Critic Reviews

It’s not too tough to get lost in the proverbial woods here, but even when we do, this show has established enough trust through competent storycraft that we catch up—and know it’s worth it. The Changeling’s secret weapon is its characterization, with each actor in this cast embodying their respective role so richly.

Centering it is Stanfield, who gives maybe one of the most nuanced and gut-wrenching performances you’ll ever see in a horror series or film. Few actors can make you feel the pain and anguish inside of a character with the ferocity that he can. He is the one driving this series over the finish line.

Featuring dynamic performances from Oscar nominee LaKeith Stanfield and Clark Backo, the sprawling eight-episode fable is a fascinating and sometimes unsettling exploration of love, parenthood and the up-all-night anxieties that spawn from them.

Certainly a portion of the audience will take issue with the finale, which doesn't provide all that many answers and concludes when things are really getting good, but I wasn't bothered by the show's lack of hand-holding. Anyone willing to go along for the ride is in for an enchanting storybook of a series, one of the year's most singular offerings.

The pace accelerates in the final two episodes, which borders on feeling rushed, though the series is doing its best to both satisfy certain storylines and tee up an even more fantastical Season 2. Though not every plot point gets the payoff (or answers) it deserves, The Changeling is an engrossing and unnerving adaptation, as well as a welcome addition to the genre.

As "The Changeling" becomes more fantastical, it also takes bigger creative swings. Most of them land, by and large, but there will no doubt be moments that will have more than a few viewers wondering what the heck is going on. The show is intentional with this disorientation, however, and those who stay on for the ride will see how it all comes together. Read More: https://www.slashfilm.com/1379849/the-changeling-review-apple-tv/

Likely to be one of the more wonderfully erratic but ambitious and absorbing shows of the season.

There’s a fairy tale quality to a story that constantly twists and turns. Like Victor LaValle’s novel, it manages to touch on a number of issues and secrets. When it ties this story to other, classic books, “The Changeling” really shines. Stanfield, too, is the best man to play the game.

Thanks to a fine performance from Stanfield as well as a story that’s just starting to get spooky by the end of the first episode, The Changeling hooks in the viewer and gets them ready to follow Apollo on a journey that promises to be full of scares and surprises.

At times, especially in the season’s endgame, it feels like something is lost in translation simply because, well, it has to be translated and made real. Having said that, “The Changeling” works because everyone involved clearly was committed to LaValle’s vision. Stanfield is phenomenal, another excellent performance in an increasingly impressive list of great performances.