My review of the Netflix Reboot

[Guardian]

Don’t worry, I won’t give out any case spoilers on this. I just watched the first episode of the new series. I had mixed expectations going in, excited, skeptical, hopeful, curious, and so on. I’ve felt for some time now that no matter what, seeing new cases being profiled is a good thing. At its core, UM was always about a public service just as much, if not more than it’s entertainment value. So with this all in mind, I hit play about 5 minutes after the series became available about two hours ago.

I won’t spoil the cases, but I’ll give a brief review of the episode itself. If you don’t want to know that prior to going in, stop reading now until you’ve watched the first episode.

First off, drop any and all expectations of this being in the style of the original. It just isn’t. That’s not to say it’s bad though. The first episode is quite compelling to be honest. The style of the episode feels very much like an episode of “Disappeared”, but without a narrator. There are little to no re-enactments, this was probably my biggest surprise going in as I thought the idea was going to be to capture the creepy feel of those re-enactments. Perhaps the next five episodes will offer more of this? But the recreations that are done are very much in the style of Disappeared as well. No actor faces shown, but For example, just quick glimpses of a person’s legs or a silhouette as they run down stairs. What is done is done well, but this was probably my biggest disappointment aside from no host/narrator.

The narrative is given primarily by a person connected directly to the victim and occasionally by other interviewees. It’s done well, but of course, it ain’t no Robert Stack.

The music is spot on and quite creepy. Very well done and I’m loving the new cover of the old theme.

The opening is very reminiscent of the later seasons and dvd releases of the original, but in a much smoother way. I don’t want to say too much here, but UM purists should not blink or they may miss a cool Easter egg the first time through.

The case itself is extremely compelling and not as simple as the first few minutes of the episode indicate. I’ll leave discussion of the case to it’s own thread on here though, but seriously, it’s a strange one.

All in all, I enjoyed it. I was hoping for a bit of nostalgia given that some of the folks behind Stranger Things were involved, but really, there is no nostalgia to be had. But the show does seem to be off to a good start at least. I would say if you like the show Disappeared, you will probably enjoy this new version of UM.

[Steve1990]

I haven't watched it yet but I'm kind of glad there isn't a host. We be comparing him to Stack. But I think we could use the reenactments. Though the actors could be downright terrible at times.

[Zero]

It’s almost 6 am here. I briefed my 16 year old niece on UM, who I thought had seen it before, and showed her a classic episode. Then explained the history and then we saw the first two episodes.

I appreciate the Farina episodes, as I believe he brought his own flair to the show. Too bad they didn’t give him new material because I think he could have done a good job.

That said, I always read “no host” but I did t think that meant no narrator either! Regardless, it was well done. The music... the main theme is played on a piano and in a different key, but it works just as well. It’s spooky still to someone like me, and I see what they went for with the music. At times, the background music will go from mellow to creepy with a quick, sharp, jarring change. Younger kids, that have been watching all kinds of scary crap as long as they’ve been alive (and may be desensitized to it all) may not “spook” as easily.

I only saw the first two episodes, but the cases are not so simple and and straightforward. As Guardian said, compelling, but also complicated and full of twists and turns. As the story plays out, something is thrown in, and then another. And another. Wow.

Each one is almost an hour long. The individuals interviewed are... well, the episodes communicate just how real and RAW the circumstances are to those involved.

As for the intro, I’ll just say, I was surprised with the visuals. Especially towards the end of the introduction. I felt nostalgic, and a teeny, tiny bit sad, but I’m glad the creators did what they did. It’s new and it’s moved on from the UM of old, but it’s still UM. I guess the creators realized what us fans did long ago; no matter what, Robert Stack will always be Unsolved Mysteries, and vice versa.

[TheCars1986]

Glad to see some positive reviews. I haven't watched it yet but did see the intro and it's much, much better than the intro UM did during it's original run in the later seasons.

[Todd Mueller]

I'm one episode in...

Going in, I wanted a host and multiple stories per episode. This is certainly not the Stack era UM we grew up with.

