Ghost Wars (2017–2018) User Reviews

Little horror/sci fi gem.....

[s3276169 · 7/10 · 16 January 2018]

Ghost Wars is a rather appealing litle horror/sci fi gem.

This series has a understated, unassuming quality that works well in the context of a sleepy little town beset by an other worldy calamity triggered by scientific machinations and meddling.

There's a lot to like here. The story takes time to develop but its pacing is such that there's consistently enough happening to satisfy whilst the solid characterisations and narrative draw you in.

I have thus far really enjoyed Ghost Wars and plan to keep watching. Seven out of ten from me.

Okay. But skip if you like clever writing.

[vatigue · 5/10 · 7 March 2018]

I'm rating it a solid 5, because I actually was entertained enough to watch the whole season. That rarely happens with bad shows. The first two episodes are pretty bad. But the show gets better and better after that, before it starts dropping in quality again at around episode 7 or 8. The last three episodes increased the facepalm-value and ended in a last episode that completely ruined the barely existing like I had going for the show. Despite some of the other reviews, I found the acting okay overall. With what script they had, all seemed to have done their best. D'Onofrio felt a bit off considering his other performances while Meat Loaf was doing great. The writing and dialogues seem to depend on the writer and episode. (one example of many: Avan Jogia tells D'Onofrio to not run away from conflicts because they just keep following you. 5 mins. Later in the episode he runs away from the group to avoid conflict...) The core idea had me watch it, and with a higher production value and proper, consistent writing, it could have been a good show. Not great, but good enough to stay in mind in a positive way. Sadly, the writing is inconsistent. Some episodes work, while most of them don't. Some even negate the progress from the episode that aired just before. I can get over bad CGI if the story is catchy and I'm entertained. Some of the caracters act clever or logical in one episode but completely dumb and cliché in the next one. The whole series jumps in quality and story from episode to episode. Also, while Avan Jogia is supposed to be the main character, he rarely even shows up or gets anything to say in most episodes. The last episode made me lower the score 0,5 points because it completely negated the character development of two people again. Give it a go if you have nothing else to watch. But you definitely won't miss anything if you pass.

Ghost Bores

[kaianmattmckay · 5/10 · 26 November 2020]

I've nearly finished the first (and only) season. This offers *just* enough to prevent the casual watcher from giving up on it, but very little more.

The main protagonist is eye candy, and even the presence of the criminally underrated Vincent D'Onofrio isn't enough to save the general acting from being a full house of cringe.

I like the portrayal of the ghosts as somehow electromagnetic, and I've stayed with it so far...so hoping for things to step up, towards the finale.

After first episode, it gets significantly better...

[ozz1121 · 26 November 2017]

The first episode had me thinking if I wanted to continue watching or not, but I kept watching and it is one of syfy channel's best shows in the past several years. It can be eerie and sometimes genuinely scary. The setting on the island is perfect. I highly encourage you to give it a chance. I am really enjoying it.

Getting better and better

[TikiBoWo · 7/10 · 28 October 2017]

Really enjoying the series, It is much much better than Midnight Texas and Van Helsing cr*p. Direction, presentation and story are very compelling.

Every episode is better and better than the previous one and characters are experienced actors

Not sure where this is headed, but there's potential

[cherold · 6/10 · 4 November 2017]

I'm right on the fence on Ghost Wars. The first episode was somewhat intriguing, but the second was lackluster and I always gave up the series then. But I decided to watch the next one, which jumped to different characters and introduced sci-fi elements to the fantasy/horror.

The premise seems rather fuzzy so far. Malicious ghosts have taken over a town and are wreaking havoc, and there's this one guy who has always been able to see ghosts who goes from town weirdo to town's only hope. But I have little sense of a structure beyond that; so far this has been very episodic with characters shifting in and out and no clear sense of what sort of story arc we're getting.

It's filmed serviceably, and the performances are generally serviceable, although the only standout is Vincent D'Onofrio as a redneck priest.

There are some logic issues. I'm pretty sure I know how to resolve the navigational issues in the second episode and I find it weird that no one suggests it. At the same time, I do get a sense that the creators are making a very sincere attempt to build a complete world with lots of moving parts in the way of something like Fortitude. Although I'm not sure if they're going to be able to pull it off.

So, for now I'll keep watching. But four episodes in I'm still unsure how long I'll stay with this.

Unique and Enjoyable

[kyriex · 7/10 · 11 March 2018]

THE SUSPENSE WORKS. I KEEP WONDERING WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON THAT TOWN JUST LIKE THE CHARACTERS IN THIS SERIES. I THINK IF YOU LIKE STRANGER THINGS, YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS ONE TOO.

Goes downhill Very Fast

[vanesaamas · 2/10 · 27 March 2019]

First few episodes are pretty good, but it loses its story very fast. There's so much wrong with this show. It had great potential, but was lost very quickly.

