Those people that love Manifest, really, really love it! I mean, I have a friend that loves this show and he always tells me how great the new Netflix season is. The thing is, Manifest is a series that has many things about it that make it a show I should have loved, but I just could not get into it. I thought that when Netflix took it over, it could have been just what I needed to give it another go… boy was I wrong!
How to Download Manifest
You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like shows where an eventful plane trip is involved, check out also our review of Lost.
The Movie Review
Look, if you love this show, stop reading now, what I am going to write is just going to make you mad! I have to say that I really do not like this show, I did not like it when it was first airing and I gave the new episodes a try and I still do not like the show now. The thing is, I should like this show!
This is a part supernatural, sci-fi and drama show, and that blending is something I like. On paper, this is similar to shows like The 4400 and Lost, two shows I adore. Yet, Manifest falls flat in pretty much every regard. I will say that the premise of the show is pretty cool and after the first four episodes I was enjoying it.
What we have is a flight that is on a routine journey from Jamaica to New York City. The plane goes through some pretty rough turbulence, but it eventually lands at the airport something is wrong. I loved this scene and to be honest with you the very first two episodes are the best thing this show has going on.
There are people from the NSA and they are very confused. You see this flight went missing over five years ago and people always assumed it crashed in the ocean. So, this flight “magically” reappearing with all of the passengers just the way when they boarded has raised some very serious questions.
Before long, the passengers start to have visions, hear things, and so on and they are being closely watched by the NSA as well as others. Look, as I write this as a premise, Manifest sounds amazing. I can see what they were going for and it has pretty much everything that I like.
It is the execution where it falls flat. Many people like to joke about the bad acting in this show, but if you have not seen it, you probably cannot comprehend how comical it is. Now, I did watch the latest episodes on Netflix and it has gotten better, but man that first season is rough and I could see many people tuning out and quitting the show.
I like the way the story is told through what is happening now and through flashbacks. The way the show is presented is kind of similar to how Lost and Once Upon a Time did it, however, it does it nowhere near as well. It is like the show is trying to be too clever for its own good.
If you love this show, more power to you and I am happy that you can get something out of it that I cannot. However, for me and this is my review, I have to say that I really do not like this show. I gave the new episodes on Netflix a chance, but I can officially say that I am out and will not be watching the next batch of episodes. For me, this is just straight-up bad TV!
