The Fear Index (2022) User Reviews (35)

Just not that interesting

[bobetjo · 5/10 · 15 February 2022]

The production has had some money spent on it so we get great houses and shots of Geneva with the water jet. Just like the start of the Champions.

The story starts a bit slowly with the initial scenes feeling wooden and contrived. Really, Hoffmans briefing to investors should have been the opening scene. Because I was waiting for the exposition for far too long.

The supporting actors, just didn't have much to work with. As a result the cop's interest in Hoffman is not explained. There is no reason for it. Quite the contrary. He has other work to do.

The story just plods along. Frankly I didn't care enough to stick with it.

Interesting topic, but it was rushed

[cneazul · 6/10 · 15 February 2022]

The topic is interesting, it reminds me of Person of Interest, which is a great TV show about a machine gone rogue.

Unfortunately, they tried to squeeze the story in 4 episodes and things escalate very quicly giving the impression of something unrealistic. An 8 or 10 well paced episodes could have made this miniseries great.

Entertaining, good, but not great

[What-a-Punk · 7/10 · 15 February 2022]

Setup is not unique, but it has some original angles and thoughts that make it entertaining.

I like that it's short and well paced, instead of dragging the matter like most series do nowadays.

Overall visual quality is great. Same can be said about actor performances.

Although overall its okay, some characters really seem to be acting out unreasonably just for drama's sake, which doesn't make a show great.

Main flaw, as I see it, is that it fails in building up the tension as it potentially could. There is no depth to the suspects, no depth to the main characters, expect a little bit for the protagonist, no small detail to enhance the mystery. Even the "villain" is not explained - movies in the 90's did it better.

Overall, it's a good show to spend an evening, the take is interesting, but it's superficial. The setup of this show is much better than the eventual execution is.

Maybe more will be explained in the next season, adding depth and detail, but it's an unsatisfying drag.

A great story ruined

[davidwhitmarsh-47327 · 2/10 · 18 February 2022]

My recommendation: skip this, read the book. If you want to watch a decent Robert Harris adaptation, try "Munich: Edge of War" on Netflix instead.

Ham-fisted direction, limp dialogue, wooden acting, over the top sound track all conspire to ruin what could have been a great thriller.

Having the lead run around pointlessly, full of angst, accompanied by loud thumping music is not a substitute for dramatic tension.

Much ado about nothing

[kindredparadox · 4/10 · 16 February 2022]

If you wish to see a man got tense and frustrated, look like a moron over all 4 episodes; then try watching this. The man looked confused throughout over univariated thing which make it less than interesting. Kinda too bad, that a story with such a good promise, went into brainless dribble.

Flawed and spoilt by poor acting and technical errors

[moggie-2 · 3/10 · 24 February 2022]

I didn't expect much having read some reviews, but at only 4 episodes and on an interesting topic I gave it a chance. The first couple of episodes were somewhat entertaining and the story had some promise, although marred by poor acting and overacting from the lead characters. By the final episode though the story had become farcical and cliched, and spoilt by sloppy technical design, such as the lead running a command line script that prompted for a y/n response but the script not waiting for a response and just exiting back to the shell. The AI related dialog is also inaccurate and under developed. Certain aspects of the story line don't hang together and appear to added in for padding, with some of the more interesting possibilities never really explored, and the final few minutes of ending is entirely predicable, silly and once again, technical nonsense.

My fear was when in the final few seconds I found myself saying "please no" at the possibility of the ultimate cliche ending. I'll give it a 3, but there are really no redeeming features of this, and would recommend giving it a pass.

Josh Harnett is missed and very underrated..

[hartmaa · 8/10 · 23 July 2022]

I forgot how much I loved Josh Harnett- greatly missed and underrated actor.

I hope and wish he'd get more roles befitting his fine stage presence...

Strongly recommend seeing this and Lucky Number Slevib - Hartlett is untapped talent...

What a difference a day makes!

[S3pt3m63r · 16 February 2022]

The series takes place over 24 hours, not real time, in the life of Alex Hoffman, genius tech entrepreneur played by Josh Hartley. We follow his psychological downslide as he realises the reality he once knew is slowly crumbling. Whilst not the most original subject matter, Josh's performance as Alex is superb, as a man teetering on the edge of insanity driven by fear as he struggles to get a grip on reality when no one believes him. A nicely done psychological thriller, don't overthink this, just enjoy the performances of a stellar cast.

The Fear Index - More bearish than bullish on this one.

