El Eternauta

I'm a UK viewer watching the original version with English subtitles. I think this has a good slow-burn human story about an event & invasion, and all the problem solving & personal drama that ensues.

If you are after another US-centric, Hollywood cheese-fest, like Independence Day or Starship Troopers then look elsewhere.

But for those who like their plots to revolve around the unfolding of the narrative and human drama in sci-fi movies- this is a very decent watch. The principal male character is excellent, and i think I've seen him before in other Argentinian films.

I think the bad reviews will largely come from the US and the sort of sci fans that like explosion based fun and marvel film style battles, rather than drama.

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.

Yes, it goes from mystery, potential world ending event, and how characters react to it, thus drama and survival, quite abruptly to full-on sci-fi revelations..

Source material is about all that, and even if it obviously flows better, still the tv show is good. Some acting is weaker than other, while dialogue and story overall are fine.

Recommendable.

I read the comic as a child and then reread it as an adult, and let me tell you, this Netflix adaptation is much better than I expected.

Darin doesn't disappoint, and the rest of the cast is up to par. The effects are excellent, and the setting and filmmaking are also very well done.

While some key points differ from the original story, it's understandable given the complexity of adapting it to our times, but I didn't notice any unforgivable flaws in the script.

Overall, I really liked it. At times, it seemed a bit slow, but it's still enjoyable. A series that entertains without resorting to clichés.

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!