Wrapped up
House of Cards for the 2nd time (haven't watched season 6). I think the series, as most, decreased in quality (of the story) as it went on, but nevertheless enjoyed it.
Rise of Empires: Ottoman is something I also watched before, but completely forgot until I saw the first episode again.
This one is a mixed bag for me.
On the one hand, the budget was spent mostly on costumes and CGI, which is ok, but there are lots of unnecessary effects which makes it look more like a game than a documentary. Lots of slow-motion shots, flashbacks, shots of 15 soldiers running and yelling as they were trying to make it look like there were thousands, extended use of fog, close-ups... I mean the list goes on! Because English was not the mother tongue for the actors, the acting was subpar as they could not pair their sentences with gestures, so it ends up looking unconvincing. Then there are lots of men in the Middle Age with perfectly groomed beards.
It's just basic and not thought out very well, especially the acted parts. We had an even worse series about our own history, so don't even get me started there.
But then again, I love history and it feels great that the big heads at Netflix etc. are deciding to invest in history documentaries even today. Usually it was just WW2, but this is an important part of European history and I'm glad it exists. I just think it could improve, a lot.
And that actress portraying Mara Branković is stunning.
@Juna if you liked this, maybe you can take a look at Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities?
Byzantium a Tale of Three Cities (TV Mini Series 2013) 7.9 | Documentary, History
It's about the city itself, has a great charismatic host and lots of interesting topics. I prefer it much more, might even watch it again.