[joebloggscity · 4/10 · 23 February 2022]

Another short self-contained box set series, and The Fear Index is an adaption from a curious modern financial thriller.

From the off, I have previously read the novel by the ever reliable Robert Harris but it was many years ago and I have to admit I found that I'd forgotten much of what had happened. Nevertheless I have a certain bias as I did enjoy the book and noticed some differences but not necessarily enough to derail this.

Despite that, I was kind of disappointed. There's no denying the authenticity of the settings and look of the show but it's TV drama, and the actors chosen for the roles just did not convince me they fitted the parts. With all due respect some of them were clearly in over their heads in this one, in particular the wife and the business partner.

The storyline does move at a great pace but really they struggled to capture the tension, and I don't want to give away anything so have to stop there.

It's a shame. I get the feeling this would have made a better 2 hour film in the hands of a seasoned director with a bigger budget. It worked brilliantly with the Ghost Writer which was another book by the same author with Brosnan & McGregor in the lead roles.

This is disappointing. Not by any means unwatchable, but in my opinion a really missed opportunity.

Nice starter, send back the main course

[danielkilleen-43432 · 3/10 · 21 February 2022]

I started with high hopes, it's made all the right noises but part way in to Ep3 it jumped the shark... all the sharks.

Unlike some I persevered. They had the right idea.

What a pile.

Wall Street Crank

[elliotjeory · 4/10 · 19 April 2022]

But instead of Jason Statham we have Josh Harnett running around like a headless chicken having an episode. It's weird too with cannibalism. Non of the side characters are remotely interesting. The story did not pay off in the end and I regret watching it.

Huh?

[jiballini64 · 3/10 · 3 March 2022]

What did I just watch? "Open the pod bay doors, Hal". A computer going rogue... Sad to say, the computer is the best actor in this shambles. Poor Josh Hartnett just looks frazzled, bamboozled and over/under(?) acting in every scene. I watched all four episodes. I wish I hadn't.

For low reviews those did not watch until the end of ep 4 or wanted a better ending

[accenturetrev · 9/10 · 19 February 2022]

Ive never once reviewed a film on paper that is, or on IMDB I guess, anywhere for that matter but had to here after reading the reviews of many who didnt get it or didnt watch it all and made assumptions, or needed that closure at the end.

This was downright a fantastic series. Short and what can happen to AI when disguised as just an algorythm. If It is set to learn with out any emotions to put it in check it will do whatever it thinks its main purpose is, and in this case is to make money, no matter what the human cost and without FEAR or emotion to guide it. This was a brilliant novel and obviously many of the low reviews never read the novel or understood the concept of it. The first episode is slow, but half way through the 2nd it gets very interesting and you start to see it come together hugely in episode 3, however in episode 4 it all makes total sense but is left with a whats next feeling. What does vixal do next? There should have been a 5 and 6th episode to finish off what was started. Everyone wants some sublime conclusion and just like the novel there isnt one, its left to your imagination of what could be next when technology is left unchecked like SKYNET with Terminator or any other out of control AI concept, this one with greed without the emotion, hence out of control. Take some time if you didnt get through episode one and watch the entire thing before reviewing it or maybe its just not your cup of tea, but its all very plausible and maybe read a book or two and read the novel. You will have a totally different take on this Limited series.

Pile of rubbish

[carriehayhurst · 2/10 · 3 March 2022]

Ridiculous story, terrible acting, give it a total miss.... as if a computer could do all that & be so out of control without its inventor being aware.

What a colossal waste of time...

[prof-32782 · 1/10 · 17 February 2022]

The trailer looked decent and promising. I struggled to get through episodes 1 and 2 but finally gave up half way through episode 3. The production quality is slick and stylish but the story is a pointless mess !

Boring chateau, thin plot, poorly cast

[Beachbum2018 · 4/10 · 15 March 2022]

After watching the first episode I realized something new..... Josh Hartnett basically can't act, at least not with any depth of character.

He's gotten by on looks and promise for a long time, maybe he should have just called it quits a while back.

He's not very convincing in this rather dull, dragging saga which has a pretty thin plot and not very interesting settings! It was based in Switzerland so surely they could have found a fantastic setting right on a lake rather than what is probably the most boring chateau in Europe.

Ah well, preferences eh...... probably not going to make to the end of episode 4.

A missed opportunity

[lenpannett-136-973682 · 3/10 · 17 February 2022]

Based on Robert Harris' book, The Fear Index is an attempt at a warning about artificial intelligence. The original book was published in 2011, and the world has moved on.

