The Man in the High Castle (TV Series) Sunrise (2015) User Reviews

Improves on the first episode

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 7/10 · 22 November 2015]

Now that we know the characters and the basics of the story, "The Man in The High Castle" can get with the action. And "Sunrise", the second episode does a good job on improving on the premise introduced in the pilot, and on hooking us on the story. And if it continues like this in the next episodes we are in for a ride, full of fear, violence and paranoia.

If the pilot put the stones from which the building will be made, "Sunrise" does a good job to show us more about the three principal characters (in the review I did of the pilot, I kind of left Frank Frink, played by Rupert Evans, in the background; my bad). And it does it in a great way. Juliana Crain keeps her search for the truth behind the films, Frank Frink gets into trouble, big trouble, with the Japanese, and Joe Black keeps with his mission. All of three are becoming rapidly quite interesting, and Rupert Evans does a great job in this episode showing his doubts, his fear, and how a person, who just wants to keep going, finds themselves in a position where they have to choose, even if they don't want to. In "Sunrise" the actions centers specially around he and his feelings, and the episode is the better for it. And all around this, the Man in the High Castle, who made the films, of whom we still don't know much about.

The Man in the High Castle is not scared right now in putting their characters in ambiguous situations. Let's keep it that way.

Extremely Good

[Miles-10 · 8/10 · 27 October 2015]

The long awaited second installment of "The Man in the High Castle" is worth the wait. I love the way this series both recreates Philip K. Dick's novel and the way it changes it. For example, developing a continuing East Coast story (featuring Rufus Sewell as a high-ranking Nazi) is a brilliant addition to Dick's story. Changing Juliana from a judo student who never uses her skill in the course of Dick's story to an aikido student who does use it in "Sunrise", fulfills what was a missed opportunity.

Here the character Joe and the way his identity is revealed early on, is actually done better than in the novel (unless you like Dick's craziness). Joe is now sympathetic in a way he never was in the novel. The I Ching still plays a role, but, so far, not as all encompassing as in the novel.

Great Show

[mustafagemici · 9/10 · 1 December 2015]

Since a long time waiting finally it here :), its a great Show, in Turkey they don't show on the TV yet but from some internet web pages we can follow with Turkish subtitles. I watch the first 4 part and its great show, thanks all the team to bring it alive. In some cases people are complaining about the theme and so on but i find it great, very different way of looking for the history and also very interesting ideas. I believe the producers and the crew really did fantastic job to make these scenes, the decorations, outfits, make ups every single detail is worked and this is really respectful. Thanks again for your effort. Best wishes to the team and i hope it will continue for some season at least 10 :)

Brake Check

[mbloyd · 8 August 2017]

Sunrise falls victim to a common issue with second episodes: much of the air time is devoted to reinforcing concepts from the pilot. It also cracks under the pressure of having to set expectations for the seasons pace and momentum. The momentum of the pilot, with Joe and Juliana moving toward their shared goal, stalls somewhat with them now settled in Canon City. Like the pilot, Sunrise shines when the grim alternate reality is grounded in the every day familiarity of mid-century America. The family breakfast scene with Obergruppenfuhrer Smith is essentially Ozzie and Harriet with Nazi armbands. Smith, if not for the Nazi armbands, could pass as a cop or fireman. The moment is particularly disturbing due to the context. For this show to transition into a very good series, it must maintain this nauseous tone consistently.

Smith for the win

[zahorskyakos-97981 · 9/10 · 6 August 2020]

The momentum of the pilot somewhat stalls, but we have the opportunity to study OGF. Smith, who really is a magnificent antagonist based on the first two episodes.