Cross

Even though I've never read any of the source material from the James Patterson books, I've still heard of Alex Cross long before this tv show was in production. It's definitely something that I knew I would like and did...a lot. Aldis Hodge is an up and coming and underrated actor and he absolutely kills it as Alex Cross. The series follow Cross, who's a decorated D. C. homicide detective and forensic psychologist. He studies the victims to better understand who murdered them. Here he tracks a serial killer with his partner, John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa) that also has ties to his past. Besides being a detective he's also a family man and he's dedicated to being great at both. The best thing that this show has going for it is it's never boring. That's the very least you want from a show, to be invested in the story and never be bored. Cross does that.

I'm a fan of the Alex Cross books and was pleased to see an actor that fit the bill, at last. He played the character well with just the right amount of aggression and emotion. Ryan Eggold didn't disappoint and played a blinder with his part. He proved how versatile he can be with Blacklist and New Amsterdam. I would've given a much higher score had I been able to actually see who was on the screen at any given time. The lighting technician was having a laugh with the dark, beyond moody and atmospheric set lighting. It was dismal and often made the series difficult to watch. I loved the plot but hated the inadequate lighting needed to follow the story. I hope that there will be another series and they read all the reviews. I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I just got done binging all eight episodes of Cross and have to say I absolutely loved it. I've been looking forward to it ever since I first heard about it so I had pretty high expectations. Well, this show not only met those expectations but surpassed them in every way. Aldis Hodge gives a breakout performance as Alex Cross here. There was an Alex Cross movie that came out in 2012 starring Tyler Perry that was just awful. Please don't let that deter you from watching this because they are different in every way. That movie was trash, this series is fantastic. Another great adaptation for Amazon Prime, they have done an amazing job with their adaptations for tv series (Reacher, Fallout, Lord of the Rings, Jack Ryan, The Boys, Bosch, The Wheel of Time, Daisy Jones and the Six, Good Omens, etc, etc.). Amazon has so much faith in this show that they already renewed it for another season before the first episode ever aired.

I have read a couple of the Alex Cross books, and I found them to be too gruesome for my taste even though I thought they were well-written with good stories and characters. Somehow, I've found the show more palatable with just as good writing and characters. But the picture is just so dark. I have to switch all the lights off in my room and turn the TV to bright mode (I have an LG OLED). It's like the people responsible for picture quality were out to lunch. The cinematography is great in one respect, but in terms of picture brightness it is so far off from all other shows, it just throws me. If they fixed this, it would be great.

I started following Aldis Hodge's career when I fell in love with his character in Leverage. His performance as "hacker" Hardison was superb, and I am totally buying his performance as Alex Cross as well. The writing is strong, the performances are excellent all around, and the directing and editing are top-notch. Here is my problem...

The lighting stinks.

I don't know anybody who lives every moment of their indoor life in such darkness. I am only 40 minutes into the first episode, but I already struggle to see details of many scenes. In particular, three scenes stand out. First was the cocktail lounge. I don't frequent cocktail lounges and bars myself, but even the darkest restaurant I ever visited had enough lighting that I could see the faces of the other people at the table. Second was the bad guy's lair. Would anybody working on detailed plans and projects really do it in such dim lighting? Certainly a perfectionist would want to see clearly everything he or she is doing. Third, is the house Alex shows up at for dinner. This is not a romantic dinner for two. It is a gathering of family and friends. The whole house is dark - the entry hall, the living room, and the dining room. Plus, every room in the police building is dark. Would a forensic expert not have a very well-lit operating room?

Why so dark? If they are trying to set a mood, I am more focused on struggling to see than I am on plot and dialogue.

This is a choice made by a lot of shows in recent years. You know, anybody with failing vision would simply not be able to watch this. Certainly my Father could not.

That being said, I could be wrong about the reason for the darkness. I stopped watching "How I Met your Father" on a different streaming service because it also was so dark it was not enjoyable. A little digging on the internet revealed that the problem was with the service, not the show. When the show aired on the network, the lighting was just fine.