Eternauta

A bit of context for American folks: You're used to seeing sci-fi productions set in your own towns. Your industry is huge-Hollywood, whether through independent or commercial films, has explored every movie genre there is. But for us Argentinians, sci-fi is a largely unexplored genre, and large-scale productions like this are extremely rare.

El Eternauta is an adaptation of a 1957 graphic novel. In this part of the world, you don't usually see major apocalyptic events happening on our soil-every alien in the universe tends to invade the first world first. But in El Eternauta, the catastrophe happens right here. That's why it's so compelling and special for us to see the streets of Buenos Aires covered in toxic snow (it has only snowed twice here in the last 100 years!) or our local buses overturned by giant beetles.

And please, don't watch it dubbed.

Much respect to dubbing actors, but every show or movie feels less authentic when dubbed. Subtitles don't hurt, seriously. We've been reading them for years and it really changes the experience.

That being said-WOW!

I didn't know we had this level of FX and makeup artists in my country! The costume design, the effects, the production design, the makeup, the script-it's all incredible. I couldn't be prouder. Amazing performances, amazing storytelling. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen for even a second. I was nervous, totally immersed in the story-and that's a rare feeling to have while sitting in your own living room.

The acting was excellent, with just a couple of exceptions. For example, Carla Peterson-I've seen her in many TV comedies, but she doesn't quite work for drama, in my opinion. Her delivery didn't feel natural. But the rest of the cast? Outstanding! I loved seeing both familiar faces and completely new ones.

I also read that El Eternauta was filmed using StageCraft (the same production technology used by Lucasfilm for The Mandalorian). There are only three studios in the world with that technology-and one of them is just a few blocks away.. That makes me even prouder.

In short: an amazing and incredible show. I can't wait for the next season!

Dear reader, I know you may be confused reading the reviews for El Eternauta. Hopefully this is a good sign.

I myself, just can't get over the reviews of others complaining about "people being quiet" because they can't wrap their head around the concept of the rest of the world not being constantly living in a hyperstimulated world.

So yes, this is not a Hollywood script. People are not jacked, they do not have highly-confrontational relationships with their friends and neighbors, they are almost, let's say, "human".

And "El Eternauta", a original story from the late 50s, is very much a study in the nature of being human.

The protagonist is not a hero, he is a old man, whose primary interest is to keep his friends and family alive and well. He has a normal wife, he is not strong, charismatic, or has any other exceptional qualities aside from those that all common people share.

Faced with a terrible disaster, an apocalypse, he struggles to survive as best as he can, sometimes making errors in judgment.

If you are looking for a show that has that sense of mystery, but doesn't have the same usual tropes that modern scrips have, you totally should watch this. It's in spanish, but the subtitles are very good. The acting is up to par, the visual aspect is great when it comes to the sets, not so great with the CGI, but more than passable. Good direction and production.

And, for once, it's 6 episodes and it's done. You will not have to wait for years just for the show to get cancelled.

My vote: 7.5/10.

The first 3 episodes burn a bit slowly with lots of personal affairs and getting to know our band of heroes. But once the puzzle pieces fall into place around episode 4, things begin to unfold on a larger stage. The atmosphere is such that I expected jump scares most of the time, it's quite tense, and of course it is, nobody really know what's going on, and yet you get the feeling many times that something isn't quite right.

I can highly recommend anyone that enjoy "War of the Worlds"/"V" style shows and movies to give this one a go. It's not quite like anything I've seen before, and I really look forward to following seasons as of course season 1 ends with a bit of a cliffhanger.

Amazingly this was done with a 15 million dollar budget. Every dollar was excellently spent. I found all the effects quite good and it's not unnecessarily gory or bloody.

I'll be looking forward to the next season.

For me, as a Uruguayan, the Argentine influence is always a constant; it's not for nothing that we're so closely related.

As a science fiction fan, Héctor Germán Oesterheld's work, published in the 1950s, marks a turning point for the genre... it predates "Dune" and "Star Wars," considered the fathers of science fiction. But it's also a work ahead of its time; perhaps today, with so much material about dystopian futures, its impact isn't as noticeable.

But also, as an advocate for social justice, it's impossible to separate what happened to the author and his family with that tragic ending that still hurts a lot to this day.

When I found out that Netflix would be making an adaptation, I was quite scared; it's not easy to capture the magnificence of this work on screen. However, people like Bruno Stagnaro, whom we know from "Pizza, Beer, Weed" or "Okupas," or people of the caliber of Ricardo Darín or Cesar Troncoso, gave me great peace of mind.

Its premiere marks a milestone in the history of Latin American fiction; along with "One Hundred Years of Solitude," it is one of the most financially invested works, and luckily we see that reflected on screen.

The story, adapted from Oesterheld's classic but in a modern era, with current problems and all of Argentina's history behind it, such as the references to political issues or the Falklands War, sets an extremely powerful context.

However, it is the setting of that vast and desolate Buenos Aires and some of the acting that elevate this series to become, over time, a cult favorite.

I have heard and read many criticisms about the series, which, in my opinion, are unjustified. I wish series from other countries with bigger budgets could convey what Stagnaro conveys, whether it's watching the protagonists play Truco, listening to Mercedes Sosa, or the mantra repeated by Tano Favalli, "No one saves themselves alone." "El Eternauta" is pure history; it's past, present, and future, and above all, it's a message from Argentina and Latin America to the world that we have stories, grit, heart, and talent to direct and act, that there's nothing to envy the rest of the world, and that this series will only get better and better...

After a disappointing summer of enduring "The Thunderbolts*", "Alien Earth", James Gunn's "Superman" regurgitation, I was refreshingly and solidly entertained by "The Ethernaut" series on NetFlix.

Having no expectations, and no knowledge of the source material, I decided to give Season 1 a try. I am really glad I did, and I was pleasantly surprised by how entertained I actually was.

Without any giving spoilers, after some initial character development, which I almost bailed on, "The Ethernaut's" plot hook was set, with the visual image of the lone, gas-masked hero, wandering out into the lethal, desolate, urban landscape.

Maybe it was all those formative hours playing STALKER and DayZ, but the initial visual of an "anti-pretty boy", grizzled, Juan Salvo geared up, searching for his family in the mysterious apocalyptic aftermath and some similar subsequent gritty scenes, really held my interest all the way through the final 6th episode of season 1.

I am VERY thankful the owners of the source material insisted this production be filmed in Buenos Aires, in Spanish, specifically be "not made" to reach broader, modern audiences, and most of all-that Hollywood did not get their creatively bankrupt mitts on this property.

The pacing is slower, with plenty of dialogue, and character development. The production value is relatively strong for a series coming out of South America and not funded on an obscene Disney budget. While there is an English dubbed version, I watched the original dialogue with English subtitles on NetFlix. I look forward to Season 2's release. SOLID. Hardcore Action SCI FI fans might find this a too slow of a burn.