Cracow Monsters Review: A Journey Into The Mysterious World Of Slavic Beliefs Netflix Polish Series | Krakowskie Potwory

Starring: Barbara Liberek, Stach Linowski, Andrzej Chyra

Creators: Kasia Adamik, Olga Chajdas

Streaming Platform: Netflix (click to watch)

Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three star) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Cracow Monsters (Krakowskie Potwory) Review: Our universe is located in the exact center of a supernatural realm, dominated by forces of good opposing the demonic eminences. These two realities are organized in a very rigid hierarchical scale, and the same rigor categorically prevents us from intervening in the lives of humans. The material world is therefore suspended between two opposite poles, in constant struggle with each other but far from our existences, within a perfectly balanced equilibrium in the justice of the most absolute chaos. Alex, however, is special, his existence is particularly close to an angelic presence that risks crumbling the rigid pact of non-interference on which the well-being of the entire planet is based.

The new Netflix original series takes its cue from the beliefs of the Polish tradition to weave a story in which human beings find themselves at the centre of the struggle between good and evil, where demonic figures fight against protective angels and the fate of the world hangs on a row. Cracow Monsters debuts among the Netflix series of March 2022, but despite the good starting point it is lost in the paucity of the stage set and in the poor sense of gravity that pervades the most important events, lazily dragging itself to an anonymous conclusion like the rest of the show. For Netflix this is a decisive step back from the good level reached by its shows on the supernatural, especially when compared with the recent Archive 81.

Cracow Monsters Review: The Story

At the center of this story is the young Alex (Barbara Liberak) a medical student with a difficult past, tormented every night by terrifying dreams. After meeting a charming but mysterious boy in a club, Lucky (Stach Linowski), the young woman is dragged into a world made of esotericism, rituals and Slavic beliefs: together with a university professor and his most faithful students, Alex will discover that already from childhood it was linked to the magic of ancient divinities, who have always followed and protected it.

In the cold and rainy Cracow, however, something ancestral and evil is awakening: a child is possessed by the spirit of a demon and a prophecy seems to have come to fruition. Alex’s task will be to save the city, and with her the rest of the world, from impending ruin, finding her mother and reconnecting the bond with a very ancient past, with the priestess Wanda, the protagonist of famous legends.

The plot will lead Alex and his supporting characters to unravel the complex hierarchy that dominates the worlds of good and evil, when a vengeful demon jeopardizes existence on earth by unleashing his cruelest familiars. Unfortunately, the excellent incipit is swept away by initial episodes without a horizontal narrative , during which the protagonists fight against the exponents of evil by groping and without asking too many questions, and then hasten the development of the plot in the final episodes, trying to provide a semblance of organicity to a general story that struggles to emerge. The lack of brilliance in the writing phase unfortunately leaves its aftermath in many aspects of the show, from the repetition of events that are too similar to each other (including the scenes in the disco, almost one per episode) to the lack of pathos that distinguishes the fight between good and evil.

The confrontation with this powerful demon, who has assumed the body of a child, does not have the bite necessary to thrill the viewer and does not help the miniscule thickness of characters lacking in charisma. Among these are certainly the supporting actors, who stand out from each other only for their supernatural abilities (which are almost all completely useless to the cause), but not even the protagonist shines for depth of character .despite being in the balance between his blessing and the curse.

Cracow Monsters Review And Analysis

From the few lines on the plot of Cracow Monsters that we have provided, it is clear how particular and fascinating this series can be: drawing on such a distant mythology, it transports us to a new, mysterious and undoubtedly interesting world. Unfortunately, however, as we anticipated, the story quickly becomes very intricate and elements of Slavic folklore that are not easy to understand are immediately inserted, especially if you are completely fasting this type of beliefs. Each episode is enriched with more and more elements and on the one hand this goes to the detriment of the development of the plot, whose passages are often confused and intricate, and of the deepening of the characters, of which we do not understand the reason for certain choices.

To the poor result obtained from the screenplay appears an unrewarding graphic rendering: on a conceptual level the metaphysical beings are outlined with care, and for this one can forgive a poor visual result (special effects cost a lot, sometimes it is the thought that counts) , but the general staging is far too anonymous and does not arouse any emotion.

The gray and rainy Cracow soon turns the tone down to weary boredom, as the story moves smoothly towards an unsatisfactory and passionless final battle , just like the rest of the series. If in the first episodes some room ardito movements made some scenes very suggestive, with the passage of time the director is content to carry out his homework without exaggerating, as well as the actors intent on a minimalist acting that lends the side to the repetition of rambling gestures – beating fists on the walls, playing continuously with the hood – to give a minimum of dynamism to sequences without events.

Cracow Monsters Review: The Last Words

Cracow Monsters is potentially an excellent starting point for weaving a supernatural plot, because its legends are very fascinating and original, but at the same time somehow recall the most famous Western popular beliefs. Unfortunately Cracow Monsters does not make good use of his interesting opening words, getting lost in a plot devoid of passion in which the clash between good and evil is anonymous and forgettable. The scarce depth of characters lacking in charisma prevents one from becoming passionate about a plot that slowly trudges towards a predictable and devoid of momentum ending, while the aesthetic result devoted to saving appears to be a staging without particular flashes. The lack of pathos accompanies the Netflix show in all its evolutions, making the supernatural events cold and gray just like the Cracow that is the backdrop to the show.