Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
deliciously wicked and highly addictive-will draw you in just as the books did, May 19, 2008
I have been religiously reading the book series ever since it first came out, so when I heard about the TV show, I had extremely high expectations, and must say I was not at all happy with the first episode. I could not believe the way that they had completely changed the look of some of the main characters. So for a while I stopped watching the show, but my curiousity got the best of me, and after it came back after having been on hiatus for a while, I resumed watching it, and I admit, I was hooked.
Although many things are completely different than the book series, the show still has that provacative, addictive edge that will keep you coming back for more.
Now, if you are a fan of the books, such as myself, yet have never seen the show before, I feel this are some things I must warn you about.
First of all, many of the storylines that happen on the show, never happened in the book. I won't go into detail about any of the plots though, because I don't want to give anything away.
I was a bit angry about everything being so different at first, but then after having thought about it rationally for a while, I realize that this is after all a TV show, and if they went exactly by the book, chapter for chapter, then the show certainly wouldn't have enough plots to last for more than one season!
Second of all, (the thing that disappointed me most) the characters of Dan, Rufus, Jenny, and Vanessa look extremely different on the show, than the way that they are described in the book. Drastically different, in fact. And in the books, Serena has a hot older brother, yet on the show, he turns into her younger brother.
But they did get a few of the characters right.
The extremely sexy Chace Crawford makes THE perfect Nate Archibald...in fact he may even be more delicious on the show than the way they describe him in the book! The only flaw that he has is that in the book he is a chronic stoner, but not on the show, although that's really no big deal.
The lovely Leighton Meester makes a wonderful Blair, actually coming very close to the way I had imagined her to be in the book, and the same goes for the beautiful Blake Lively, who plays the role of Serena.
And then we come to Ed Westwick, who plays the role of Chuck Bass. I am extremely impressed. He makes the perfect Chuck, from the way he looks, right down to his personality.
So yes, ill admit I started off being very critical, but now I consider myself a fan of the show, and am eagerly awaiting for it to come out on DVD, as well as for the new season to begin.
If your a fan of the books, who started out skeptically as I did, then I feel that you should give the show a chance. You might find that you actually enjoy it!
|
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spotted: X & O for Gossip Girl, August 22, 2008
Finally, a teen drama which scores with its take and spin on the absurd and stupid genre. Everyone knows that this style of drama is far fetched, highly unbelievable, and utterly pathetic when placed in such serious contexts with moral issues. But Josh Schwartz, the creator of Gossip Girl, is turning the show into a "close sister" to his original work: The OC. And his work is the complete opposite of portraying ridiculous incidents for teenagers and their disfunctional parents to take part in such serious manners. Gossip Girl takes a refreshing approach to the teen drama genre with humor, heartfelt moments, self parodies, and not trying to make everything so serious with attempted "landmarks." It is because of these traits, that keeps Gossip Girl so interesting and enjoyable to watch. Its viewers know that teen dramas are stupid, its creators know that the genre is stupid, and so they all have fun making it stupid and fun to watch. Nothing more is needed. Making such a genre serious raises the absurdity of a such a show to extreme levels and enjoyment is lost. Josh Schwartz has learned this with his previous work. The OC fans know that ratings on the show tanked during the second and third season due to the attempts for serious writing and loosing the humorous parody of the teen drama. Now if only Schwartz and his team keep that factor in mind and don't do the same thing for the second and third year of Gossip Girl, this series will continue to be a delightful viewing pleasure with great fun. Keep Gossip Girl funny, its what made The OC so unique and successful, and its lack of existence is what makes Gossip Girl's competition (and once The OC's competition): One Tree Hill SUCK!
|
|
|
21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Ultimate In Guilty Pleasures, January 31, 2008
This is the ultimate guilty pleasure show. The characters are shallow at best, yet somehow you find yourself completely sucked in to the totally unbelievable soap opera they live in, complete with whimsical names, parents that don't care, and more money than most bank tellers see in a year.
The show starts out about Serena (played by Blake Lively) a good girl with a bad past, yet somewhere after the first few episodes Blair (Leighton Meester's character) Serena's best friend/enemy, starts to completely outshine Serena with her complicated love life, parent troubles, and glossed over eating disorder.
My only complaint is that (I imagine due to the writers strike) the season finale completely sagged. Hopefully (if there is a...) next season, it will pick back up again.
Worth watching, though I couldn't exactly tell you why. It's a complete guilty pleasure, and somehow, no matter how ridiculous the plots may seem, it always keeps you coming back for more.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
DVD ~ Chad Michael Murray
DVD ~ Ellen Pompeo
DVD ~ Jack Coleman
DVD ~ Lauren Conrad
DVD ~ Teri Hatcher
