by Annie
I have a confession, even though I'm in my 30s, I love YA novels. I have read all of the Mortal Instruments books by Cassandra Clare. I have strong feelings about certain characters and I would love to read or write a fanfiction about Church the cat. So I was intrigued by FreeForm's Shadowhunters TV adaptation of the books. I thought the story would be better represented as TV show (rather than the terrible movie we shall not speak of) since there is a lot of drama, characters and side plots. I also thought Freeform (formerly ABC Family) would be a good fit for the show as they run other teen dramas.
This show is spectacularly bad - but in many entertaining ways! By the third episode, I deemed it "so bad that it is good" and I will watch it until it's inevitable cancellation.
Why is it so amusingly terrible?
Why is it so amusingly terrible?
 | To start with the casting is hilarious. Everyone in Shadowhunters is young - even the characters who are supposed to be old. Madame Dorothea, the psychic who is supposed to be very old, has been transformed into Dot, Clary's moms' cool friend who lives in their building and is said to be 'like a sister” to Clary. |
| Even more amusing, Hodge, who in the book is described as “old and haggard,” is played by an actor who is 31! Also, it seems there cannot be any characters who are too young either, both Maureen and Raphael who are supposed to be younger teens in the books are both 18+, because all characters must be dreamy and of legal age. |  |
This is basically Tiger Beat magazine, Shadowhunters edition.
The special effects are so very cheesy. I don't know how to do computer animation but I'm pretty sure I could watch a couple of Youtube videos on it and produce similar graphics. They are trying, they really are - but it's just bad. Like remember the season of Doctor Who with the 9th doctor? Those graphics are better.
 | If you aren't sold yet on the 'so bad it's good' Shadowhunters, there's a lot of over-acting and interactions that are just not believable. Some are better than others, and I'm sure they're trying, but... just maybe try a little less? |
There's also some scenes from the books that have been drastically changed in ways that are less exciting and just left me wondering if they just ran out of time or effects money. Maybe the writers left that day or something?
For example, in the third episode a character gets kidnapped by vampires and the Shadowhunters go rescue him. In the book, this is a huge fight scene with a whole clan of vampires, a pack of werewolves and the Shadowhunters. Then the kidnapped character escapes because he turns into a mouse! But in the TV show, they just beat up a couple of guards and then go out onto the roof into the sunlight, because vampires don't do sunlight, that's it. BORING!
For example, in the third episode a character gets kidnapped by vampires and the Shadowhunters go rescue him. In the book, this is a huge fight scene with a whole clan of vampires, a pack of werewolves and the Shadowhunters. Then the kidnapped character escapes because he turns into a mouse! But in the TV show, they just beat up a couple of guards and then go out onto the roof into the sunlight, because vampires don't do sunlight, that's it. BORING!
Still, it passes the time. So grab a glass of wine, some popcorn and your sense of humor because you can totally make Shadowhunters your own personal weekly Rifftracks.
Or you could read the books instead.
Or you could read the books instead.
