Episodes
Marco Polo: Season 1 Videos
Marco Polo: Season 1 Photos
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Cast
as Marco Polo
as Kublai Khan
as Kokachin
as Hundred Eyes
as Prince Jingim
as Jia Sidao
Critic Reviews for Marco Polo: Season 1
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (15) | Rotten (30)
[Marco Polo] aims to be a grand historical epic, but is too caught up in borrowing from other works to find its own voice.
A big budget, high hopes, and good intentions it seems wasn't enough to buoy a boring protagonist and flaccid story.
The series is a sloppy, clattering mess, intended to draw international attention, not plaudits. The yawning intricacies of international taxation and trade are the perfect subject matter for a spectacle this cynical.
The 10-episode historical drama will appeal to viewers who miss miniseries of the past like Shogun and whose screens are big and bright enough to appreciate its rich scenery and costumes.
Viewers who are hoping for the story to develop will start to feel like kids in a swimming pool playing the namesake game who keep shouting "Marco!" without hearing anyone shout "Polo!"
Once viewers overcome the sluggish pace thereÂ's something for everyone with Marco Polo.
Audience Reviews for Marco Polo: Season 1
Super Reviewer
A gorgeous looking show with absolutely no personality or charisma, Netflix's first attempt at a big budget GoT style blockbuster show is as bland as a show can get. Lacking neither the raw ferocity and boldness of GoT or even the engaging characters and plots of Rome, Marco Polo combines shoddy effects with laughable dialogue and monotonous delivery, making for one hell of a boring slog. Not since Alexander has an epic felt this long and empty.
Super Reviewer
The first season of Marco Polo had some promising characters, fantastic set designs, and some generally good performances. It was missing, however, a compelling central narrative. The season was populated by too many muddled story-lines and a rather strange fascination with all things aside from its title character, whose place on the series felt secondary. This is okay, as Lorenzo Richelmy is far from a compelling screen presence, if the series had a more concentrated narrative underpinning. The rest of the cast is more than adequate, however, and is accentuated well with good world building. Perhaps with better writing and a more confined direction, the second season can show greater promise. 3.5/5 Stars
Super Reviewer
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