A cyberpunk fan's wet dream, this show is Blade Runner meets Minority Report. It has all of the drippings of a 201X Netflix series, glorious visuals, enticing characters, gratuitous sex scenes and a plot that makes you want to stay up till 3AM with the "Next episode starting..5...4...3..2..1" getting you time after time.
Post Date: 2/24/18
So let's start with some up front unabashed admitted bias. THIS SHOW WAS MADE FOR ME. If this show was a cake, it would have all my favorite ingredients. Anyways, does that mean it'll be for everyone? Absolutely not, well okay but what about you? ...Maybe. Let's do a deep dive into what I believe makes this show fantastic.
Post Date: 2/24/18
So let's start with some up front unabashed admitted bias. THIS SHOW WAS MADE FOR ME. If this show was a cake, it would have all my favorite ingredients. Anyways, does that mean it'll be for everyone? Absolutely not, well okay but what about you? ...Maybe. Let's do a deep dive into what I believe makes this show fantastic.
SETTING: So when you're discussing a cyberpunk story the setting is a lot more than where the story takes place, it's when, it's the technology that is available, how does this all affect the possibilities presented in this world. I think Altered Carbon (AC moving forward) absolutely nails this they don't get super specific but what we know is that humans have spread across the galaxy and with the technology available to them they are able to extend life spans indefinitely due to the fact that they have successfully digitized the human consciousness which in turns allow them to swap in and out of bodies or as they call them "Sleeves". It creates a fascinating dynamic where you have the elites of the galaxy essentially become immortal, and what can you not accomplish with enough time?
PLOT: I am not going to dig too much into this because I honestly don't trust myself enough to tip toe around why I think it's great without possibly ruining the experience for a fellow viewer. What I can say is that James Purefoy's Laurens Bancroft is killed in the beginning and when he is brought back he hires Joel Kinnaman's Takeshi Kovacs to find out who killed him and why. There are very unique dilemmas that can arise when you're able to put new minds into other people's bodies. A universe that has technology that allows for Hotel's that can have AI's that are incredibly human-like (SO good!) and that having forever to live, inevitably leads to moral corruption in one way or another.
ACTION: I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the action choreography throughout the season. It has everything from the now established and polished gun play John Wick brought into the main stream to more traditional hand to hand combat that's really well done in something like Daredevil. It's not a action guns blazing type show, far from it which actually makes the scenes stand out more.
CHARACTERS: So let's start with the elephant in the room. Joel Kinnaman has some baggage, he's mostly known for his two most recent films which were both super divisive he starred in the RoboCop reboot that absolutely no one asked for, Strike one, then followed it up as Rick Flagg in the Suicide Squad movie which was a critically poor bomb. Strike two. I'm thinking maybe he should quit acting and play some baseball because I think he knocked it outta the park with this performance as AC's main protagonist Takeshi Kovacs and I think a lot of that is due to the nature of the role (won't spoil) you'll need to watch and let me know what you think. Opposite him as the series antagonist is James Purefoy's Laurens Bancroft who is very comfortable playing this type of character (The Following anyone?) who is a out of touch, self important oligarch surrounded by sycophants. The dynamic between them isn't in direct conflict as much as it's one sided but it leads to some great acting from both of them. There are notable supporting characters in the series as well but I think maybe it's better you experience them organically.
-- Beautifully shot and choreographed
-- Interesting characters with a fulfilling story
-- Cerebral premise that kept me thinking for days
-- Cyberpunk is back!
