According to critics, The Queen's Gambit is one of the best series of 2020. Renowned filmmaker Scott Frank wrote and directed the Netflix adaption of Walter Tevis' eponymous 1983 novel, which centers on a female chess prodigy who struggles with fame and dependency issues. The overall production design and cinematic style is a key element to the series' success, while the lead performance by Anya Taylor-Joy will undoubtedly be recognized during awards season. Based on the collective reviews for The Queen's Gambit thus far, the series could indeed be described as "perfect."

The Queen's Gambit follows an orphan named Beth Harmon (Isla Johnston, Taylor-Joy) who spends her younger years at the Methuen Home for Girls in Kentucky. At eight years old, Beth secretly learns how to play chess from a custodian named Mr. Shaibel (Bill Camp), and then saves up "vitamins" (tranquilizers) so that she can better strategize while hallucinating. The Queen's Gambit series premiere features a shocking visual of young Beth overdosing after stealing a large amount of her favorite green pills, and the subsequent episodes follow her as a teenager after being adopted by Alma Wheatley (Marielle Heller) and Allston Wheatley (Patrick Kennedy). The Netflix limited series co-stars Harry Melling, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Marcin Dorociński, and newcomer Moses Ingram.

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As of now, The Queen's Gambit has a 100% Tomatometer score at Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score being slightly lower at 97%. The collective reviews cite the cinematic feel of the series as a major plus, and how Frank doesn't follow typical storytelling tropes, which makes the overall rhythm and tone feel original. For example, the first episode of The Queen's Gambit shows Beth venturing off into the basement of the Methuen Home for Girls, where she meets a custodian who may or may not be a predator. As it turns out, though, Beth's life is positively affected by the man, as he becomes her chess mentor and provides an appropriate amount of support. By positioning Beth as a true prodigy, Frank establishes the thematic foundation for her motivations. She fully understands her talent, and so any temporary setbacks are seemingly part of the process en route to becoming the world's best player. Critics have also applauded Taylor-Joy's astounding central performance in The Queen's Gambit, one that will theoretically transform her from a well-known actress into a household name amongst Netflix streamers. Here are some glowing takes on Frank's chess-themed series.

The Queen's Gambit

RogerEbert.com:

"Anchored by a magnetic lead performance and bolstered by world-class acting, marvelous visual language, a teleplay that's never less than gripping, and an admirable willingness to embrace contradiction and ambiguity, it's one of the year's best series."

Globe and Mail:

"It has the heft and depth of a great novel, going deeper and deeper into the main character and probing her soul with an outsider's keen, curious eyes."

The Ringer:

"The budding star at the center of Scott Frank's new Netflix series has a rare magnetism, the kind that can sell even the most esoteric of subjects."

Pajiba:

"The Queen's Gambit is addictive, entertaining, and ultimately hugely satisfying. There aren't a lot of layers to The Queen's Gambit, and as addiction dramas go, it's barely surface deep."

The Boston Globe:

"It is a transporting tale of an extraordinary life and a window onto a world of addiction and empowerment, pawns and queens."

The Queen's Gambit

The Queen's Gambit has received dozens of official reviews, but not one has been categorized at Rotten Tomatoes as "Rotten." The overall consensus suggests that Frank's direction and storytelling skills make the series feel BIG, which affords the performers even more room to flex their talent, so to speak. The entire production feels incredibly polished; it's accessible but also unique in how story beats imply certain information but then take the audience elsewhere. In other words, The Queen's Gambit trusts its audiences to connect the dots, and to pick up on the underlying sociopolitical commentaries. Here are some more positive reviews for The Queen's Gambit:

Paste Magazine:

"With excellent pacing and a sure sense of itself out of the gate, The Queen's Gambit is a work of art-riveting, radiant, and simply spellbinding. Like Beth, it triumphs through its devotion to a love of the game."

Decider:

"Opens up a world that feels inscrutable at times, told through the eyes of a prodigy who embraces her genius, but is as human as the rest of us."

Mashable:

"The Queen's Gambit has almost everything one could ask for in a dramatic miniseries. It's intimate yet cinematic, delicate and fierce, and brisk but reflective.'

The Jewish Chronicle:

"Creators Scott Frank and Allan Scott have managed the impossible here. They have succeeded in turning a story about one of the most docile and unglamorous sports into something truly magical and outstanding."

Vox:

"The Queen's Gambit has flaws. It's maybe a little too long... But The Queen's Gambit also has a healthy dose of Happy-Go-Lucky-ness at its core, in a way that almost makes it a mirror image of that film."

The Queen's Gambit may be an acquired taste for those who aren't immediately intrigued by the chess premise, or for those who want everything to be explained immediately and clearly. Frank's Netflix series establishes the basic themes right away with big character moments, and then progressively builds suspense by reminding audiences about Beth's unique perspective as an orphan and world-class player. If The Queen's Gambit isn't the best series of 2020, it's definitely the most fascinating series ever made about a fictional chess prodigy.

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