Critic Reviews

It is, to be sure, a masterclass in tension, in taking things right to the edge of credulity but never over and it never forgets the power of the jump scare.

Anchored astoundingly by Bardem’s mesmerizing performance and some stunning cinematography, Cape Fear is not only one of Apple’s best series to date but also a must-watch psychological thriller masterpiece.

No character makes it through this show and emerges as unscathed. This is the quality which makes "Cape Fear" one of the best horror series in recent memory.

A breathless experience, a shattering new impression that repurposes what came before and strives to do something similar yet different. Is it better than either film? In some ways.

If “Cape Fear” can be seen as a reaction to true crime mania, and if it also can be taken as a cautionary tale of how easily brutal masculinity can reach our boys, then the show’s sprawling structure is as necessary as its sudden bursts of bloodshed and intense menace. This is the “Cape Fear” our culture deserves.

This Cady is a more complex, stealthier presence. There’s charm to Bardem, a tightrope walk of cunning cloaked in an undeniable charisma.

The latest adaptation, an Apple TV series created by Nick Antosca, is perhaps the most unnerving and intense retelling yet.

This version of “Cape Fear” is entertaining, fun to watch.

It doesn’t try to reinvent the movies (and novel) that came before, but there’s a lot to love here for both fans of the originals and newbies experiencing Cape Fear for the first time.

Despite some issues with the first episode of Cape Fear, we enjoyed Javier Bardem’s lower-key Max Cady so much that we definitely want to see how he inflicts himself into the lives of Anna Bowden and her family.