A Fairy Tale Like No Other - Once Upon a Time Review
Once Upon a Time is set when a young woman, by the name of Emma Swan, is pulled to the mysterious town of Storybrooke, Maine, in which fairy tales exist. It revolves around Emma Swan, a young woman who is pregnant and raising her son with the help of her adoptive parents, while Henry, her ten-year-old son, is convinced that she is the only person who can break the curse that has been placed on the town by Regina Mills, the main antagonist, who is also the mayor. While drilling the mystery, Emma meets such fairy tale personalities, who do not recognize themselves and do not know their fate, which is shown in the movie by flashbacks of an enchanted world on the verge of oblivion. The series combines the realistic settings of the modern world, adventure, mystery, and magical elements to depict characters with heroic features.
Thus, the series addresses various issues, such as the conflict of good and evil, familial ties, or personal identity set against the backdrop of fairy-tale like grandeur. It has an interesting way of switching from creepy to sort of magical, which does not let the audience’s attention wander. Every episode focuses on ethical dilemmas that blur the lines between good and evil, and between happy endings and realistic endings and the cast is perfect, albeit Lana Parrilla as Regina MillsEvil Queen who delivers a brilliant performance of an anti-heroine. The leading role belongs to Jennifer Morrison’s character Emma Swan who gradually turns from the doubting and somewhat cruel woman to the result-oriented one. Robert Carlyle is particularly convincing as the Rumplestiltskin with elements of charm and danger; Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas bring hope and love of Snow White and Prince Charming. All the characters themselves are very intriguing so the audience can have some emotions and unpredictability
The shows’ directors – Ralph Hemecker and Ron Underwood have managed to give as many 洛 interesting narratives and the enchanting mind of fairy tale world stays actively interesting. The direction is perfect for creating the harmony between the show’s fairy-tale and realistic components, thus pulling the viewers into its fairytale-like yet recognizable world.
The music of Once Upon a Time is created by Mark Isham and it is magnificent and thought-provoking, which suits the atmosphere of the series perfectly. Ensemble: The scores enrich the show not only as a chorus to the episodes’ plotlines, but as a modulator of audience’s mood, which shifts from concern to sheer joy, and speaks to the auditory impression of the show as a whole, in addition to the remarkable visual aesthetics of both Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest. The opposite settings are well rendered to cement the show’s theme of two worlds.
Another major strength of this series is its production where great effort and detail brought nicely the melancholically hidden magical town of Storybrooke. There is the opulent texture and craft of the soaring fairy tale conceit of the Enchanted Forest, where Squire Dampset’s opulence is magnificently restored.
The superb special effects are uniformly strong, enhancing the story but never taking it over. The use of magic and spells is natural and seems to serve to add glamour while at the same time keeping the actual core of the show – the showmanship.
There is nice transitory between the Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest arcs in the series. It is never boring and the switching between past and present is well-timed and kept with a good average speed throughout the episodes. Once Upon a Time’s narrative density is consistently maintained, while patients are made for character growth, constant suspense is maintained for the fairy tale world.
The dialogue is superbly crafted; references to fairy tales are fused with the humorous and snarky attitude of the twenty-first century. It is also important to point out that exposition is smoothly incorporated into the everyday dialogues, ensuring that character growth and drama are at the forefront of the script.
As enchanting as it is to go for a spin in the imaginative realm of Once Upon a Time, one must admit the sin is lush’ at several points too far-fetched for even fairy-tale realism. But these moments are countered by the development of the characters and the constant interest in what would happen next.
With all the trials and tribulations of Once Upon a Time, I found myself drawn to the show because of the combination of what it was like to live in a fairy tale world, especially the send up of the dramatic aspects of human life and experiences. The realistic development of characters and the beautiful graphics provoked my attention, realizing the potential that exist in this fantasy world. However, it cast thoughts of fate and the old question; can anything but happiness make a finale truly satisfactory?
