The series "American Gods" even before the premiere was named one of the most anticipated projects of 2017. The project bribed the viewer with everything: an original idea, based on the book of the rising star Neil Gaiman, the successful selection of actors and the promise to "do it right" from the director. Following the results of the first season, the project gained a considerable army of fans, and even those who did not hold the original in their hands recognized that the idea was interesting. The actors who played in the film "American Gods" embodied all the images to the smallest detail. Their behavior, gestures and communication with other characters - everything looks natural, and the viewer with aspiration monitors the development of events.
The plot for neophytes
It is no secret that the pilot, as well as the first few episodes of the American Gods series, was perceived ambiguously by the public. The lack of prehistory and the rapid development of events made the audience bewildered to turn to the book in search of answers to what was happening on the screen. In the film "American Gods" the plot was confused, multifaceted, with references to mythology, pop culture, modern idols of the media and web trends. The viewer was offered to combine the old and the new, the known and the forgotten, after which they were literally thrown into the thick of things.
In the center of the story is the former criminal Shadow, who decided to permanently tie himself with the criminal past. By the will of fate, he turns out to be a confidant of a certain Mr. Wednesday, whom he met at the airport. Shadow alone, his wife died with his best friend. Peppercorns are added by the fact that the cause of an accident could be the oral sex of a couple while driving. Working for the employer, he quickly realizes that something else is hidden behind the known world, mystical and secret, dangerous, but enticing.
Wednesday conducts business as a real fraudster. He is cheating, robbing, but at the same time preparing for something more. Together with him, Shadow travels around several cities in America, communicates with strange personalities and gradually realizes that the employer is not as simple as it seems. He is the embodiment of Odin, the head of the pantheon of the Scandinavian gods, who sold his eye for secret wisdom. Along with the Shadow, Odin's crows travel, and he prepares himself for a new war - Ragnarok, collecting followers and planning a retaliatory strike against the new US idols that have taken away the flock from the former rulers of heaven.
In the series "American Gods" one way or another, several incarnations of the divine from the mythology of the peoples of Scandinavia, Slavs, Indians and Egyptians were noted.
Secret of success
The premiere of the film “American Gods” took place on April 30, 2017, after 2 weeks the series was extended for the second season. The project turned out to be rich, rich in details. The narrative jumps from one detail to another, but the whole story is complete, each character is interesting in his own way, even episodic heroes are remembered, and the picture pleases the viewer's eye with the colorfulness and phantasmagoria, the absurdity of what is happening. In the film "American Gods" the actors are practically not all newcomers, they have both successful projects and failed ones. The novel of the same name at one time became the laureate of three prizes at once, the series has not yet repeated its fate, but the popularity of the project is certainly high.
Shadow
Shadow Moon is the backbone of the plot of the series. His image is unique in itself, the criminal seems to be the embodiment of a well-known cliche in the world of literature, but the development of the image allows you to look at the character from a different perspective. In the process of narration, the Shadow is revealed as a man of honor with a divine beginning. It was up to the choice of an actor for the role of such a hero whether the series could attract the viewer from the first minutes. The image on the screen embodied by Ricky Whittle.
The actor is known for participating in the CSI series, but otherwise remains a debutant. Such a choice initially surprised fans of the original, but the lot turned out to be winning in the end. Ricky Whittle was able to adequately convey the image of the silent knight and bodyguard of Mr. Environment, and a certain constraint of facial expressions and gestures only adds to the image of integrity and color.
Laura Moon
The role of the wife of the protagonist went to Emily Browning. The image of the actress is quite complex: a liar and a traitor, who returned from the world of the dead for the sake of her faithful love for her husband. Only Leprechaun coin keeps Laura alive, but she is ready to literally kill for her beloved, trying to protect him. Emily Browning was approved for the role in the film “American Gods” almost immediately, the actress had extensive experience working with fantasy projects (Forbidden Reception, Lemony Snicket: 33 misfortunes), a memorable appearance and stunning immediacy in the game on camera. In the film “American Gods” the actors are all “live” ones, such a concept is poorly applicable to a corpse, but still the viewer does not feel the falsity of their game.
Mr. World
The role of the head of the "new gods" went to actor Crispin Glover. His character is poorly disclosed in the series, but in the book Mr. Mir is a subtle manipulator, a talented organizer, rallying around him the capricious idols of the 21st century. In the picture "American Gods" Crispin Glover was, including by great will. It was approved, and the director did not fail. A sophisticated gentleman is the exact opposite of the petty crook Wednesday, however, this is only at first glance.
Mr. Wednesday
Mr. Wednesday, aka Odin and the Hanged Man, is the second most important role in the series. First, he appears before the viewer as an ambitious thief, but the farther, the more reveals the greatness and ugliness of the head of the pantheon. One does not pursue freedom for the "old gods", but his own power flowing through his fingers. Shadow for him is just a tool, no more. This role is difficult because it requires the actor to get used to several roles at once, to change the masks in the course of the narrative, without faking and believing in their own lies. Ian McShane brilliantly dealt with this and fully revealed the image of the exiled god.
Crazy Sweeney
Leprechaun is a minor hero, but his influence on the development of the plot is extremely great, several lines of characters are tied to his image. The role of Crazy Sweeney was played by an actor of Canadian origin Pablo Schreiber, little known to the general public. Leprechaun looks natural, his image is a kind of cliché of stereotypes about the Irish, but at the same time the character has a “double bottom” and with the course of the plot changes under the influence of the wife of the protagonist Laura Moon.
In addition to these characters, in the series, fans remember Anubis, Chernobog, Zarya Evening, Bastet and the genie. All of them are unique in their own way and important for the plot. In many ways, in the film “American Gods,” the actors were able to revive the narrative of the novel and make it brighter, more expressive. Subsequently, each of the heroes got accustomed to their protagonist, the game ceased to be such, and the viewer saw amazing naturalness. Will the TV adaptation get the same success? It will be known already according to the results of the first episodes of the second season, which are left to wait a little.