The series "Homeland", reviews of which will be presented below, was released in the spring of 2015. He immediately attracted the attention of viewers with brilliant cast. And the name of the project evoked patriotic feelings. Many enjoyed watching this movie, looking forward to an exciting sight. However, the series Homeland did not become super-popular. Reviews, interesting facts, strengths and weaknesses of this project will be the subject of proceedings in this article.
Actors
It’s not often that really interesting pictures appear on our screens. Here is "Homeland" - a series about which reviews are very mixed. However, the cast of the film is not satisfactory to anyone. The main role in it is played by the charismatic Vladimir Mashkov. His unfaithful wife is represented by Maria Mironova. Victoria Isakova organically fit into the image of the neurotic agent of the FSB, and Sergey Makovetsky - her mentor. The series was also adorned with its presence by other actors beloved by everyone: Andrei Merzlikin, Alisa Khazanova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Maria Shalaeva, Timofey Tribuntsev. It would seem that with the participation of such talented artists, a real masterpiece was to be born. But not everyone was satisfied with watching the movie.
Plot
An unusual storyline features the series "Homeland". Reviews from the audience indicate this. The film begins in the distant 1993, when two officers went missing during a military operation in the North Caucasus: Yuri Khamzin and Aleksey Bragin (Vladimir Mashkov). Six years later, the latter was found in one of the secret bunkers of the terrorists. He was very exhausted, chained to the wall, but nonetheless alive and relatively healthy. The story miraculously escaped from the death of a major immediately became the property of the media. For the rehabilitation of Bragin, the best specialists were involved. And among them is Anna Zimina (Victoria Isakova), an expert analyst with the counterterrorism department of the FSB. After the first conversation with Bragin, the girl realized that he was hiding some secret. All the first season, she racked her brains over this problem and in the end she practically solved it.
Primary sources
The series Homeland was shot based on the American Homeland project. Therefore, the audience’s reviews can be divided into two categories: those who watched the American version of the film, and those who did not see it. Strictly speaking, the original source is the Israeli television series Prisoners of War. The Russian public is not familiar with him, but in the plot of the picture you can catch the local realities. The constant threat of terrorism, the visit of the eastern prince in search of girls for a harem, the nuances of family and business relations seem alien to some viewers. As one of them ironically remarked, two Russian men after six years of separation under tragic circumstances would never sit down to drink red wine on the balcony overlooking night Moscow. Men in Russia prefer a different pastime and, most definitely, other drinks. However, the framework of a foreign project dictates its own conditions. Therefore, the actors in the Russian version sometimes look unnatural and utter remarks that are not characteristic of their characters.
Drama
I made a considerable impression on the audience the series "Homeland" with Mashkov. The reviews of many of them indicate that it is the virtuoso game of this actor that the film owes its popularity. With one glance Vladimir expresses the whole gamut of the feelings of his hero: hidden anger, inexpressible suffering, inescapable sadness. However, some viewers argue that such a passion, on the contrary, forced them to turn away from the screen. It would be better if Mashkov saved his dramatic talent for the next film adaptation of Dostoevsky, they say. A similar opinion has developed among some and in the address of the game of the two main actresses of the project - Maria Mironova and Victoria Isakova. The heartbreaking suffering of the first and the strange imbalance of the second did not cause them any sympathy. However, here the question is more likely to the director of the series Pavel Lungin than to the famous movie star. Most likely, some nervousness of the heroines was to give the domestic version greater credibility.
Negative reviews
As mentioned above, the series Homeland is borrowed from Mashkov. Reviews of fans of the American film about its Russian version leave much to be desired. Even sincere admirers of the talents of Victoria Isakova, Sergey Makovetsky and Vladimir Mashkov admit that this time their favorite actors could not cope with their task. Some generally argue that it would be easier for unknown artists to cope with the embodiment of the heroes of the series, while recognized masters already have their own established role. For example, Mashkov is not used to portraying both heroes and traitors on the screen, which may be why he is perceived without much enthusiasm by fans of the Homeland series. In addition, some viewers believe that the plot of the film as an appendix to Russian realities turned out to be too far-fetched.
