a white guy, but you can't have a Marco Polo story without Marco Polo.

I watched 3 episodes one afternoon and I didn’t like it!

Well there is your problem, this show is not to watch it like 24 all in just one sitting, but to watch it and let it sink, to absorb and think about it, if you watch more than you can assimilate you will start to pay less attention, your mind will wonder and at the end you’ll be not getting any of what is happening, is like watching a movie falling sleep, your mind just don’t process it.

So the show is full of historic references like the Hashashin that where the first real assassins (the actual word assassin comes from Hashashin) and their leader Hassan I Sabbah (that he inspired Ra's al Ghul in Dc comics) and also Mongolian and Chinese culture, and that is great.

 Rules to watch this series:

-Turn off your cellphone.

-Do not eat during the episode.

-Do not talk during the episode.

-Listen to each and every conversation.

-Let it sink in.

So basically… Pay attention.

If you can follow this rules you might not like the show, but I think is great, not for everyone because some people don’t like war scenes or nudity but like Hundred Eyes said “If you can’t handle what’s happening, look away”

So I do recommend it to everyone, and I hope that they make more like this one, but about Genghis Khan and his rise of power, or a miniseries of Hundred Eyes, because I can read about what happened with Genghis or watch a documentary but I can think in just one phrase “I could read it, or watch it somewhere else but I want them to tell me the story”