Open Your Eyes is Netflix series based on the book Second Chance. Is it worth watching?
Open Your Eyes is a series based on mystery. We meet the protagonist of the story at the Second Chance center for people with severe cases of amnesia. From the very first scenes, the creators manage to build a story in a fascinating atmosphere of anxiety with a thick, perceptible tension with a hint of horror. This is one of those stories in which we know from the very first minutes that what we see is not what it seems, so the perception of watched events changes completely. We automatically look for more signals, meanings and nuances that can tell us more about what we are dealing with. And looking from the perspective of the entire season, this form of viewing definitely pays off, because when the cards are revealed and the twist is revealed, the pieces of the puzzle naturally fall into place. In this respect, it is a good series that stands out on market, because it intrigues, fascinates and engages in such a way that despite appearing flaws, you want to watch the next episode right away. And in this aspect, it is the greatest success that such a production can dream of.
It is always a big and important advantage when we do not have any beaten faces on the screen in productions. In fact, we have two recognizable actors in the person of Marta Nieradkiewicz and Marcin Czarnik and that's it. The rest is new, fresh blood, even debutants who, in the convention of a youth series (we have very young people in the center), have a chance to shine and show themselves to viewers. In this aspect, attention is drawn to the main character played by Maria Wawreniuk. On the one hand, you can feel that her character fits into certain genre clichés, but the actress gets more out of it, creating a girl with character, heart and immediately arousing sympathy. In this type of series, it is good to have a heroine in the center who will engage the viewer and with whom many will be able to identify. Especially that in this genre game the role is a challenge, because largely discovering the secrets of this place with a sci-fi element makes us not entirely sure if it is really science fiction at stake or if she is just crazy. At the same time, however, we know that in this genre, the issue of madness is usually very rare, but it is by no means a disadvantage. The actress simply gives it credibility, and the creators try to reliably baffle the viewer.
The whole thread of the Second Chance and the truth about this place is led well. When the truth comes out, you feel that everything made sense and many things take more of it with the next screening. Open Your Eyes is a series of this type, which will gain thanks to the well-created atmosphere and mystery, because - as I mentioned earlier - we will start to see more signals hidden in the details. However, this is not enough, because although the cards are revealed, we get to know many very intriguing half-answers, we do not have complete information, so the creators probably left too much for the second season. It's a bit of a double-edged sword - on the one hand they revealed enough to make sense, but on the other hand I'm afraid that if they revealed more, the spell of the story might break and the whole thing would fall apart like a house of cards. Perhaps this safer ending makes more sense, but leaves you unsatisfied, but rather positive, encouraging you to wait for Season 2.
Open Your Eyes is a fairly solid series that is strongly inscribed in genre clichés. It does not discover anything new, nor does it propose something that we do not know from American productions, but solid production, great tension and an atmosphere of anxiety combined with a well-created main character give it character. The screening goes well, the flaws are noticed too much, but it seems to be a candidate for a surprisingly successful guilty pleasure.