Kiss Me First (2018) User Reviews (81)

Interesting but confusing

[anoukvanleeuwen · 7/10 · 20 July 2018]

Well, this series is very interesting. Those people in red pill are misfits and they all have their damage, in Azana they don't. They go there to escape and I think that that is a very good interpretation of the truth. That part of the series is really accurate.

The part that confused me, was the relationship aspect. At first I was under the impression that Leila and Tess would become lovers, but then they didn't and they both seem to like men. Although they aren't lovers, Leila seems to be willing to do everything to save Tess even though she has just met her.

The other thing I don't get is the title. Why is it called 'kiss me first' at one time there is a song playing called kis me first, but that is not really a reason to use that as a title right?

Those things aside, I think it is a very interesting series with vey beautiful scenery inside Azana and I will definetly be waiting for season 2.

Brilliant! I had hoped...

[ronjohnston · 5/10 · 16 April 2021]

I was expecting Ready Player One meets Terminator meets Usual Suspects meets Jones Town... A Machine Learning, AI bot uses human psychology to befriend, indoctrinate and radicalize lonely gamers.

What we get is a seemly charismatic AI with an inferiority complex, childish angst and a mother complex creating a "suicide cult" in search of friends.

Here are some 'cliff hangers':

• An early plot driver, is ShadowFax's need for money; her Mother dies and she takes job a waitress and rents a room to a lodger. This need never seems to impact the flow even when the roommate can't pay rent. Why introduce this if there's no conflict?

• Mania's clinically depression is suddenly cured (no explanation)

• ShadowFax's computer hacking and electronics knowledge is justified with the statement "you always had a mathematical flare"; her ability to program/hack a global game system is apparently acquired over the course of the episodes. I guess a gamers are hackers too?

Unfortunately, the production company ran out of funds, I can only assume, and had to quickly find an end to story that was all middle.

Alas, a few hints of brilliance, with fairly strong young acting, trying to save an entire series; the actors deserved a complete story.

May be a good read to see if pages ended up on the cutting room floor.

should be called horrible people

[abwetman-1-817328 · 5/10 · 2 December 2018]

Maybe it because I'm old and Canadian but i find all the characters horrible people. Why I should care about the collection of Narcissists is beyond me. the VR is just a gimmick so give it a pass

LOVED AT THE BEGIING.. lost interest in the middle

[chobed · 7/10 · 20 November 2019]

I really loved the theme, the magic, the VR . There were some messy and confused moments, that I thought would be explained later. But at the end I felt like it didnt have a good resolution.. it felt uncompleted for me.

The most perfectly 6 star show Ive ever seen

[skeetsmcgrew · 6/10 · 6 July 2022]

Too many people want to give either 1 star or 10 stars to everything. But this is exactly 6 stars. The cast, amazing. Every actor (except maybe the woman who invented the game) did a fantastic job.

But then the writing for those characters, pretty bad. If they had literally just cut out episode 5 entirely, which added nothing to the story, and spent that time developing the characters, it could have been an 8 star. With a worse cast, could have been 4 stars.

The tone, very well done up until episode 5. It did a good job at explaining the premise, explaining the stakes, and showing character motivations organically. Then it goes so off the rails at the end its just unbelievable. The last episode literally makes no sense if you stop to think about it for 10 seconds. Even the geography and distance between things is nonsense.

And Im not ashamed to say that the nudity is, again, at first fantastic and becomes a symbol of character growth. Plus, not hard to look at. Then at some point (especially the ending, wtf was that even all about. I feel bad for the lead actress in the one scene tbh), its apparently under the assumption you will get bored without a boob or butt every 10 minutes.

Its weird to be passionate about a 6 star review, but it has so many fatal flaws with such a great premise. Its rare to find something where you arent grasping at straws to give it credit, theres a lot to like here. And yet I wouldn't recommend anyone watch it, especially someone struggling with mental illness. It builds you up just to let you down.

