Somewhat disappointing
In 2007 I bought a Dutch edition of Frank Schätzing’s book der Schwarm.
After having read around 125 pages I put the book aside only to pick it up again at the end of 2024. After having read another 100 pages I got a little bored by the slow pace at which the story unfolds. As such the basic idea behind the story is good: an entity known as the “Yrr" strikes back at us humans for polluting their habitat: the seas and oceans.
Whilst browsing on the JPC website I noticed that the book had been used to create a TV series, and I was very curious how the makers had managed to “compress” a 924 page book into 370 minutes (or 6 hours and 10 minutes) of film and so I ordered parts 1-4 and 5-8.
The filming is of a reasonable standard in various, often beautiful, locations. But there are goofs such as (for example) the mirror flat surface of the moon pool on a survey ship which is at sea. Most of the actors play their respective roles satisfactorily without excelling. The narratives are often a bit long winded and do not always contribute to the story.
The end of the film is weird and disappointing. Charly Wagner is launched into the artic sea in a mini sub with a view to contacting the Yrr. She exits the sub without underwater gear and drifts around surrounded by silvery strands of the Yrr (??) . The film ends when she washes up on an icy beach half naked, opens her eyes, blinks and smiles. My (British) mother used to call this a mouldy ending (ein schimmeliges Ende). On a scale of 1 to 10, I would award the film with a 6.