Positive reviews
Many of those who have not seen the American version of the project call the Rodina series quite watchable. The reviews of such viewers suggest that a comparison with the original greatly spoils the impression of this film. But if you take it as an independent product, then everything seems not so deplorable. Firstly, almost until the last episode, it’s impossible to unravel the main intrigue of the series: will Bragin turn out to be a traitor or not? What can make such a person change the homeland? How can the human psyche transform under the influence of severe trials? Secondly, really high-quality spy films have not appeared on the Russian screen for a long time. The audience missed them and perceived the series "Homeland" as a ray of light in the darkness of the long-bored militants, detectives and melodramas. They are only slightly criticized for the fact that the action of the film is a bit long.
Reviews
The series "Homeland", reviews, reviews of which are interesting to many, was negatively received by critics. In such well-known publications as “GQ”, “Kommersant”, “Poster”, devastating articles about this project appeared. Critics 'claims are partially justified: indeed, the actions of the characters in the film are not always motivated, the plot of the plot raises questions, the actors' play sometimes looks strained, and the musical accompaniment causes melancholy. Cinema experts stubbornly compare the Russian version of the film with the American, and this comparison is not in favor of the first. Critics unanimously recognize Pavel Lungin as one of the best directors of our time, but consider the series “Homeland” to be one of his most unsuccessful works. Feedback from viewers is still less categorical.
Factual errors
The public loves to find actual flaws in various projects. The series “Homeland” also contains several such errors. The reviews of the viewers indicate that the creators of the series did not very closely follow this side of the issue. For example, the very first USB-drives appeared on the market of electronic products only in 2000, and in one of the series of the film, the plot of which unfolds in 1999, the resourceful heroine easily uses it. Of course, we can assume that flash drives appeared in the arsenal of secret intelligence services earlier than ordinary consumers. But this is already a fantasy, and we are talking about the facts. In addition, some places in the city of Moscow looked different in 1999. In the first series of the series, the main character sits on a bench in a park near the Rostokinsky aqueduct, broken only in 2004. And the monument to Dmitry Donskoy in the Tula region, which is visited by the Bragin family in the eleventh series, was restored only in 2005-2007. This is the list of "inconsistencies" that the series "Homeland" contains. Reviews, interesting facts about him are described in detail on popular cinema sites, which, by and large, indicates that the film still "hooked" the viewer.
Unrealized concept
Each television project has a basic idea, which is gradually brought to the audience during the demonstration. In this sense, one of the most controversial films is the series Homeland. Reviews from viewers indicate that they do not quite understand the motives of the characters in the picture. Indeed, the Russian version copies the American one frame by frame, but it does not convey its main idea. To begin with, the English “homeland” is translated as “native land” as opposed to the concept of “state”, that is, a system that often makes decisions on behalf of millions of people, not always interested in their opinions. The personal patriotism of the main character in the American series - Sergeant Brody - makes him commit treason and go against his criminal leadership. In captivity, he formed his own system of values, which he is trying to defend in his native land. Against this background, it is not entirely clear what the concept of the Russian project "Homeland" (series) is. Season 4, reviews of which we have yet to find out, if it is ever removed, it may clarify this issue. The same applies to Anna Zimina. In the American project, agent Carrie Matheson suffers from bipolar disorder triggered by the September 11 attack, which she, among other scouts, could have prevented. From series to series, she carries the burden of guilt and tries to rehabilitate herself. In the case of Zimina, again, it is not entirely clear what is driving her. In the series, she seems to be just a very unbalanced woman, who for some reason was hired by the FSB. So, having completely copied the American series externally, the creators of the Russian version forgot to breathe life into the inner world of their heroes. And this is perhaps the biggest "minus" of the picture.
Conclusion
Now you know everything about the “pros” and “cons” that distinguish the series “Homeland”. Reviews, reviews for this film are now no secret to you either. It very rarely happens that projects of Western production transferred to Russian soil gain a second wind and begin to live their own lives. In most cases, such experiments are doomed to failure - the difference in the audience’s worldview is too great. However, the series “Homeland” cannot be called a blatant failure. Season 1, reviews of which are already known, had some success with the audience. But much of it is still alien and incomprehensible to the Russian public.