Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere DVD: Review By stevegibbs

Richard Mayhew leads a pretty normal life. He has a decent, regular office job; an ambitious and rather bossy fiancee and his own bachelor apartment in London. Normal, that is, until he runs across an unusual young woman named Door. Richard finds her injured on the street. Instead of walking by, pretending not to notice, he stops to help.

This one act completely changes his life, plunging Mayhew into an adventure he could never have imagined. Door opens his eyes to a whole new world that exists right under his feet; the world of London Below. Richard no longer seems to exist in the real world. Instead, he is introduced to a ruthless, almost medieval society that thrives in the ancient city's basements, tunnels and sewers. And in order to regain his old life, Richard must first help Door avenge the murder of her family.

On their travels through London Below, they run across a wild and motley collection of characters: a shifty, self-confident Marquis who is owed a great many favors; an African bodyguard named Hunter, famed for killing the Great White Alligator in the sewers of New York; an Earl who holds court in a London Underground subway train; not to mention a particularly nasty and effective pair of assassins who love their jobs.

Original BBC interview with creator Neil Gaiman

This 20-minute interview was taped with Neverwhere creator Neil Gaiman back when the series was first aired in England in 1996. Gaiman is one of those rare characters who's not only a gifted and imaginative writer, but also an interesting speaker. His conversation ranges from the series' inspiration and beginnings to casting and the filming. Throughout, you sense Gaiman's excitement at seeing his ideas becoming physical reality on the set.

Commentary by Neil Gaiman

Occasionally amusing and instructive, but this recently recorded commentary is a bit of a mixed bag. I got the definite impression that Gaiman wasn't really prepared to comment off the top of his head on a show he admits he hadn't watched in about 7 years. At times he says nothing, as he absorbs his favorite scenes or pieces of dialogue. However, when he does speak, much of the commentary focuses on the various filming locations, sp*ced with a little 'on the set' gossip. Personally, I enjoyed the interview more.

Character profiles

Brief backgrounds on all the major characters. better to go through this after watching the show.

Photo gallery

A handful of character photos lifted from the series. Nothing earth-shattering here.

Neil Gaiman biography

If you're not familiar with the twisted mind that dreamed up this tale, the bio will give you a quick intro. Although, for a more revealing look inside Neil Gaiman's head, I would recommend visiting his web site at www.neilgaiman.com.

Being a TV mini-series, Neverwhere is presented in full screen format. And being a BBC production (with a BBC-sized budget, meaning small) it has a strangely cramped and flat look, despite the fact that it was filmed almost entirely on location around London. The coolest looking sequence is during Richard's ordeal; a great combination of odd-angle shots and unnerving editing.

The 2.0 broadcast quality stereo soundtrack is adequate to the job, but nothing spectacular.

I love both the concept and characters of Neverwhere. They swing wildly between danger and humor, continually taking you in new and unexpected directions. I would expect nothing less from the guy who created the 'Sandman' comics and wrote the best-selling 'American Gods'.

On the downside, you do have to endure the low budget feeling of the show. If you've ever seen an episode of Dr. Who then you'll know what I'm talking about: even the most imaginative ideas lose some of their luster when executed on such cheesy-looking sets.

However, despite its faults, Neverwhere is still worth the investment. Gaiman hurls in a barrage of puns based on the London Underground; subtle literary references to classic (and not so classic) mythology; even borrowing from Monty Python. And the assassins, Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar are a deliciously demented pair. They may be vicious and utterly ruthless killers, but they do have an undeniable charm. I found myself almost cheering every time they turned up.

I hear rumors that Gaiman is negotiating to unleash his creation onto the big screen next. Let's just hope that in doing so they don't kill it by relocating to the New York subway!