An American crime mystery series receives an update from Netflix in Unsolved Mysteries. Netflix utilizes the same documentary format to profile real-life mysteries and featured re-enactments of unsolved crimes, missing person’s cases, conspiracy theories, and unexplained paranormal phenomena. One of the first things fans will notice is the omission of a host, but more on that later.
The series starts out strong with episode 1, “Mystery on the Rooftop,” and tells the story of Rey Rivera and what lead to his untimely demise at a Baltimore hotel. Episode 2 “13” minutes involves a missing salon owner while the remaining episodes touch on everything from haunted houses to UFOs.
The strongest episodes are “Mystery on the Rooftop “and “No Ride Home.” “Mystery on the Rooftop “and its story may ring a bell with DMV viewers, as the incident happened in Baltimore back in 2006. Of all the episodes, “Mystery on the Rooftop” is undoubtedly the one that will garner discussion as there are many plausible theories. I highly urge families to sit down and watch “No Ride Home “as it’s a very cautionary tale about trusting the wrong people. Also, the episode touches on quite a few things going on in this country.
The weaker episodes are the ones involving the paranormal and aliens. Episode 3 “House of Terror,” centers on a family that disappears. Quite possibly, it was the subtitles in the episode that threw me off, which is surprising as I’m a fan of foreign films. Episode 5 “Berkshires UFO” is just a poorly made episode and almost comes off as amateurish.
The biggest thing to hurt the series is the lack of a host. Robert Stack’s narration on the original show was always one of the key selling points and gave it a spooky ominous feel. Perhaps for Volume 2, the Network will bring in a host. Dennis Haysbert is my personal choice for a narrator.
Reboots of classic properties are as common as smartphones in the year 2020. When the original Unsolved Mysteries series started in 1988, there were episodes that I enjoyed immensely, not to mention segments that sparked me with great interest and gave me a chance to explore my thoughts and answer my questions. While the reboot isn’t that strong yet, there were enough episodes that I enjoyed for me to recommend the series. I know if you watch Unsolved Mysteries, some of the cases and stories featured will leave you as a viewer with questions to think about and discuss.
Final Grade B-
Unsolved Mysteries is available for streaming at www.netflix.com/unsolvedmysteries
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