Final note. Seriously, someone please give all three of the lead young people great roles in the future. Such great acting. And to the director, dont try to be M. Night Shamalan or something. Character development goes a lot further than weird twists that go nowhere and ultimately dont matter.

A missed opportunity

[calocamilla · 6/10 · 22 September 2019]

The first two episodes are really well done. Then, unfortunately,it becomes unnecessarily confusing. Still worth watching.

Unfortunate, had potential.

[raycliff_review · 4/10 · 2 July 2018]

In the beginning I was engaged and interested in this story line. The balance between reality and virtual reality was fantastic. It was cool. But they almost abandon Then about 3 to 4 episodes in the story line absolutely goes off the rails, and they almost all but abandon this dual reality concept. There are character (in particular) and story line changes that make no sense, and go no where. Then they expect you to forget two episodes of character development and buy back into the already messy characters. It's like two different writers who 'filled in like substitute teachers' and didn't compares notes. I get complex storylines, I don't need everything spelled out, but that's not what this is. It personally left me not caring about any of the characters or what happens next. And if Leila/Shadowfax's character, all full of angst, tells Adrian "F%&$ you!, I hate you" one one more time...

How did this only get a 6 rating?!?

[splartybartfast · 10/10 · 10 April 2018]

This is the first review that I have written. The reason that I don't write reviews is that the reviews on IMDB typically align with my opinions.

In this case, the 6.3 rating, currently, is so far off that I felt that I should comment on it.

The storyline: Develops slowly (and isn't fully developed by the end of the first episode) but is interesting enough to keep you wondering where it will lead.

The characters: Great young actors that are easy to relate to (except for the roomate - "the jury is definitely out" on him). They draw you into their characters quickly.

The editing: The movement between the VR and real world is seamless and is consistent with the storyline throughout.

I left this on my DVR for a few weeks after seeing the reviews and rating here (I only watched it on a whim) ... I was very pleasantly surprised.

Pretty boring

[rsvp321 · 4 April 2018]

If you're looking for an influence of dystopia, you won't find it here.

I recently finished reading Ernest Cline's, "Ready Player One", so maybe I was expecting too much, but this series is quite a bit off the mark of what I expected.

Lesbian introvert has a crush on a virtual reality avatar and in real life, but - oh, oh! So does her loud and obnoxious new male boarder! How exciting! Let the contest begin!

No spoiler there, it's already written in release notes, everywhere.

Fascinating world, well acted, writing was hit and miss

[a_sad_cow · 7/10 · 10 September 2018]

It seems the only thing that change between episodes I liked and ones I didn't like so much was the presence of the original writer, Bryan Elsley. The world is a compelling version of the future, both technologically and socially, and the actors give appropriate life to the characters.

Part of what broke the mood for me was the shift in focus to some kind of emotional development. While I get that we're advancing socially, I'm still a bit lost as to why each of the later emotional scenes hit the way they did. Specifically, what turned the encounter in the cabin from "i'm cold, let's have sex" to "you're a rapist and I'll kill you"?

Secondly, our antagonist's ability to manipulate people goes a bit overboard into seeming mind control, and/or all supporting characters are mindless drones. Neither is very plausible. What would be more plausible is when the manipulation fails, blackmail, coercion, and even direct force would be applied to achieve our villain's ultimate end. And that half-ass torture scene with cool CGI? Was she supposed to escape it?

Overall still enjoyed it, just wish the writing hadn't gotten away from itself.

Oh, come on. It begins well, but loses it

[imdb-3404 · 4/10 · 16 October 2018]

The story is just so far out it ruins the whole series. Motivations of the characters are just.. too much. Way too many "as if" moments. Progress is very slow, seems like the producers were paid by the minute filmed.

But see for yourself. I had to force myself to finish the series.

A good series that reminds me of Chatroom and Black Mirror.

[amber_westerhof · 8/10 · 1 July 2018]

So I really want to start this review by saying that I thought the acting was really good. I've seen way, way worse and I feel like the characters were believable.

