In search of the Netflix mediocrity: The German series "Biohackers"
Photo:Marco Nagel / Netflix
"Biohackers," Netflix
Time budget: six episodes of 45 minutes each
for fans of: "Coma", "Anatomie"
The first German Netflix productions drew the attention of the press and viewers because they almost made a promise of salvation: They were supposed to bring the German series and TV films, some of which were perceived as backward, into the present. In some cases they actually succeeded. But it is now also clear: Not every German Netflix series wants to unhinge the television world. But above all, we serve a paying clientele, worldwide.
In this respect, a series like "Biohackers" is the new Netflix normal: It barely attracts attention in the mainstream of dozens of premieres that the entertainment giant makes available every month. Series from Spain and Italy, from Brazil and Indonesia, which often differ little in look and also do not rely on innovation in terms of narrative, but on routine.
The medical thriller by author and co-director Christian Ditter tells about Mia (Luna Wendler), who works as a student assistant for the star lecturer Tanja Lorenz (Jessica Schwarz) while studying in Freiburg. She is pushing her genetic research with opaque means. And Mia has an open account with her because of a family secret.
That sounds as conventional as the whole series actually works: glowing mice pound through the picture and plants glow in the dark, but the heart of an old-fashioned one patters under the licked pictures, which could come from an advertising film for the University of Freiburg Thrillers. It's not bad and it doesn't hurt at all. However, if you are looking for something extraordinary, you will not find it here. "Biohackers" fulfills the everyday Netflix mediocrity rather well.
Not Julie Andrews - but Emily Blunt can sing, dance and warm hearts just as well as Mary Poppins
Photo:INTERTOPICS / LMKMEDIA / ddp images
"Mary Poppins Returns," Disney +
Time budget: 131 sugary minutes
for fans of: "Mary Poppins", "When Hitler stole the pink rabbit"
As is so often the case with Disney: Actually, you can't believe a word or picture of this film. Not the retromania stuffed with tin toys and open fires, which is made with the latest computer technology. Not the alleged need to have to retell the story of the 1964 classic again. And certainly not the criticism of capitalism. But in the end you are enchanted and moved and grateful to have made the acquaintance of the magical nanny Mary Poppins again with your own children. Especially since after Julie Andrews in the original Emily Blunt has found an equal new actress. Will the new Mary manage to save Michael and his family's house from the bigwigs in the end? Not that hard to guess, it's just a Disney movie. (Read our in-depth review of the theatrical release here.)
Welcome to a new world: the American Ted Lasso (center) arrives in England
Photo:Apple TV +
"Ted Lasso", Apple TV +
Time budget: ten episodes of Culture Clash à 35 minutes
for fans of: "Match Point", "Notting Hill"
After ten minutes it comes, the gag that was a little feared: The American football coach Ted Lasso, newly under contract with an English football club, wants a cup of coffee during the first conversation with his new boss - and is served tea . So far, so to be expected for a comedy that revolves around cultural differences between the US and the UK. Even the contrast between soccer and football that is constantly being played out here is not exactly full of originality. Americans are and will remain optimistic, casual and jovial here, the British uptight, snobbish, hardened.
The character of Ted Lasso was only seen in short clips from 2013 onwards, with which the US broadcaster NBC Sports advertised its broadcast of the British Premiere League. The ten episodes of the series based on it are quite dragging at first. It is surprising, however, how the lead actor Jason Sudeikis from Ted Lasso over time forms much more than a joke. In the end, it's not the predictable joke that makes "Ted Lasso" a pleasant sitcom, but a disarming warmth of the heart. In any case, Ted is most welcome as a US ambassador beyond the hateful tirades of Donald Trump.
Icon: The mirror