Critic Reviews

For the most part, Bodies is beautifully told. Yes, there are twists and turns that will keep you gripped, but the real test of the show is the capability of its leading cast (tick) and whether it gives us some heart to ground the, let's face it, absolutely mad story (tick). All in all, Bodies is well worth the watch.

It was high time Netflix came for its slice of the quantum physical pie, and Bodies is more than able to keep up with the pack.

Bodies takes what could be a confusing premise and crafts four distinctive stories that will eventually be linked together.

Even though parts of the show sound silly if you describe them to people, nobody in the cast is performing like they’re in a silly show. That’s how Bodies ends up working as well as it does. Maybe it isn’t quite ambitious enough to become a story that lingers on an emotional level, but it does general justice to the wildness of its premise and generates investment for the humans caught in the middle of it.

Though it takes a fairly conventional approach to its craft, the unconventional premise behind Bodies — a time-hopping murder-mystery — will keep you modestly near the edge of your seat.

The web of interconnectivity just about holds; each detective is given their own story arc; malevolent characters keep things interesting; the graphic novel origins are stylistically echoed, with hues, shadows and clever camera angles. It’s just a shame that an intriguing premise (the same crime investigated in different eras) turns into such a lumbering, high-concept logjam.

Ultimately, Bodies ends up being an exasperatingly disappointing adaptation of a good story filled with thrilling possibilities that remain largely unexplored.

The problem with Bodies is that it is anti-fun: it takes itself as seriously as a judge in a wig. There’s nary a wink to camera nor a funny line to be had across the whole eight hours. If earnestness is a sure sign of a slow mind, as Nietzsche said, then Bodies isn’t half as smart as it thinks it is.