This movie really reminds me of the movie Chatroom (2010) with Aaron Johnson and... Matthew Beard. Beard also happens to portray the 'evil' guy in this series.

Having finished the series in one evening and the last episode the next morning, I can definitely say that I enjoyed it. I was intrigued the whole time and wanted to know what else was going to happen.

I would definitely recommend if you like Black Mirror and/or Chatroom.

Great character development and storyline, really disappointing ending

[denske · 6/10 · 21 December 2018]

Well done to the young female actors in this show they did a great job in creating characters you can care about. But, the first five episodes feel like you are building up to something, a final conflict of sorts. You feel like "oh damn I'm nervous for that character!". Then we get absolutely no payoff in the final episode, I honestly do not know what they were thinking and am so genuinely mad that I wish I never would have watched to begin with. Not interested in a second season unless some massive change in writers is made. Honestly for a tv show to make you excited enough to keep watching till the end is a hard thing to come by these days and then to have every ounce of trust and excitement smashed by one episode means you did something horribly wrong.

Kiss Me First had so much potential, but when it came down to it, it was just a massive disappointment

[Left_Al · 4/10 · 8 May 2018]

When it comes to bad adaptations, there's Eragon and there's The Golden Compass, there's The Girl on the Train and there's The Giver. Then we come to Kiss Me First. One of the worst adaptations of a good novel that I have ever witnessed. I've never been so disappointed in my life.

Of course, a bad adaptation doesn't constitute a bad film or show, there's numerous examples of a film being better than its source material. Hello, Fight Club. I'm sad to say that Kiss Me First is not one of these - it doesn't buck this trend. From the get go, Kiss Me First is an incomprehensible mess. Taking it on face value, it sounds intriguing. A show about the dark side of online worlds, virtual reality and mental illness. but it gets more and more nonsensical as the series goes on. It loses its way very, very quickly. And that's largely down to the script. More and more questions are continuously being raised, with characters going a full 180 in a matter of episodes. When you get to the final episode, you'll begin to realise that none of the questions will be answered, and that none of the episodes that came before it mattered. Look, I'm a fan of Brian Elsley's work, Dates was phenomenal television, and millennials grew up watching Skins, but this is not his best - it's nowhere near. With shoddy dialogue and plot that is all over the place, it's hard to take Kiss Me First seriously.

The biggest shame is that the creators had such a talented cast on their hands, with solid source material. If only they'd followed it more closely, it would have made for a better show, but most of all, it would have made sense.

What?

[msqaf00 · 25 January 2021]

The first half of the series was enjoyable and left me intrigued....My brain hurts from the second half. Every aspect of the show went completely off the rails midway. It had such potential.

Just kept getting better

[almeisso-03950 · 7/10 · 7 February 2022]

By episode 3 I was hooked. The show's quality, (like filming locations), special effects, pace, and depth all seemed to improve, or should I say evolve with each passing episode. I really liked how the characters developed in the virtual and real worlds. Probably could have done more character development with Jonty or Azul. Maybe we'll get lucky for a season 2.

Good acting and a good plot.

[larmo · 6/10 · 25 September 2021]

I enjoyed this series. The acting is good, and a number of the actors are recognizable from other productions. The directing, writing, production values and animation are all very good. I think the plot is very interesting and timely. I really appreciate that the production company based the relationship between the two female leads on friendship and not a love affair. (Contrary to what is said in the "Pretty boring" review here stated). While the last episode ends the season neatly. The possibility of a second season was provided for. As of this date - Sept. 25, 2021, no sequel has been announced or produced. I would certainly watch a second season if it were as good as the first season.