That said, this new version is REALLY GOOD! The production value is amazing. Excellent cinematography and sound. There is nothing cheesy about this -- it is a total 180 from the Farina reboot. The longer format does allow them to go deeper into the investigation, too, which is a good thing. This first case really benefitted from the background info and expanded story.

There is a subtle creepiness to this that really brought me back to the original UM days. The subtle piano music, the drone shots of the city and buildings, hearing from the victim's family... I give the producers an A+ on the package they have put out.

So yes, it's different and not the same as the original UM, but I really, really like this updated version and I can't wait to watch the other episodes. I sincerely hope they keep putting this out!

[infinityluxe]

This is something else. It isn't Unsolved Mysteries. I will appreciate it for what it is, but it just doesn't have that UM feel. I am going to support it and watch it though. I appreciate the effort for us OG fans.

[alistaircranium]

Oh my gosh...the Easter egg in the opening credits gave me chills!

[alistaircranium]

As a lover of synth music, I wasn’t keen on the theme being played on piano. However, I found it especially effective and unsettling being played over the end credits.

[MA]

Is there a video of the Netflix version of the theme song?

[Guardian]

Originally Posted by MA

Is there a video of the Netflix version of the theme song?

Yeah, just search on the forbidden site for “Unsolved Mysteries 2020 Netflix Intro”. But if you haven’t watched the series yet, I’d wait and watch it for the first time there. It sets a good tone watching the first time. Just my opinion of course.

[drew790]

I’m struggling with the French episode

[TripleG]

I'm three episodes in. Its a very good true crime/mystery series and well produced, but it doesn't feel like classic Unsolved Mysteries.

The music isn't as bone chilling, and the lack of a host just makes it fall in line with any other docu-series. But to be fair...how do you replace Robert Stack? I was talking about this with someone just last night and the only name we could come up with that would be Josh Brolin. We literally couldn't think of anyone else.

For what it is though, it is a well made docu-series and the cases are interesting.

[Far Off Promise]

I've only watched the 1st episode, but I thought the pacing was a little slow. Imagine how it would have been in 20-30 minutes. It's good, i like it, and I definitely prefer it over the 2008 reboot.

[atomicfizz]

I'm only on episode one, but so far, it's just like watching the shows on Investigation Discovery. I miss the old format with multiple cases, Stack, etc... It's just nothing new in this day and age. I'm really trying to not compare it to the original, because it's not. However, I will say if THIS version had been the old one, before the massive amounts of true crime shows we have now I'd have liked it. Now, I'd love to see the old format back, for something different.

[BlueGalexy]

Originally Posted by Todd Mueller

I'm one episode in...

Going in, I wanted a host and multiple stories per episode. This is certainly not the Stack era UM we grew up with.

That said, this new version is REALLY GOOD! The production value is amazing. Excellent cinematography and sound. There is nothing cheesy about this -- it is a total 180 from the Farina reboot. The longer format does allow them to go deeper into the investigation, too, which is a good thing. This first case really benefitted from the background info and expanded story.

There is a subtle creepiness to this that really brought me back to the original UM days. The subtle piano music, the drone shots of the city and buildings, hearing from the victim's family... I give the producers an A+ on the package they have put out.

So yes, it's different and not the same as the original UM, but I really, really like this updated version and I can't wait to watch the other episodes. I sincerely hope they keep putting this out!

Thanks for starting this thread OP...it's nice to know that I wasn't the only one waiting for the new UM with baited breath, lol.

I totally agree with you Todd regarding your review! Of course, in a perfect world, I too would have loved to see multiple cases per episode, and a wonderfully creepy host/narrator (a la Robert Stack). That said, I read a couple early reviews ahead of time and knew going in what the show would be, and what it wouldn't be. Oh, and I too loved the revised version of the theme music! It totally brought back fond memories. Ultimately, I agree with the OP about this reboot having a bit of a Disappeared feel, which is great for me since I love that show as well. Overall, I'm a fan, then and now.