Picnic at Hanging Rock

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Season 1
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 20
  3. Negative: 4 out of 20
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User Reviews

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  1. brohug
    Jun 24, 2018
    4
    Nope. If you're going to take on an important novel and arguably the seminal film of the Australian New Wave, you better show up and represent. This series is an unwieldy mess. There are so many flashbacks it was literally difficult to figure out which time frame (pre, during, post picnic) you are watching. The actors are fine but also unremarkable. However, the plethora of characters getNope. If you're going to take on an important novel and arguably the seminal film of the Australian New Wave, you better show up and represent. This series is an unwieldy mess. There are so many flashbacks it was literally difficult to figure out which time frame (pre, during, post picnic) you are watching. The actors are fine but also unremarkable. However, the plethora of characters get a fair amount of dialog and screen time, but very little of it helps move the plot along in any sort of compelling direction.

    The reality is that the correct visual medium of this story is as a film. And good luck besting one of the great directors (Australian or otherwise) in Peter Weir. Too much of this series is dull filler. The fascinating and haunting conceit of the story is that these young girls disappear into the mysterious and ancient Australian wilderness in the age of Victorian repression, sexual and otherwise. Their awakening from the picnic nap and disappearance is a metaphor for a seduction and a loss of innocence. Just leave it at that.

    Also, I can't help but notice from some of the language in the crtitics' reviews that there is a lingering perception that the Joan Lindsay novel is a fictional retelling of real events from Valentine's Day 1900 in Victoria. It most surely is not. Didn't happen. The author cleverly submerges fictional newspaper accounts to draw the reader in.    … Expand
  2. jgzeger
    Jul 21, 2018
    7
    It was hard for me to decide on a score for this mini-series. It certainly is beautiful to watch with gorgeous sets and costumes and great cinematography. However, the story is too drawn out over six episodes and thus dilutes the dramatic impact that was so well-achieved in the Peter Weir movie. Consequently, I decided on a 7. It is worth seeing if only for the visuals.
  3. echorley
    Jul 26, 2018
    2
    Beautiful costumes and settings, talented cast and a great novel - this adaptation should be a must see, but the episodes are like watching paint dry. I found myself pushing fast forward to see if anything interesting would happen.

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Most Shared TV Season of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
62

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    May 29, 2018
    80
    Picnic at Hanging Rock is the sapphic, David Lynch-influenced mystery-thriller that you didn’t know you needed.
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  2. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Sophie Gilbert
    May 29, 2018
    80
    The mystical elements of Lindsay’s book remain, but Mrs. Appleyard’s more detailed biography adds more tangible, flesh-and-blood danger to the mix. ... The question in the series becomes less about how the girls disappeared than why. Whether they’re vaporized by a shift in the magnetic field, transformed into animals, or something more mundane, their vanishing feels deliberate--a way to reject their prescribed futures for a different, freer path.
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  3. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Ben Travers
    May 25, 2018
    50
    In the end, neither the lush looks nor committed performances are enough to overcome the balance issues and general bloat.
    Read full review
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