A teenage love story combined with almost every supernatural being you could imagine. Based on The Mortal Instruments books by Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters follows the lives of those who protect the world from the bad things that exist in the shadows.
I read the books years ago, and I definitely enjoyed them but I can’t remember that many details. I watched the 2013 Mortal Instruments film with Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell-bower which officially didn’t do too well, but nevertheless, I enjoyed seeing the favourable characters of the book come to life.
The shadowhunters series started in 2016 (so I’m a bit behind with watching) and ended in 2019 as it was cancelled, I binge-watched the entire thing in a week and became quite opinionated, to say the least. There are so many mixed reviews about this show. You take one look at IMDB and you see 1-star reviews followed by 10 stars.
Shadowhunters centres around Clary who finds out that supernatural beings exist. In an attempt to rescue her mother, she teams up with Shadowhunters, and becomes one herself, fulfilling her purpose (which her mother had sheltered her from). Clary meets Jace, an arrogant, wounded young man and the two have this instantaneous connection. Their love is tested throughout the series but I won’t spoil any more plot points. Each season has it’s own villain that they work towards bringing down.
Here’s what I liked. The action was good, with some interesting fight scenes. There are plenty of relationships developed throughout the series and the acting improves as it goes on. The friendship between Simon and Clary is something I loved watching and felt as though it were genuine. Seeing one of my favourite stories come to life is definitely a plus. When I started watching the show, I felt like I was sixteen again. That feeling soon vanished though.
Personally, I felt no chemistry between Jace and Clary. Their relationship was presented in a very strange way. One moment they are soulmates, the next they couldn’t care less about each other. It’s something I was devastated by as in the books, their connection is undeniable. In the show, I felt nothing. The writers could have skipped past it and it wouldn’t have made a difference to the overall feeling of the story, which would be fine if it wasn’t based on a love story…
The acting at times is cringy but that’s partially because of some of the lines. It felt like you were watching actors, not like you were immersed in the Shadowhunter world. It got a bit boring too because certain elements were underdeveloped. I think the intention was to give the show more content for the latter seasons rather than using all the content straight away. At least the ending was somewhat emotional and they left it open were another network to pick it up.
It’s a series that’s definitely worth watching providing you have no expectations. If you haven’t read the books then great. If you have read the books, pretend it isn’t the same story. Everything improves in the second season and most of the relationships are believable. Sadly the main one for me (Jace and Clary) isn’t. It’s on Netflix so I’d recommend giving it a watch.
My Rating - 6/10.