11.22.63- Review

11.22.63 is a Hulu miniseries based on the book 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Jake Epping played by James Franco is a recently divorced English teacher from Maine. His longtime friend Al Templeton played by Chris Cooper prompts him with the chance to travel back in time to Dallas, Texas in 1960. Every time someone travels back in time to there, history rests to default, which is the history that actually played out in the present. However any actions that change history will effect the present, unless someone travels back, in which case time resets once again. Jake is convinced into going by Al and attempts to prevent the assassination of JFK in November 1963. He has 3 years to prepare, investigate and prevent the assassination. Throughout these 3 years, he goes through a plethora of challenges. And not all of these challenges are related to the assassination, but to also creating a new life. This show came out nine months ago, and although i saw it at the time of release, I'm disappointed I didn't get the opportunity to write a review earlier. However, now that I do have the chance, let’s get right into it.

One of the things I noticed right away was the fact that the show isn’t fixated on time travel. It is discussed in the first episode, but isn’t really mentioned again until the last episode. Other than the fact that the main character is from the future, there isn’t any other science fiction aspects. This is both a good and bad thing. It is favorable for those who aren’t necessarily attracted to fictional aspects in what they watch. Technically the main plot is wrapped around the fact that Jake Epping can time travel, however the drama and suspense makes you forget that time travel was even a factor.

Everyone can enjoy the sheer beauty and thrill this miniseries radiates. The 60’s was a beautiful time period. There was a drastic lack of pollution when compared to 2016, and fashion back then was classy and proper.

One exceptional aspect to this show is the realism. It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. However, the conflicts don’t all stem from random or only relate to the main mission. In life you face many varying challenges, as does Jake. Also, there’s more than a few subplots, but they add to the dept of the story rather than impede it. The shows does a great job with incorporating subplots, while keeping the audience focused on the main goal.

Furthermore, the show stimulates that feeling of attachment. You feel captivated by every character and every line. For the most part, I sat on the edge of my seat, racking my brain to figure out what was to ensue. The plot is far from drudging and will throw you a couple loops. However, unlike some shows, there isn’t a plot twist every episode, but there is enough to keep you anticipated for what could possibly happen next. If you sit down to watch with conjectures of what the plot could be, just know you are wrong. Doesn’t matter what it is you’re thinking, you’re way off from what will happen (unless of course you’ve read the novel). In spite of what I just said, there is one big part of the show that possibly everyone could foresee and I won't spoil it for you, however keep in mind that most shows are filled with clichés and familiar plots and plot holes, and this show only has one major cliché.

One thing that I was telling myself throughout the entire series was that if Jake were to fail in preventing the assassination or simply be hindered in continuing his mission, he could simply go back, reset history and start over again and try a different approach.

I give 11.22.63 an 8.5/10. There are a few reasons for the 1.5 point deduction on my rating. Personally, I would've liked more utilization of the time travel aspect. The show started off really strong, but it soon strayed away from anything time travel related. And when the topic was brought up again at the end, it just seemed like a bull in a china shop. Another reason is James Franco’s presentation of the Jack Epping. At times, it felt like the actor was conflicted with which emotion to project in certain scenes. This could possibly be attributed to conflict between the director and actor. To clarify, Franco wanted to produce the show, and apparently was upset when he heard J.J. Abrams had the project. Franco ended up rolling with it and actually directed the fifth episode, “The Truth”. However this tension may have lead to a differing views and that can be subtly seen. The final reason for the lesser score is the ending. Once again, I won’t spoil anything, but it seemed cheap way out to me. It leaves you complete and content, but also leaves you wondering how it could have concluded better. They bar for creativity was set high, and kept getting raised throughout the show, and be closure seemed sub-par.

All in all, I recommend watching 11.22.63. Although there are missed opportunities that could’ve made this miniseries something amazing, the show still manages to do a great job at delivering entertainment to meet anyone’s tastes.