Let's talk Shadowhunters!

SO. I just finished watching Shadowhunters. I didn't have high expectations for many reasons. One, this is a fantasy tv show airing on Freeform, aka ABC Family. They aren't known for their great CGI effects or even just airing a tv show like this. Branching out always starts off a little wobbly. Two, we've got mostly fresh faced actors. There's bound to be some unsavory acting. And three, maybe the movie let me down? I'm not really sure, but I think reason three is a combination of one and two.
It wasn't amazing! But it also wasn't horrific either. I was actually a little impressed! Pilot episodes, to me, are always a little shoddy. You have to hook a viewer in, which is difficult enough when you have a fairly simple plot, like most drama's these days. But throw in a secret world, multiple characters, and action scenes, and you've got a lot to handle. Obviously, us readers know of the world already and understand it. But we still want to see it played out well, and I think the producers nailed that. Things are different, but everything was paced extremely well. It didn't feel too rushed or too slow.
The acting was pretty average, except for a few shining stars. Alberto Rosende absolutely NAILED Simon's character, almost more so than Robert Sheehan. I was so thrilled, not only because I love Simons character but because I'm happy see some real talent! The chemistry between him and Clary was legit. Actually, the chemistry between all the characters was pretty legit. From what I've seen, this group is fantastic. They physically portray their character super well, and seem to be really close in real life. It's so great to see! Emeraude Toubia slayed as queen Izzy. Matthew Daddario was pretty closed off, with decent acting, but he's so beautiful that I can overlook it. Dominic Sherwood nailed his sassy remarks and looked pretty hot doing it, which is more than I can say for Jamie Campbell Bower. And Katherine McNamara... she was little blah for me. Or at least Clary was blah for me. Though I gotta admit, she worked that one emotional scene in her apartment.
One thing that really bothered me were the seraph blades. Not only do they resemble lightsabers, but their sound effects, dear lord. That's always been an annoyance for me, especially when dealing with fantasy shows. They were so obnoxious that they took away from the severity of the scene. Instead of being caught up in the decent action sequences, I was glaring at the lightsabers. They look super fake, too.
Overall, I'd give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars! It's a promising start, and I have high hopes for the rest of the season. I think once we get this world building out of the way, and Clary is all "I'm ready.", then it'll get really good. Just think of Teen Wolf! It started out so cheesy and slightly cringe-worthy, and now look at it.

Let me know your thoughts! What did you think of it? Did you love it? Hate it? Has Emeraude Toubia walked her spiky heels straight into your heart? (Answer: YES)