a) STORY
Is the story, idea, plot, dialogue authentic and believable? Is it original?
I really enjoyed this show, until the last episode. With the first 7 episodes, Defending Jacob played like a really interesting melodramatic murder mystery with many twists and turns, but with the last episode I feel like the show jumped the shark. I think that the finale soiled my experience with the show and is the reason this show has such a low RT score, without spoiling anything, the show strings you along with questions and with the finale, when you are expecting some of those questions to be answered, instead they take a massive detour that has nothing to do with the story and end the show with double the amount of questions. A friend of mine defending the ending saying that he liked the ambiguity of it, but when the viewer is that invested in your story and you are promising answers, you can’t suddenly shift and tell a different story then end it abruptly. That being said they did a good job establishing the Barbers and the craziness that they had to endure throughout this whole process.
Story Score: 85/100
b) ACTING
What was the best acted scene in the film, why?
The best acted scene in the film was in episode 4, where Andy (Chris Evans), Laurie (Michelle Dockery), and Jacob (Jaeden Martell) are speaking with their lawyer Joanna (Cherry Jones) about the case and Jacob is asked to explain what happened, being under immense pressure, Jacob can’t remember what happened and changes the story to fit what the lawyer was saying. You could see how Jacob was just falling apart trying to piece together what happened while his parents and lawyer are grilling him.
Who was the best actor? Why? Would you cast the actor? For what role?
The entire cast did a superb job. Chris Evans was amazing here, he doesn’t get much work aside from Marvel, but he has impressed me with the performances he has given in films like Knives Out and Gifted, but I think this is his best performance yet. Michelle Dockery is most well-known for Downton Abbey and was recently in The Gentlemen and all three characters are extremely different which just goes to show her range. Her American accent here was spot-on and she played the role of a mom whose son is accused of murder with a lot of vulnerability and empathy. J. K. Simmons shows up here briefly and nails it. I think the true stand out of this show is Jaeden Martell. Martell has been in the IT films but unlike Finn Wolfhard, he can actually act, his portrayal here is multi layered and so sophisticated. Martell is one of the best child actors of our time, a close second to Noah Jupe who has been in A Quiet Place, Ford V Ferrari and Honey Boy.
Acting Score: 100/100
c) TECHNICAL
How did the following elements influence the mood of the film:
Cinematography?
They experimented a lot with the shots here, many interesting angles.
Technical Score: 90/100
d) ADD
Add up the marks of your review
275/300.
Give the film a total percentage.
91%
Make a concluding sentence or paragraph.
This show is worth checking out if you are an AppleTV+ subscriber for its first 7 episodes but they stretched the story too thin, they took a 3-hour story and tried to expand it to fit an 8 hour runtime, this would have made a better film with the same cast and creative team.
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