After watching the first two episodes of Shadowhunters I couldn't not write a review on them as I've been anticipating this ever since it was first announced. This review does contain minor spoilers for the episodes so I would suggest watching them first before reading this.
Simon Lewis, played by Alberto Rosende, is no doubt the best actor so far. Unlike some of the other actors, he seemed to have settled into his role very easily and delivered each line just the way I imagined Simon would. He had some hilarious lines and everything about him was the Simon Lewis I had imagined. Alberto's acting really stole the show and I loved the way we could see the relationship he has with Clary, Jocelyn and Luke when he simply wandered into their home as though it was his own. For anyone who hadn't read the books before watching the show, it would be incredibly easy to see how close Simon and Clary are. Kat McNamara, who plays Clary Fray, actually surprised me in these episodes. I'll admit that I wasn't one hundred percent certain about her acting when we saw the opening seven minutes but she seemed to have settled into the character by the second episode and I genuinely felt for her when she was crying over Jocelyn's disappearance. I'm still not completely blown away by Maxim Roy's (Jocelyn Fray) acting so I hope that she also settles into her role as the series goes on. Alan Van Sprang (Valentine Morgenstern) didn't have some incredible lines but he managed to deliver them in a way that made them a lot more believable than they were written.
Dominic Sherwood makes a much better Jace than Jamie Campbell Bower did in the film. For a start he uses facial expressions which is always a plus when acting is involved. Dominic's American accent was entirely believable, he was sarcastic and even looks just how Jace is described. I didn't feel that he was quite as rude and angry about having to look after Clary and Simon as he was in the book but I think Dominic managed to perform pretty much every line just as you would expect Jace to. At the moment, although I know all the actors are very close, I'm not seeing Alec and Jace's parabatai relationship clearly but perhaps that's something that'll be developed further as the show continues. Alec Lightwood is played by Matthew Daddario and I don't think I can talk about Alec without first mentioning how good looking Matt is. He's exactly as I imagined Alec would look and, again, is just really attractive, Ok now that's out of the way, Matt also delivers each of his lines incredibly well and you can definitley tell that he's not the number one Clary Fray fan. Izzy Lightwood, played by Emeraude Toubia, looks absolutely perfect and I loved that they included the fact that she can't cook! Her relationship with Clary is also really lovely to watch so I hope that's something they continue to develop during the series.
I will say that the effects were debatable. Pink sparkles as Clary went through the portal? Gold glitter when the demons are killed? I guess, however, the CGI is something that can only get better if the show is renewed with a higher budget. The lines made me laugh, the chemistry between the actors was so nice to watch and, even if it isn't the greatest TV show ever created, it's entertaining and exciting to see progress.
3.5/5
