Heroine Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) is a soldier in the army of âRavkaâ (a stand in for pre-20th century Russia). When crossing a cursed void, âThe Shadow Foldâ, that splits the kingdom in two she is revealed to have untapped magical abilities. These mark her as a âGrishaâ or magician, a caste held in both awe and suspicion by commoners.Â
So itâs off to the imperial capital in the company of Grisha big cheese General Kirigan (Ben Barnes), who dresses in black, throws menacing gazes and has pinched Alan Rickmanâs villainous Die Hard beard. He is cordial and there are hints of a romantic spark with Alina, however, given his fashion choices â and the fact he is referred to in the novels as âThe Darklingâ â might there be a teeny chance heâs actually a baddie?Â
Half a world away in the city of Ketterdam, an Oceanâs 11 style rag-tag of street urchins led by the mercurial Kaz (Freddy Carter) are drawn into the conspiracy around Alinaâs powers. They feel like a Dungeons and Dragons party brought to life: Kazâs gang, âthe Dregsâ, include knife-wielding Inej (Amita Suman), sorceress Nina (Danielle Galligan) and sharp-shooting Jesper (Kit Young).Â
There are a lot of complicated names to keep track of yet the story chugs forward with gusto. And the production values are impressive â Ketterdam, in particular, is as vividly rendered as Kingâs Landing or Winterfell. Harry Potter fans â are there any left? â will, meanwhile, be pleased to see ZoĂ« Wanamaker (Rolanda Hooch in the Potterverse) pop up as a magical instructor who knows more than sheâs letting on.
Shadow and Bone is good clean fun with a vengeance (with the potential exception of a coyly-shot gay sex scene). Those who watched Game of Thrones for the nudity and cruelty may find it lacking that spicy kick, but this is fantasy with heart, a towering imagination and a genuine new take on the genre. It could be a real phenomenon for Netflix.Â
Shadow and Bone arrives on Netflix on Friday 23 April