Cinematography:
Christian StangassingerCast:
Gaetano Aronica, Jeanne Goursaud, Jeremy Miliker, Laurence Rupp, David Schütter, Bernhard Schütz, Eva Verena Müller, Sergej Onopko, Florian Schmidtke (more)VOD (1)
Seasons(2) / Episodes(12)
Plots(1)
Three people's fates are interwoven in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 A.D., during which Germanic warriors halt the spread of the Roman Empire. (Netflix)
Reviews of this series by the user agentmiky (2)
Barbarians (2020)
I must disagree with most of the reviewers here. It’s clear that the series has a higher budget visible in every single shot, whether it’s the costumes, set design, or makeup. Personally, I expected a lot more brutality; the trailers built up anticipation for almost nonstop action between the Romans and the Barbarians, ending only with the final credits. I didn’t get that, but even the various intrigues and scheming turned out to be engaging in their own way. One thing that really pleased me was the dubbing. Romans speaking Latin, Germans speaking German... that's something you don’t often see in modern productions, so thumbs up for that. The series focuses mainly on the development of Arminius's character, and viewers will thoroughly enjoy his transformation by the end. The final episode is a visual feast, culminating in the most famous battle in the Teutoburg Forest. There are a few things that could be improved, such as adding more adrenaline-pumping sequences or fine-tuning some minor script issues. If there is a second season and the creators avoid these cosmetic flaws, I’m looking forward to it. For me, the first season is a 7/10.
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Season 2 (2022) (S02)
It seemed to me that there were no significant changes compared to the first season. Deep down, I hoped that the second season would break far more free... I simply expected a bloodbath, with an emphasis on the Roman legions' retaliation. Unfortunately, this scenario remained only in my dreams and imagination... However, Barbarians still offer decent and quality entertainment. The audiovisuals are once again top-notch in their genre, whether we're talking about costumes, chosen locations, or the action sequences themselves. From a story perspective, I welcomed the new character of the Roman Germanicus, who was such a slimeball that just looking at his face made my blood pressure rise. As I mentioned before, the second season also maintains a more intimate tone. At least the final episode delivered an uncompromising bloodbath, sparing no blood or strong emotions. Plus, the final cliffhanger teased the next continuation. So... All in all... It's not an Oscar-worthy affair, but this theme definitely has something to it. The Germans know their stuff. For me, I give it 7.5/10.
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