The Reel Review
If the idea of visiting abandoned highly-radioactive towns in Japan, participating in a voodoo rituals in West Africa, or experiencing life as an illegal immigrant trying to cross from Mexico to the U.S. appeals to you, then this is the Netflix TV series for you. New Zealand journalist David Farrier, star of the bizarre 2016 documentary Tickled, takes viewers on an eight episode tour of some of the world’s macabre hotspots, serving as a quirky, Kiwi knockoff of the late Anthony Bourdain from CNN’s Parts Unknown. Some of the dark tourist destinations are truly fascinating – seeing ill-advised tourists freak out as their radiation geiger counters go off the charts near Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Plant is both enthralling and smugly satisfying. Many destinations, however, feel more contrived and are a total snoozefest. Sadly, in each of the geographically lumped-together episodes, Farrier’s 15 minute per destination visit feels frustratingly brief and scant on detail. Still, for those morbidly curious about these destinations of death and destruction, its at least worth a quick look and a few fast-forwards to get to the good stuff.
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