zannatlaws I only needed to watch the trailer to know this film is not worth watching. The book is amazing. Read that instead.

Christian I have read and loved the book long time ago so was excited to see this production. It is uneven and has a bit of missed potential but still worth a viewing.Part 1 - 8/10 Has all the elements of good sci-fi and took a decent take on the marvelous Arthur C Clarke novel. It had philosophical issues, clever dialogue ("you are my world'), situations and good visual effects. It had both emotional resonance and distance Part 2 - 7/10 Starts brilliantly with the boy now being an astrophysicist and the appropriately chosen Imagine song (Eva Cassiy version of John Lennon masterpiece) with the visual montage and narration at the beginning that are as idyllic as the utopia it portrays. It falters with the introduction of a new family and their problem child. It focuses too much on religion and starts to become too much like the Exorcist, Stigmata, Da Vinci Code or any movie too focused on Devil/Evil parables and paranormal. The bond between the astrophysicist and his friend is great and their acting. The setting in he South Africa party is also a good ambiance. The Overlord powers are downplayed here versus part 1 when their power is almost infinite. They line that humans are deceiving themselves (in answer to the part 2 title) is priceless! Some good moments to be had with a few faux pas.Part 3 - 7/10 Has a good relationship angle between the astrophysicist and his girlfriend as well as his/their journey. The love triangle with the main character continues to be well written and acted. The ending is strong in the way that it is daring and unexpected, however the whole children aspect is played out rather poorly in my view. A fitting ending but that could have been done much better with more dramatic tension and better screenplay. The last video-recording of the scientist feels out of place and scope. Pop tarts? Pop art?Almost.

Aljaz Anderle At first I refused to watch it. After years of hoping someone will produce a decent theatre version of Clark's masterpiece, we were give this. Take it or leave it. Judging by reviews and comments, I got repelled, but then decided to give it a shot. I can always forget the TV version and read the book one more time, right? Still, despite all the anti-propaganda, I was positively surprised. Of course I didn't like the unnecessary details, Americanization and invented plots and characters. I didn't like the simplified last part with the end that went by just like that... Nothing dramatic, nothing profound... unless you watch carefully. Prior reading of the book is recommended.My score is rather high because of two things: The fact that the story was finally put to screen, despite the weak result. Second, that it is possible to understand and see the whole story positively, as it should be seen. But you have to pay attention to the details. And not be limited by either your Ego or some imposed system ob beliefs.Judging by reviewers responding to either the book or the series, it is apparent, that the majority on this planet is perfectly happy with the current state of affairs and the course the Mankind is embarked on. I find it difficult to believe, that they reject the act of Ultimate evolution and transcendence and rather see it as a tragic event, act of terror, destruction of Humanity, while at the same time, quite probably pray to God every day in hope it will grant them basically the very same thing. In the book, as well as in the series, merging with god was a gift to our children. As a parent, I'd be a selfish ignorant, If I didn't feel happy for them.

mauro volvox ...transformed into a mind numbing series of epic proportions!What a mess, what a train wreck of a TV series!To start with, Clarke's book is one of those overrated books. I never understood why so much fuss about it. The book starts with a bang and then fizzles slowly up to one of the most anti-climatic endings in Scifi history, it is meandering story with some stupid things thrown into the story (e.g. the Ouija board).The series, on the other hand is simply tedious, boring with as little scifi as possible. It is too talky, too focused on interpersonal relationships, on the "human side" of things and all that usual blablabla about uninteresting humans and their uninteresting lives.Watching it is the equivalent of a very very heavy Thanksgiving meal followed by your Uncle Bob and the slide show of his latest vacation in Cleveland, Ohio.One episode of Childhood's End is a perfect cure for insomnia, three of them is a life-threatening central nervous system depressant.