Fallen TV Series Soars Where 2016 Movie Crashed and Burned

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When beloved fantasy novels get the green light to be adapted into a new movie or TV series, there is no doubt that an entire fandom will jump for joy. The excitement is even greater when the first installment or episode manages to capture the magical essence of the source material, and allows fans to immerse themselves in a fantasy world through not only words and their own imagination, but also stunning visuals and talented actors.

Lauren Kate’s widely loved novel series, Fallen, which consists of six books and was first published in 2009, was picked up to be adapted as a movie of the same name, but, well, it quickly backfired. The 2016 disaster doesn’t take away from the fact that the source material was basically a heavenly escape for dark YA lovers. This second attempt, in the form of a TV series called Fallen, which is available to stream on AMC+, stirs up some doubts, so let’s get into it.

What Is ‘Fallen’ About?

At the center of the story is Lucinda Prince, a teenage girl who finds herself in the middle of a devastating tragedy. On a fateful night, a young man died in a fire, and Luce was made responsible, even though the real cause was daunting shadows that had been haunting Luce as long as she could remember. Deemed mentally unstable because of these visions, she is sent to Sword & Cross, a cult-like reform school.

Once she arrived there, things turned even more eerie. She senses a strong connection with one of her classmates, Daniel Grigori, and eventually finds out that she has been living hundreds of lives before, always crossing paths and falling in love with Daniel over and over again. Luce learns that Daniel, as well as her friends, are fallen angels, some of them good and some of them bad. The two lovers were cursed by Lucifer because, instead of choosing a side, they chose love.

In the novel “Fallen”, Daniel and Luce’s love is far from simple. As their lips meet, she begins to perish instantly. Adding to their troubles, Cam enters the picture and disrupts a centuries-old romance, leaving readers guessing who Luce ultimately chooses. The factions of fallen angels collide in a grim conflict, putting everyone’s lives on the line. Attempting to lift the curse may very well bring about an end to all things.

The Biggest YA Movie Adaptation Fail

During Lauren Kate’s novel series’ prime time, Walt Disney purchased the rights to produce a movie but dropped the project not long after. After that, the rights to the Fallen novel series were bought by Lotus Entertainment. The expectations for the film were high since Lauren Kate’s novel series had gathered an impressive fandom. However, Fallen turned out to be a terrible YA adaptation with only a 7% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the disappointment was palpable.

Unfortunately, the movie fell flat as the plot is drowned in chaos and confusion, barely even touching on the depth of the romance between the two main characters. A lack of chemistry, attention to detail, and a rushed cliffhanger ending caused the spark to fizzle out. The 2016 movie failed to become a franchise, as the rest of the books were never adapted for the screen. An entire fantasy world, an incredibly promising storyline, which offered a great foundation for movie adaptations, was ruined, and Lauren Kate’s story seemed to fall into oblivion. Until it suddenly returned in 2024.

‘Fallen’ Gets a Second Chance

Despite the massive fantasy movie fail, Lauren Kate’s novels were picked up by Eccho Rights, and the story got a second chance in the form of a TV series. Both the 2016 YA movie and the new dark fantasy TV series are based on the original material. The latter, however, took a more paranormal route and slightly changed some of the details. Seeing how much the movie lacked, changing it up just a bit is arguably a smart move.

Instead of adding tension through the idea that a kiss between Luce and Daniel would mean her death, the series focuses on allowing fans to see how their relationship unfolded throughout the years. The closeness and intimacy they shared in throwbacks add valuable depth to their characters and their love story. To keep a dramatic aspect and the curse between the two alive, though, the show focuses on the fact that Daniel is always the reason why Luce dies eventually.

Additionally, the Fallen series adds increasingly more dark tension as it introduces mutants who are trying to capture Luce and bring her back to their dimension. To fans of Lauren Kate’s novel series, this might seem over the top or even unnecessary, but it certainly elevates the story to a more mature setting with higher stakes. Religion and angels are still the foundation of the show, but it is only touched upon sporadically and could be explored more in a possible second season of Fallen. Even though trust in delivering a captivating on-screen project following Daniel and Luce was broken back in 2016, the 2024 Fallen TV series managed to restore some of it and even leave fans of the source material longing to see more. Fallen is available to stream on AMC+.

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2025-03-16 19:37