Meet Phileas Fogg, the owner of the Aruora a fantastic flying ship and employer to a mechanical genius and sometimes vocabulary confused valet named Passpartout. Fogg was Great Britian's best secret service agent. A bitter parting of ways with the organization has him wanting nothing more than the opportunity of gambling in Europe's finest casinos. Instead, he keeps on getting dragged into adventures due to the missions of his cousin Rebecca (England's first female secret service agent) and his friendship with (and mentorship of) the young idealistic writer Jules Verne.
Set in the middle of the 19th century `The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne' operates on the assumption that the events Mr. Verne wrote about in his 50 plus works were actually experienced by him. This is quite a fantastic notion if you think about it. It is also quite a daunting task for anyone who attempts to translate this type of Science Fiction tale on screen. Fortunately, the right people are involved and they give the viewer a unique and different take on the genre.
`Jules Verne' is part Western with a European slant, a historical drama with an undercurrent of Science Fiction, and an adventurous journey into the realm of imagination with some comedic elements as well. This is also a world devoid of computers and modern technology. Even though fantastic machines are present the characters still have to rely on themselves and each other to get out of the situations they find themselves in.
The characters are very well developed and three-dimensional. It is exciting to watch how well they interact with each other. At the core of the show is the meaning of friendship. These people truly care about each other. When one of their members gets into a tight corner the others come to their aid. They are also comfortable enough in each other's company to confide and enjoy a bit of humor at a member's expense.
As for the actors themselves, their display of friendship is genuine. You actually believe that they are friends. One also gets to see how the parts are well played and well thought out. There is such attention to detail from Phileas Fogg's immaculate appearing gentleman, to Passpartout's devoted servant, to Rebecca Fogg's espionage tactics to Jules Verne's sometimes-headstrong hopeful optimism. Each displays their own view on the tales that they participate in.
And what tales they are. There is some genuine storytelling going on here, which is rare in this particular era of television. The viewer finds himself or herself caught up in the episode wondering what is coming up next. Each story is different. Some of the episodes are a bit darker in tone, others a bit lighter and others use a combination of both.
There is also the pleasure of watching the characters interact with real life figures of the times. We get to see Queen Victoria (who is Rebecca Fogg's unofficial godmother), `Three Musketeers' author Alexandre Dumas (a personal friend of the real life Jules Verne) and burgeoning outlaw Jesse James during an adventure out West. This is great for those who like history and enjoy historical novels. It also creates a lot of what ifs and is a great opportunity to create an enthusiasm for history during the adventure that is taking place.
Along with the history aspect we are treated to other elements and some fine action. Phileas Fogg, when necessary, uses a sword and his fists (sometimes his head as well). Rebecca Fogg has a nice arsenal hidden about her petticoats and isn't above hand to hand combat either. Jules Verne doesn't participate in the action as much. He tries to use his intellect to solve the problems. Passpartout, on the other hand, provides some comic relief and gets to invent/create machines that help our heroes out in certain situations.
There is a lot to see and hear with each episode and many layers to unfold. A second viewing allows a person to see the show from another vantage. It is quite a treat to watch.