Great premise, not fully baked

[TheTruthofItIs · 6/10 · 14 October 2018]

Look, I respect the serious effort that went into "Kiss Me First", it's just that it looks like it wasn't quite thought through all the way. Its VR world is too realistic and is several gens ahead of current state of the art. It's got weird, bizarre, and the troubled youth/life of England though with two or three moons in the sky it's apparently set in an Earth-similar reality. I wish the protag was a bit more attractive and likable, that would've made our viewing journey more enjoyable. I think it's decent enough for a full run through, but I don't see a season 2 for it, so enjoy it as a one and done series. (It's relatively short at 6 eps of 50-mins each.)

It looks like a Gem but it turns to be a messy piece of coal

[VikenMekhtarian · 3/10 · 29 July 2018]

I though I found a great gem of SciFi that mixed Virtually Reality world with some suspense, but by the 3 episode it goes to s..t! The series Starts out as a story of a strange loner girl names Leila who is invited to a secret world in the a very popular VR game she plays. Here she meets a misfit set of players lead by a mysterious figure that feel not too unlike a cult leader. Soon she is sucked into this world which ends up consuming her life. Things start going dark, as they do, and Leila decides to save everyone in this cult and challenge the creator of this world. This is when things go from SciFi to Gothic thriller very fast. In great w first episodes The story switches from the VR world to Real Life often but by episode 3 it is mostly RL and things go south from there. Characters come in and leave without explanation. There is a chase and Leila struggles for her life all to save the life of this girl that she only just met! WHY?! Character motivation is very weak to say the least. You can kinda guess how it's going to end, but it takes soooo long to get there... and when we reach final episode we are presented with an ending that has so many loose ends it feels like it was written one one weekend. I still have questions about what exactly happened to her teacher? Who had kidnapped her exactly and why bring her to her home town? How does the creator of Zania witness the conversation without entering the VR world? Anyway, it's a really bad series even though it looked very promising.

A Virtual Masterpiece

[rasmus5412 · 10/10 · 3 July 2018]

I was sceptic when i first decided to give this tv-series a try. The pilot episode didn't really convice me either. This story is built piece by piece where every episode is adding to what would become greatness.

It's a story of a reality that this world might see in the coming years. A reality that is shared with other realities, virtual playgrounds where people can escape to when life get's tough to handle.

Well worth my time. Hopefully yours to. Over and out, silly old moo!

First couple of episodes are strong but then the story goes flat

[mochteam · 3/10 · 8 July 2018]

.Hack is what the first few episodes of this series minded me of. Basically .Hack is the story of a popular MMORPG called "The World" where people use VR Gear to enter it and players end up dying in the real world when they're killed in the game thanks to a hacker. The series centers around a group of players that are somewhat misfits in their real lives and the story switches between their real lives and the game.

I got a strong vibe of the .Hack series when I watched the first few episodes of Kiss Me First and I thought the show would keep going in that direction but half way through Kiss Me First the MMORPG element of it takes a strong backseat to a cat and mouse story with Leila being the mouse and Adrian being the Cat that's toying with her.

I felt as though the interesting aspects of Kiss Me First was in the plot they decided to kick out the door and later substitute with focusing on the relationships of the players outside the game. It was nice when they kept the mystery of "Red Pill" going and the wonders of what "Azana" was and had to offer people seeking it as a means of escape. Seeing the players in the game and then a glimpse into their real lives was interesting. Adrian being so close to with them all and offering them "things they wanted" had a good mystery going to it but it all just sort of peaked pretty fast when they made it all to clear that Adrian was a Villain and then ditched the MMORPG idea altogether.

Once they strip that unique aspect of the series away the story becomes about Leila trying to save Mania a girl that she barely knows. I'm not really sure why Leila is so interested in having Mania as a friend or saving her when she barely knows her or why Mania was even interested in her at all. At first it seems she's enticed by her but later on it's clear she likes men (well that they both like men). So their relationship seems even more odd.

It's almost like Leila is obsessed with the idea of having Mania as a friend so she'll do anything for her. Their bond however just didn't make much sense to me a I watched the series. The few other characters that Leila interacts with seem only to exists to help nurture the plot forward like her creepy teacher that oddly stares at her, the restaurant owner who is obviously the strong male father figure to her and his temperamental daughter who has no purpose.

