Treasure Island Review: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Treasure Island is a handsome, old-school adventure with a modern edge, powered by an outstanding David Oyelowo. A few writing choices around Bess are debatable, but the story is exciting, smart, and full of fun.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Platform: Paramount+, MGM+, JioHotstar (India)
Genre: Adventure Drama
Episodes: 6
Creator: Robert Murphy
Cast: David Oyelowo, Hayley Atwell, Tom Sweet
There was a time when a show like Treasure Island would be a Sunday night event, with the whole family gathered to watch a big classic together. These days, it arrives on streaming, but the new version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous pirate tale still has that comfortable, old-school feel. It is a handsome adventure with a sharp edge hidden inside.
At the center is David Oyelowo as Long John Silver, the wooden-legged seafarer you can never quite trust. Whatever version of this story you watch, Silver decides how good it is, and Oyelowo is truly outstanding. He plays the pirate as a force of nature, someone who frightens his enemies half to death before he even needs to reach for a pistol or swing his crutch.
He mixes rage with charm in a way that is hard to look away from, and he is clearly the reason this show works so well. The writing helps, too, turning Silver into a nearly impossible opponent who somehow comes out stronger even from the worst situations.
This Silver is also a modern pirate. He is Jamaican, which adds a fresh layer to a tale about English treasure hunters sailing to an island in that region to grab legendary riches.
The show also spots the class side of the story, especially in the mutiny on the ship, the Hispaniola, which Silver’s natural leadership helps inspire.
Young Jim Hawkins, played by Tom Sweet, is drawn to this dangerous man, but here the story becomes a three-way battle of minds. That is because Jim’s mother Bess, played by Hayley Atwell, has a much bigger part than in the book.
She is a smart survivor who became a sharp judge of character after losing her husband, and she knows how to use every resource she has. Best of all, she is on the ship. Her presence makes the story feel less male-centered and adds a look at how unfair the pirate world was to women.
Bess also changes Jim’s journey. His coming of age is no longer only about learning to survive in a man’s world. It is now also a push against his mother’s control.
And when Silver starts to feel like a father figure for Jim, the relationships twist again. Since Bess’s presence is a surprise, you can never be sure how her story will end.
Not everyone will love every choice. One critic found the way Bess is written a little too focused on her looks, which feels like a strange step in otherwise smart writing. Others see her agency as a strength, and Atwell’s fiery performance does a lot to keep the character strong and in control.
On the adventure side, the show looks great. Almost everything takes place on a small ship, so it could not have been cheap or easy, yet time and money have gone into making it look rough and real.
Rats nibble the biscuits, Spanish ships blow holes in the side, and strong sunlight cuts through the dark of the brig. It has a bit of a glossy sheen, but it never loses the dirty, tense feel of life at sea.
The first episode plays like a mix of a Western set in a besieged saloon and a period drama where marrying into money is the only way out of poverty. It is a slower start, but it sets up the people and stakes well before the real adventure begins.
The six episodes, shared between directors Paul Walker, William McGregor and Jeremy Lovering, move with energy and style. The mood is close to a classic BBC Sunday drama, only with more blood, rum and parrots, and a touch of Georgian-era spy fun.
If you enjoy tense stories this week, you might also like our review of Premada Oorali, which looks at a hit Kannada drama with troubling ideas, and for a spooky, funny animated option, our review of Haunted Hotel Season 2 is worth a look too.
Treasure Island is now streaming.