If you want better protagonist agency
Choose A Woman of Substance, Season 1. It scores 4.7 vs 2.1 for protagonist agency, with a 3.8 overall score.
Treasure Island Review
Content guidance
Fatal combat, bloody wounds, threats with guns and knives, and an upsetting image of a murdered cat make this more suitable for teens. Mature romantic encounters, drinking and themes of enslavement add to the darker tone.
Official rating
TV-14
Bottom Line
Oyelowo’s magnetic Long John Silver and richly textured period settings are the strongest reasons to watch. Repetitive power struggles and an often sidelined Jim make the adventure much less reliable than the performances.
Adults who enjoy gritty pirate settings and watch for strong performances, particularly Oyelowo’s unpredictable Silver. Character-driven scheming is another attraction when the central relationships click.
Families seeking a sunny pirate adventure and readers who want Jim’s original coming-of-age journey kept at the center. The repeated power struggles can also test patient viewers.
Verdict
Treasure Island is easiest to recommend for David Oyelowo’s commanding Long John Silver and its handsome, weathered maritime world. Hayley Atwell also brings energy and wit, and the shifting alliances sometimes produce genuinely compelling drama. The larger reinvention is much less secure. Several critics find that expanding Bess’s role pushes Jim into the background, weakens his growth and drains intrigue from his relationship with Silver. Pacing is another persistent problem, although reviewers disagree about whether the early voyage or the island stretch suffers most. A few enthusiastic assessments celebrate the changes as fresh and exciting, and one finds satisfying closure. Adults drawn to the cast and gritty pirate atmosphere may enjoy it; families and readers seeking the novel’s spirit have stronger reasons to hesitate.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
80 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.015 (19%)
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Positive 3.5-4.417 (21%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.423 (29%)
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Negative 1.5-2.422 (28%)
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Very negative below 1.53 (4%)
Pros highlights
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The cast is frequently credited with keeping weak material afloat, especially Oyelowo and Atwell. Sweet divides opinion more sharply, while one critic also finds Silver’s restrained performance underpowered.
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Most assessments praise a polished, expensive-looking production that does a great deal with its resources. A strong dissent finds it drab and cheapened by poor effects.
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Silver is usually the strongest character: charming, dangerous and difficult to predict. One dissent finds that a restrained approach robs him of his iconic energy.
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The scheming central ensemble and some pairings are major pleasures, especially Silver with Jim and Bess with Bones. Other assessments find that the revised Jim–Silver dynamic lacks mutual regard.
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Richly rendered ship interiors and gorgeous sets give the adventure a strong physical foundation. Close quarters are often used effectively to suggest a larger world.
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The series is generally handsome, polished and atmospheric, even when less lavish than its pirate-adventure comparisons. The visual appeal is more consistent than the storytelling.
Cons highlights
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Expanding Bess and reshaping familiar relationships produces both enthusiastic praise and sharp rejection. The frequent complaint is that the changes displace Jim without developing a stronger replacement story.
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The strongest admirers find a lively, addictive adventure, while most describe something uneven, dull or merely watchable. Charismatic performers and handsome settings are the most reliable compensation.
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Pacing is a frequent weakness, whether the story stalls early or loses momentum on the island. A minority instead finds a brisk, energetic adventure.
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Many critics find that Jim’s reduced role and altered relationships lose the original’s essence. Others see a faithful core beneath the changes or welcome a return toward the source later on.
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Jim’s growth and Bess’s motives often feel underdeveloped, particularly when the adults dominate the story. Admirers find that the expanded family dynamics and Silver’s backstory add welcome nuance.
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Jim’s relationships with Bess and competing father figures can add nuance and absorbing conflict. Other assessments find those bonds thin, unconvincing or weakened by revealing Silver’s motives too early.
Use Cases
Best for
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The series appeals to a taste for traditional historical television, with detailed ambience and an old-fashioned adventure feel. Its bloodier material adds an edge to that familiar format.
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The shifting alliances and interpersonal contests can be absorbing. Their appeal is limited when the characters feel emotionally empty or thinly motivated.
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Oyelowo’s commanding Silver is the clearest reason to watch for the performances. Atwell also brings fire to a role several critics find thinly written.
Not ideal for
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Family viewingThe dark, gritty treatment is a poor fit for a family pirate-adventure night, especially with younger children.
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Newcomer viewingLittle familiarity with the novel does not solve the adaptation’s identity problem. Its compromise between reinvention and recognizable material can still feel indecisive.
