Dead Ringers (2023)

:

Season 1
User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 4 out of 23

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User Reviews

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  1. moth3
    Apr 26, 2023
    10
    This show just blew my mind. Everything about it is pristine, especially the performances and music. Rachel Weisz is breathtaking, but so is her scene partners-much of the time it's herself. It took me no time to completely believe in these 2 very different twin women. I won't cover the plot, as I think it's best to go into it with as few details as possible. I saw the film it's based onThis show just blew my mind. Everything about it is pristine, especially the performances and music. Rachel Weisz is breathtaking, but so is her scene partners-much of the time it's herself. It took me no time to completely believe in these 2 very different twin women. I won't cover the plot, as I think it's best to go into it with as few details as possible. I saw the film it's based on when I was a teenager (can you imagine?!) and I must have compartmentalized it at the time as it's quite the horror story. There is body gore, but I think it's manageable even for the weakest of tummies. It will likely be review bombed by pro-lifers/bigots as this show revolves around obstetrics and it has queer storylines. Honestly how do these ding dongs have time to do stuff like that; how embarrassing. Anyhow, RUN, don't walk to see this incredible show. Truly the best of the year thus far. Enjoy & cheers!… Expand
  2. Dreame
    Apr 21, 2023
    10
    A great reimagining of a Cronenberg original. Weisz is magnificent, indeed.
  3. dstein405
    Apr 22, 2023
    9
    I found Dead Ringers to be bizarre, disorienting and riveting viewing. It's impossible to look away even when you know you don't want to see what happens next. Rachel Weisz's performanc(es). brilliantly make two look-a-like characters easy to differentiate even when they are switching places.
  4. JLuis_001
    Apr 23, 2023
    7
    Whether it's more ambitious than Cronenberg's film is debatable, but it's fair to give credit where credit is due, and the reimagining of that film in this miniseries was a refreshing and stimulating surprise.

    This version of Dead Ringers takes certain concepts from Cronenberg's film yet exploring other variants and that's something that can be afforded when you get over the constraints    Whether it's more ambitious than Cronenberg's film is debatable, but it's fair to give credit where credit is due, and the reimagining of that film in this miniseries was a refreshing and stimulating surprise.

    This version of Dead Ringers takes certain concepts from Cronenberg's film yet exploring other variants and that's something that can be afforded when you get over the constraints that two hours of running time gives.

    Its best accomplishment is knowing what to borrow from the film that inspired it, but it explores its own thing.
    That's incredibly beneficial to its concept, serving its storytelling with key changes and yet preserving the strangeness and discomfort of the original stuff.

    Rachel Weisz's work in this dual performance is bold and exceptional. She is the rock on which it all stands.
    Without her performance I don't see how this would have worked.

    Between the twisted, the disturbing and the passivity of several of its passages, Dead Ringers may seem boring to a certain section of the audience, and I can understand why, but as far as I'm concerned, I think it manages to solve many of its weaknesses by being unpredictable and provocative both in its plot and its themes.

    Maybe it doesn't go that far with what it incorporates narratively at a certain point, especially when it comes to genetic manipulation, but that's because for the most part it stays anchored as a psychosexual thriller that gets a somewhat more complex conclusion than I expected because it doesn't pick the ending of the movie that was also the same ending of the real people who inspired that story.
    By doing that, certain events that were seen in other episodes have to be seen in a different light in order to decipher their meaning and that's always a good thing for any story.

    It's only six episodes. It's totally worth it. This is one of the best things Prime Video has ever released.    … Expand
  5. DeadRinger
    Apr 24, 2023
    8
    Massive Show, Very Well Done, well acted well paced, super dramatic & shows the hell of childbirth and is the first time it's shown with realistic perspective
  6. bl1rt
    May 2, 2023
    3
    Events in history happen twice, first time as a tragedy, second time as a farce... Though, to be honest, the show shares next to nothing with the film except name and tagline. Which is fine, but touches on the core problem of the show, where it is very good at citing topics and themes, but can't do anything with them, let alone anything clever, so it just cranks up the volume to 11 andEvents in history happen twice, first time as a tragedy, second time as a farce... Though, to be honest, the show shares next to nothing with the film except name and tagline. Which is fine, but touches on the core problem of the show, where it is very good at citing topics and themes, but can't do anything with them, let alone anything clever, so it just cranks up the volume to 11 and crams in more stuff.
    That's fun to watch for two episodes, when it consequently collapses in on itself. The weirdness becomes pastiche, the dark humor becomes overly hilarious, a crisis of identity becomes going le mad, the feeling of discomfort becomes just awkward.
    The acting is very good all around and everything looks great, but instead of the characters unraveling, it's the show falling apart.    … Expand
  7. Clean
    Jun 25, 2023
    10
    Pleasantly surprised. A+ for me. One of the best mini series I've watched in recent years, I desperately wanted more episodes in this wild universe! Absolutely unhinged and spellbinding. I dare to say it's better than the movie at times, especially the themes touched. It goes without saying that Rachel Weisz is phenomenal, but I found the writing very clever too (though I would have donePleasantly surprised. A+ for me. One of the best mini series I've watched in recent years, I desperately wanted more episodes in this wild universe! Absolutely unhinged and spellbinding. I dare to say it's better than the movie at times, especially the themes touched. It goes without saying that Rachel Weisz is phenomenal, but I found the writing very clever too (though I would have done without a few filler scenes). The relationship between the twins will haunt for a long time. Great all around.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

52
#52 Best TV Season of 2023
40
#40 Most Discussed TV Season of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 25
  3. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. The Observer (UK)
    Reviewed by: Barbara Ellen
    Sep 10, 2024
    80
    At times it over-reaches and succumbs to the streamer-disease of laborious subplots and overlong detours (investor soirees; employees behaving strangely; gluey streams of sociopolitical consciousness). Still, the hot creepy mess of the twin dynamic is beautifully executed: Weisz slips on the dual skins with campy relish. She is particularly vivid as Elliot, who feels like a classic Hollywood monster.
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  2. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Inkoo Kang
    Apr 26, 2023
    80
    Moody and challenging, Birch’s “Dead Ringers” hews surprisingly close to many of Cronenberg’s story beats, but the remake is more thematically ambitious—and more consistently engaging. ... Much of the show’s creepy pleasures comes from Weisz’s magnificent performance(s).
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  3. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Robert Levin
    Apr 24, 2023
    88
    This "Dead Ringers" carves out a path that's fundamentally different from the one laid out by Cronenberg, and not just because of the gender-swapped leads. But even if it takes some time to understand exactly where things are going and why, it can fall back on one of the most remarkable performances in a good long while.
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