This series starts off with good tension but quickly descends into a "technology runs amok" dystopia, but it falls foul of technological advances in the last 10 years. Instead of being set in 2011, the series is set in the 2021 timeframe and that results in huge holes in the plot.

The acting is steady and look and feel is pretty sick. Sadly, the plot holes - and clichés - are too great to ignore and spoil the story.

A nice change in storytelling

[leskenn-201-108058 · 8/10 · 17 February 2022]

Whereas most series these days try and squeeze 10 hours or more from one story - Netflix I'm looking at you...

This show is done in three. Enough time to keep you guessing without spoon feeding you the explanation.

Josh Hartnett was a much better actor than I'd previously thought and his partner was good value for money too.

Not enough time for the rest of the cast but they really did do some snappy editing.

Use a Latin translator for more enjoyment.

I devoured the whole series in an afternoon. That wouldn't make a dent on some series.

Super computer; super predictable

[somethingreal81 · 5/10 · 3 March 2022]

I gave this 5 stars because I was entertained by it, but boy could you see every plot twist coming from a mile away. Even the final scene, I was able to predict from nearly the start. Good production values don't make up for zero originality or imagination here, I'm afraid.

Awful.

[lachlanrowland · 1/10 · 17 February 2022]

Utterly unconvincing plot, weak acting, poor characterisation. It could have been better to the effort had been put in. But this was just an annoying waste of time.

Soooo Slooow and Boring

[davidtelfer · 1/10 · 27 February 2022]

Struggled through the fist two episodes and gave up. Unconvinced about the characters or the acting. It was so lacklustre that we could t fave the last two episodes given that pretty much nothing had happened during the first two to make me give a damn about the outcome. Absolute drivel and I for one have no idea at all where the high review scores come from. Terrible issues haunted the bits I watched, like Dr Hoffman pulling the VGA cable out of his monitor to stop the images downloading... WHAT?? HES A SOFTWARE ENGINEER, yet he thinks pulling the video cable out will help. It seems the entire budget was spent on Maybach and rental mansion instead of screen writers. Give it a miss or it'll be at least 2 hours of your life you'll NEVER GET BACK.

more like The Bore Index

[leeartley · 2/10 · 18 February 2022]

Good actors wasted on a slow dull and boring plot. Struggled to finish episode 2 ,i find it hard to believe a book would be this boring, shame coz i think Josh Hartnett could have had a good role.

Best show in a long time.

[notsure-79196 · 10/10 · 20 February 2022]

I was so shocked to see the low ratings after watching the four episodes twice and planning to watch them several more times, I was disappointed that there were only 4 episodes. Loved this show so much. When the lead actor turns and looks at the camera it felt like he's looking at me, I'll never forget that, it was a perfect moment to do that, I'm guessing that was director's decision, it was very effective.

Story is sophisticated, actors are incredible, main actor, is absolutely fantastic and is the best choice for this role, his wife also fantastic, business partner and all other actors.

To fully enjoy it I have to watch it multiple times, I think after all the work has been done to create this artwork, I should at least watch it enough times to understand it.

I want to plead to those that enjoyed this show to leave reviews that reflect how they felt otherwise there will be decisions made based on the bad reviews since they're louder and more in numbers. Thank you.

Worse show ever

[nmbat92 · 1/10 · 4 March 2022]

Was so painful watching this show, plot is weak acting omg not even can't described. Hugo actor should win the Oscar for worst actor ever!!! On top they are blaming the kills to a computer program this is NOT Matrix!!!! Doesn't surprises me why Josh is not anymore a A-list actor in Hollywood he can't act. Please please avoid worse show of the year so far.

What have they done to the book!

[Janet1612 · 1/10 · 21 November 2022]

The book is great - the story is well told, gripping and mysterious. Like all Harris' novels it's nicely paced with a great dialogue and drama. From the opening lines the reader is gripped.

My main complaint is the noisy music. It was so loud at times and building up to crescendos so that we couldn't hear important dialogue - at times it was like 'what's the point'? Some of the actors mumbled, which didn't help.

A lot has been changed - the spotting and the chase of the house breaker assailant was following the meal with the investors - which is a great scene in the book - not before.

The wife's facial expressions are weird, the dialogue unintelligible and some of the acting iffy (the police inspector was not as described in the book.

Anyway, a waste of time and a confusing mess. I'll re-read the book.