A great sci-fi series hidden behind a terrible title

[bthornthwaite · 8/10 · 14 December 2017]

I have to be honest here. I hesitated, even reading a description of this series, based solely on my impression of the title.

Ghost Wars... Upon reading the title, I automatically assumed it was just another reality-based ghost hunter television show.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Its really well written, and the cast was superb. And despite the title fail, I've really enjoyed watching this series.

8/10

Good Story

[mariuslesauter · 6/10 · 8 March 2018]

Soft spoilers without giving away anything of the actual story.

The story is compelling and exciting to watch, great job there.

The end however ruins a lot. Too many questions left unanswered, quite anti-climatic, there's quite a logic gap as well and the main character seems to act out of character.

Besides of that: 6/10 stars. If the ending wasn't as...well bad as it is it would be a 9.

What a mess

[panayiotis-character · 4/10 · 5 March 2018]

Ghost Wars is Under the Dome meets every supernatural show you have ever seen the last decades. From major themes to small details, nothing is even slightly original. The acting is at best, mediocre. There are scenes where you crave for some kind of climax from an actor or actress, but nothing happens. There are even some so obvious directing mistakes that is laughable. The end result is boring and a complete mess. Nothing seems to work, you don't really care for the characters and it will be a shame to give this show a second season because something much better could take its place.

Good sci-fi series with unique concept

[shimura_123 · 8/10 · 9 January 2018]

Found this series after the first season had aired and watched it in one go.

Its a very interesting and entertaining series with unique concept with intriguing characters with fine performances from the cast.

The lead character has an interesting character arc which goes from sad/broken spirit to aggressive/ferocious to helpful to cunning.

The season finale has an interesting turn of events which leaves for an interesting second season.

Hope the network renews the series

Great Show

[nick_pepsi · 7/10 · 13 March 2018]

Loved it was well writen, well filmed, had great characters. I would recommend this show to anyone how love Supernatural, The Walking Dead etc. Believe me I have watched thousands of shows and movies and this one you dont want to miss, why low rating in general I dont know I would give it a 7.5 if IMDB would add the decimal system and wish they do, nevertheless is a great show, enjoy.

If you like cliche

[ritsert · 3/10 · 6 August 2022]

What's wrong: The script is uninspired, Almost written on autopilot. Acting seldom rises above 80's A-team level. Main character is twodimensional and has a silly big zeroes hairdo that remains perfect in every scene. So many weird directing choices that do not add up or are plain wrong makes you wonder why no one on the crew said anything. Or maybe they did but no one was listening. If you like cliche bingo this is your series. Clearly there was a budget but it looks like it was spend more on mediocre safety than on real creativity. What was good? I liked the lightning (not the bad Nuit Americain, or the yellow Mexico filter, (why??)) and the location shots where cool.

Syfy opted not to pick up Ghost Wars for Season 2.

[dvwsophorajaponica · 17 September 2019]

Syfy opted not to pick up Ghost Wars for Season 2, Ghost Wars officially canceled on Syfy.

What's in a name

[shaun-35238 · 7/10 · 16 August 2022]

Seriously I don't know why they gave this such a lame title. I overlooked this series for quite a while based on the title.

Whilst I haven't rated it as highly as other people, I still recommend it if this is your genre. I watched it over 3 days and being it does lag in places, was probably the wrong choice and I don't fault it in any other way.

It tries to steer clear of most of the cliches, old and new of this genre. Story is ok, most of the acting is ok. Series is better than just ok, quite good I'd say.

Stupid fun

[tossaway-13557 · 6/10 · 22 November 2020]

This is a really, really poorly executed story that whips around all over the place (compare it to something like The Mandalorian, which has plenty of side quests but still manages to be cohesive). The direction is awful, the dialogue is worse, and the 'lead' (Roman) might be the worst actor I've ever seen, and I've done high school improv.

That said, it's schlocky fun.

Good fun and fresh premise

[hardcoretroubador · 7/10 · 30 July 2021]

Don't be fooled by the title, there is a lot of interesting stuff here.

Less than mediocre...

[psipsina-i · 3/10 · 9 January 2020]

I don'y know what the people rating this with over 6 have as a standard, but this thing is in no way good material. It starts as a supernatural thing and ends up with a sci fi explenation. However, neither the supernatural nor the sci fi part are good quality material. The sci fi in particular is so cringy... The actors try, but the scenario and the direction are 90's TV movie material, not to mention the special effects. It does pose some philosophical questions, but even those can be found in so many other, better made movies or series...

A Fun Series with Little Lag!

[areneehunt · 8/10 · 6 February 2018]

Just when I thought the SyFy channel was going under, they found two things that captured me and my heart. First was bringing back Futurama. That's one of my fav shows. Second is Ghost Wars- this is a fantastic show! I binge watched when I found it, the week of Thanksgiving, and once I caught up I was angered that I had to go by the weekly watch. The first episode aired on October 5, 2017, telling of a small town with strange goings on. It's also about a guy named Roman Mercer, who has a special talent, or gift. He sees and talks to ghosts. Something that that's pretty handy, considering he can save lives. But these are no normal ghosts- they're killer!

