SHADOW AND BONE: Ep. 1.1 and 1.2
Confusing pagan fantasy is not compelling.
Should You Watch It?
The first two episodes of Shadow and Bone offer impressive visuals and an adventurous premise. A young heroine discovers supernatural powers while trying to protect her childhood friend from flying monsters and villains who want to control her abilities.
But the series is difficult to follow. Convoluted names, invented jargon, a confusing setting, and heavily shadowed scenes make the story hard to understand. The result is a fantasy adventure that requires unusual concentration without providing much emotional engagement or enjoyment in return.
The content also makes this a poor choice for families. Strong violence, about 13 obscenities, a brothel setting, lewd references, and a pagan worldview require adults to exercise caution. For your family, the practical answer is simple: skip it.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAlina Starkov is a mapmaker living in East Ravka, an oppressed country divided from surrounding nations by the Fold, a dangerous region filled with vicious flying monsters called Volcra.
When Alina’s childhood friend, Mal Oretsev, is chosen for a mission across the Fold, she burns the maps so she will be forced to join him. Meanwhile, three rogues in the city of Ketterdam compete for a lucrative job involving the Fold and a valuable object.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means the series has some worthwhile craft, but its weaknesses overwhelm its strengths. The first two episodes are mounted with impressive visuals, and the actors try hard.
The dialogue, however, is overloaded with fantasy jargon and difficult-to-follow character names. The mixture of 1800s-style clothing, old-time pirate ships, and futuristic-looking effects creates a confusing world. The heavily shadowed proceedings add to the problem, while the characters remain difficult to find emotionally engaging.
The result is a series that is not much fun to watch.
The Worldview
Shadow and Bone presents a mixed pagan worldview. Its world contains atheists, agnostics, and believers, but their religion is invented for the story. Characters also discuss praying to “saints.” The series includes some moral and redemptive elements and metaphors, but they exist within this made-up religious framework.
The story exalts courage, friendship, and resistance to villains who want to use supernatural power for their own benefit. It also presents characters facing oppression and dangerous evil. However, the spiritual framework removes the biblical understanding of the one true God and replaces it with competing beliefs and fictional religious practices.
The series’ supernatural powers and invented religion depart from a biblical worldview. Scripture directs worship toward God alone: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Mixed pagan worldview with some moral, redemptive elements where there are atheists, agnostics and believers, but in a religion invented for the story, and characters also discuss praying to “saints” in some episodes
Foul Language
About 13 obscenities and no profanities in first two episodes
Violence
Strong violence includes vicious flying monsters called Volcra who swarm in fearsomely and drag humans off to be killed offscreen before dropping their bodies (the killings are not extremely graphic in themselves, but there are some blood spatters all over the ship upon which some humans were sailing in the first episode, one body is briefly seen dismembered, the humans fight back with guns and knives against the beasts, there is a bare-fisted brawl for money that features plenty of punches and a head butt, a crime boss shatters the kneecaps of a brothel owner with a blunt object before threatening him with a knife (viewers don’t witness the actual killing, a bloody mess is shown being mopped up afterwards), the mob boss also shoots a man in the head (this is more implied than shown), a man takes an arrow in the head, other characters who are stabbed or shot, some blood spattering is seen though the actual acts of murder are kept offscreen, and heroine threatens to slit a man’s throat, but she spares his life
Sex
No depicted sex, but there’s a brothel setting for some scenes, and it is discussed in non-graphic fashion that prostitution occurs there with both male and female sex workers, plus one male is shown in female clothing in Episode 2 (Warning: Allegedly, Episode 5 shows two men kissing and then cuts to them lying shirtless in bed together and commenting on how enjoyable their sexual encounter was)
Nudity
The men in the brawling for money scene fight shirtless, an artwork featuring nudity is discussed but not shown, and some cleavage is shown from women in the brothel
Alcohol Use
Drinking of alcohol is seen casually in a few bar scenes
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
The clearly defined bad characters lie,
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The series presents atheists, agnostics, and believers within an invented religion. Why does Scripture warn against replacing the true God with created or imagined powers?
Exodus 20:3–5 · Acts 17:29–31Characters face oppression and villains who want to control supernatural power. How should Christians respond when power is used to benefit the powerful rather than serve others?
Mark 10:42–45 · Philippians 2:3–4The Fold divides East Ravka from surrounding nations. What kinds of fear or division can keep people from seeking what is good and true?
Psalm 56:3–4 · Ephesians 2:13–18The story includes moral and redemptive elements, but not a biblical spiritual framework. How can a story contain good moral ideas while still presenting a confused view of God?
Isaiah 5:20 · 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22The Final Word
Shadow and Bone has impressive visuals, but its confusing storytelling, strong content, and invented pagan religion make it a poor choice for families and an unrewarding watch for adults. Our answer is SKIP IT. For better options, see.
