Oasis Review: Teen drama with a touch of thrill has been on the rise lately, with a ton of content being made on unsuspecting rich kids who find themselves at the mercy of something beyond their control. Netflix’s Oasis focuses on something similar, with too many characters vying for the top spot in this teen drama about unrelatable rich kids.
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Who is in the Cast of Oasis Netflix?
Ana Garcés, Tomy Aguilera, Victoria Kantch, Manel Duarte, Berta Castañé, Ada Molina, Candela Méndez, Álex Mola, Laura Simón, Jan Buxaderas
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Who are the Creators of Oasis Series?
Ramón Campos, Jon de la Cuesta, David Orea
The series has 8 episodes, each 45 minutes long.
Oasis Review
A Paradise Built on Secrets
Netflix’s Oasis follows a group of youngsters in a high-end vacation property where a young woman suddenly disappears. The premise is obvious but engaging at first glance, highlighting teenage shenanigans coupled with things that go bump in the night. The series sometimes forgets that it needs to step away from focusing on youngsters lounging beside the pool to actually introduce the mystery elements, leaving viewers confused about what it wants to be.
It doesn’t help that nothing practically happens in the first couple of episodes, and so you have to wait endlessly for the shoe to finally drop. When the police finally lock down the property and start to find the missing person, everyone suddenly becomes a suspect. The series peaks at this moment, as it goes down familiar tropes of missing people in a rich community and whatnot. Much like other locked-room thrillers, it is able to create the mystery, but isn’t able to sustain it.
The Mystery Hooks You Before Repeating Familiar Tricks
After the initial confusion of where the series is going, Oasis is the most engaging when it creates the mystery surrounding the disappearances. The buildup gains good momentum and leaves viewers anticipating who could be behind the disappearance. As is the norm in these shows, every character seems to be hiding something, and so it goes beyond a doubt that everyone is a suspect.
It’s after this that the series loses steam. After the mystery is established, the series takes a nosedive and becomes a mush of familiar genre mechanics. With red herrings galore, the series becomes a bit too predictable for its own good. The revelations become far too obvious and conveniently timed to be taken seriously. Plus, it doesn’t help that the series is far too long to be a tense thriller. Oasis seems too invested in extending its mystery rather than deepening it, leaving viewers to wade through unnecessary sequences that don’t add anything to the runtime.
After a while, viewers will find themselves going round and round instead of watching the stakes escalate.
Style Over Substance
There’s no doubt that Oasis is extremely good-looking, and the production quality is top-notch. Everything looks beautiful and attractive as the mystery is built around private beaches and a luxurious property. Moreover, there’s a lot of space to explore as the investigators try to figure out where Celia could’ve gone, and it creates a dark contrast with the beauty of the place. The cinematography reminds viewers that this is a paradise for the rich, and every scene looks the part as well. Of course, it doesn’t make up for the lack of a proper story.
A Young Ensemble That Does What It Can
The characters in the series are archetypes rather than being fully formed people worthy of emotional investment. As a result of this, revelations rarely result in any emotional impact, and it’s forgotten before it even starts. The cast does what it can to make it appealing, but there’s only so much. Moreover, the sheer number of characters that viewers have to keep a tab on will definitely leave anyone annoyed, and it takes away from the suspense and the thrill. When it’s hard to remember who the antagonist is, things just don’t feel as intense as it should.
Suspense That Never Fully Peaks
For a mystery thriller, Oasis is surprisingly meek and doesn’t have much happening for most of the runtime. Sure, people are sneaky here and there and have secrets that they want to keep buried, but the tensions don’t rise as they should. This is also contributed to by the fact that the unnecessarily long runtime makes the show lose the impact that it could’ve had. A shorter and snappier storytelling would’ve worked better for the show, as, at 8 episodes, there’s nothing for the show to say. It’s an obvious thriller which takes things too easily, and although it’s fine to watch, it never really makes you sit on the edge of your seat.
Final Verdict
Oasis doesn’t have the gripping story that stays in your mind while you watch the mystery unfold. In fact, it’s a repetitive and obvious thriller that doesn’t have enough content to justify its 8 episodes. Overall, it’s fine if you need something to fill the time with, but then again, there are better shows out there that can entertain and engage better.
Oasis is now streaming on Netflix. Did you watch the show? Let us know in the comments below!
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