The primary characters like Jonty & Mania are all you really have to go on. If you don't like Jonty or Mania it's hard to find characters that make the series interesting to watch because there really aren't any other characters in this series. Towards the last few episodes you're introduced to Jocasta, Tippi, Kyle & Ben but you don't learn much about them in the early episodes so you learn just about as much in their real lives. For instance who was Ben and his Guardian meeting? Why was Jocasta so rich and alone? What did Kyle do in the past that made people afraid of him? and because it is relevant to the ended why is Tippi so desperate for acceptance?

You'll learn nothing about any of the characters in the movie not even Leila really. You will only learn about Mania and Adrian. So once again it comes down to characters you don't care about and waiting for the story to shed light on you about the characters the story revolves around. The pay off in the end is weak though as I couldn't quite call what happened a "Draw" when Leila is the one who is wanted by the police and on the run while Adrian is safe to keep playing his mind games discretely.

If I could I would of much rather have learned about the girl that Leila was first hanging out with in the game that we never see or hear from again after episode 2. She seemed more interesting and more fun that pretty much anyone else in this story. If there is a Season 2 hopefully they would bring her character in to it as she is the only person who seems to interact with Shadowfax.

Well that's just my take on this 5/10 because it feels like it came out the over not fully cooked. Enjoyed the MMORPG concept disliked how that fizzled out of the story. I also don't know why this series is called "Kiss Me First" or what a "Shadowfax" is.

Absolutely amazing!!!

[Adriannemarraccini · 10/10 · 4 July 2018]

I haven't read the book so maybe that's why I can't understand the low rating bc this show is fantastic!! Such a refreshing original idea that was done so well! Give this show a chance! You won't regret it! I can't wait for season 2!

Wasted

[foxtwc · 3/10 · 2 February 2019]

The concept started out interesting but the plot arc was trying to be too clever and where it tried to add mystery and depth only came across as boring and meandering with little logic to the eventual conclusion.

I just ended up not finding any of the characters interesting or redeeming and would not bother watching anything else created in the universe.

Aaaaaand your story was??

[gevans209 · 1/10 · 16 September 2018]

I love watching shows cold - no hype, no pre-concieved ideas about what to expect, just show me your story. This is one of the very few shows I have watched that told me nothing. I can't even really define a plot. Maybe: Girl dumps a friend and finds a friend, and they all run around in their underwear (male directors!). The rest is just background noise. I made it through all six eps in the hope that some major revelation would tie in all my confusion and questions and frustrations... But no. You are given NOTHING!

Netflix is so busy rushing out programs that they ignoring quality.

Trouble with a virtual reality

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 8 May 2018]

This six part thriller is centred on Leila a seventeen year old video game player who plays an immersive virtual reality game called Azana. Here she is invited to join a group in a secret area known as 'Red Pill'. Soon after she meets fellow player Tess in real life and soon afterwards she starts to have her doubts about Red Pill, in particular Adrian, its unofficial leader. One member disappears and Leila learns that he has died in real life; she then sets about finding out what is happening in Red Pill. She will put herself in real danger before getting to the truth.

I must say this series quickly got me hooked; the first episode introduces key characters and the world of Azana. The virtual world was really well realised with character's avatars looking similar to the characters without slipping into 'uncanny valley'. The more we see the more intriguing the story becomes and the more people die the greater the sense of danger for our protagonists. The cast does a fine job; most notably Tallulah Haddon and Simona Brown who are great as Leila and Tess. There are aspects of the series that some viewers might object to; there is a fair amount of strong language, a moderate amount of nudity and some violence. The ending was solid enough but felt more like the end of a chapter than the end of the story... hopefully further series will be commissioned as I want to know what happens next. Overall I certainly enjoyed this series and would recommend it to people who enjoyed programmes like 'Humans' or other sci-fi series that are set in an almost-real present day world.