I think I enjoyed it so much, due to the cast. Kim Coates, Vincent D'Onofrio, Avan Jogia, Kandyse McClure and even Meatloaf! Great acting helped, but the story is what captured me. It's simply one of those bad luck towns, like out of a King novel, that is truly in the wrong location The story is creepy, spooky and without many dead spots. I couldn't help but get hooked- watching seven episodes back to back to back!

From what I understand, the ratings weren't very high, but with some luck, season 2 will make it through! Cheers!

Decent but Inconsistent

[s-mmaneage · 6/10 · 25 November 2018]

So yeah, it's called "Ghost Wars". If you can get passed the title , there's a surprisingly good story. After the first episode, this series really picks up steam. It features some excellent character acting that carries the story along.

I think this series does suffer two flaws... Without giving away spoilers, these flaws might be there to leave the door open for a season 2:

1) The character arcs are inconsistent. I know this is subjective, but as a writer I found that often times (especially towards the end) a character makes a choice or series of choices only to have those choices seemingly reversed by an event or decision that seemed to drop out of the air. But like I said, it's up to you.

2) We never put a face to what the evil is. I get that it's "Ghost Wars", and there is a suggestion towards the end that ( again, don't want to ruin it!) it's simply the afterlife vs the living, like the title indicates. But the odd thing is that for a 2018 series there's a lot dedicated to the issue of the existence of God. Which meant that "the bad guys" also mentioned places like hell, demonic presences as well as demonstrations of God's power towards the evil plaguing the town . After the death of a certain character (and then something at the very end which is head scratching) -it seemed as if this was dropped completely. This was, to me, one of the most interesting themes of season 1, especially how the writers tied it to the rest of the story.

As I mentioned before, it definitely seems that the writers are positioning themselves for a season 2. Lots of doors have been left open and despite being a bit disappointed with the story at times, I hope they make a season 2.

Gets terrible

[bgirl-716-507419 · 3/10 · 29 April 2020]

This series started off great but after a while it takes a nosedive. Did they get different writers? The story has really gone downhill.

Expected Typical (i.e. Crappy) B-Movie SyFy Quality - was Greatly Surprised

[shreddedvalentines · 8/10 · 7 October 2017]

Watched the pilot last night, so that's pretty much all my review is based on. Having sat through all the increasingly-rancid 'Sharknado' films (among others), being a SyFy production I hadn't much hope ... but am a HUGE Avan Jogia fan (think he's pretty underrated as an actor, actually), and I figured if Vincent D'Onofrio was on-board the script had to have something -

And was pleasantly surprised by a spooky, effective, restrained, well-acted, decently-written, and intriguing pilot with a WAY-cool cliffhanger ending that definitely left me hungry for episode two! Even the special effects, usually laughable on SyFy productions, are a step up here. Had SpikeTV put this kind of effort on quality with "The Mist' and given it a better cast, better writing, and better effects, it might have made it to season two.

Jogia is Roman Mercer, the social outcast of a small, remote Alaskan town mostly thanks to his mother (who's long-since took off) and her obsession with the paranormal. Roman sees ghosts, and wants to seriously see the back end of this town that hates him, and the pilot opens with him at a bus station and ready to leave it, even as he confides his plans (or lack thereof) to a friend who, herself, ends up being a ghost only he can see

A freak accident keeps Roman from leaving, however - and in fact gets him blamed for a few deaths of his fellow travelers via local weirdo Doug Rennie (Meat Loaf Aday himself, no less!) and a makeshift posse he starts putting together for revenge. There are residents - actual human ones - sympathetic to Roman's plight and the heavy burdens he bears (including D'Onofrio's Father Carpenter, who himself seems to be holding some demons - or secrets - within), and as the spirits Roman can see begin to take on a malevolent form, even attacking the town residents, more deaths are racked up and those left around realize not only are they up against a nasty gang of ghosts who are (for some reason) seriously ticked off ... but that Roman Mercer, the guy many of them have spent the kid's whole life torturing, may be their only hope of surviving.

I feel I need to watch the pilot again - it's so dark in spots (literally, as in the lighting), and there were a couple times I wasn't 100% sure of what I had just watched - but in terms of acting, writing, story, tone, atmosphere, effects, violence and retaining your interest, hopefully things will only get cooler and creepier from here.

Original and very clever.

[Guanche48 · 7/10 · 29 April 2019]

I am not a fan of fantasy or scifi..but this was good. Didnt spect that! Nice little village with a country bar, Cheers touch ...good acting!! Didnt knew that Meat L. was such a good actor too!! Worth watching!!

Promising story, bad written script and poor acting

[hdildil · 4/10 · 31 January 2021]

Title says it al you do not require any more explanation.