Cast & Creators
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Long John SilverOyelowo is widely praised as a magnetic, commanding Silver whose charm and menace keep the show alive. One notable dissent finds his restrained gravitas less suited to a swashbuckling adventure.
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Bess HawkinsAtwell brings fire, charisma and sly humor to Bess, often elevating a thin role. One assessment finds her larger-than-life approach too exuberant for the surrounding story.
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Billy BonesCapone’s charming, louche portrayal elevates Billy Bones and works especially well opposite Atwell.
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Aaron GrahamHuston makes Graham’s allegiances engagingly uncertain and brings a cool demeanor to his mentor-like relationship with Jim.
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DirectorThe jointly praised direction keeps shipboard scenes lively through visual style, atmosphere and confident use of performers.
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DirectorThe directing team earns praise for making confined settings visually engaging and giving theatrical performances room to work.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other TV Shows, this product is above average in accent authenticity, realism, ending satisfaction, near average in acting performance, pilot episode quality, below average in special effects quality, critic appeal, audience appeal.
Comparison summary
75 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher10 (13%)
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Same as average within 0.3 pts22 (29%)
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Below average 0.4+ pts lower43 (57%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| special effects quality | 1.3 | 4.1 | -2.8 |
| critic appeal | 1.5 | 4.1 | -2.6 |
| audience appeal | 1.5 | 4.0 | -2.5 |
| animal welfare portrayal | 1.5 | 3.6 | -2.1 |
| Political context depth | 1.8 | 3.8 | -2.0 |
| score quality | 2.0 | 4.1 | -2.1 |
| CGI quality | 1.3 | 3.2 | -1.9 |
| action sequence quality | 2.5 | 4.1 | -1.6 |
Consider This Instead
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Choose A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review. It scores 5.0 vs 1.5 for critic appeal, with a 4.3 overall score.
If you want better audience appeal
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Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Black Sails (2014)
- Better: Boldness and payoff The reviewer finds it less bold than Black Sails.
- Similar: Gritty appearance Its gritty appearance resembles Black Sails.
- Better: Confidence of gritty tone Its grittiness is less assured than Black Sails.
Pirates of the Caribbean
- Similar: Adventure tone Its energetic action resembles Pirates of the Caribbean more than serious historical drama.
- Similar: Dynamic direction The energetic direction uses recognizable Pirates of the Caribbean tricks.
- Better: Visual lavishness The series has less lavish visuals than Pirates of the Caribbean.
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
- Alternative: Family-adventure tone This dark adaptation lacks the sunny family-adventure spirit of Muppet Treasure Island.
- Better: Balancing invention and source fidelity The series fails to balance innovation and fidelity as successfully as Muppet Treasure Island.
FAQ
Is Treasure Island faithful to the novel?
It keeps the treasure hunt and familiar characters but substantially expands Bess, gives Jim a photographic memory and changes key relationships. Critics disagree sharply about whether those choices refresh or weaken the story.
What is the strongest reason to watch?
David Oyelowo’s charismatic, menacing Long John Silver is the most consistently praised element. The detailed ships, costumes and atmospheric settings are also frequent strengths.
Is it suitable for children?
It is a dark take with fatal combat, bloody wounds, a murdered-cat image and mature romantic material. A recommended minimum age of 14 is more appropriate than treating it as a light family adventure.
Does the pacing improve?
Opinions differ: some find that it improves when Jim becomes more central, while others think momentum collapses after the crew reaches the island. Repetition is a common complaint.
Does it have a satisfying ending?
One assessment praises the ending and the closure of the treasure quest, despite frustrating late episodes. Other critics object to abandoned threads and damaging twists.
How does it compare with Black Sails?
It shares a gritty pirate appearance, but the comparisons generally find it less bold, assured or successful at integrating history and politics.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
Article Reviews
micropsiacine.com
Young Jim Hawkins and his widowed mother sail to the Caribbean for Captain Flint’s treasure, alongside a pirate posing as the ship’s cook.
- Review score
- 2.6
winteriscoming.net
Part 1 of the seminal pirate novel's surprise revival is upon us (with Ridley Scott’s adaptation starring Hugh Jackman slated for next year)...
- Review score
- 3.1
screenrant.com
The latest action adaptation of a 143-year-old classic is off to a surprising start on Rotten Tomatoes, despite a familiar cast and premise.
- Review score
- 2.8
cbr.com
The new adaptation debuted to abysmal reviews.
- Review score
- 2.1
theguardian.com
Did Robert Louis Stevenson’s timeless swashbuckling tale need the addition of a superpower? Is it better for reducing its young hero to an...
- Review score
- 1.5
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