Out of the Past

There's no doubt that Altered Carbon is one of the most expensive TV shows ever made, with visuals that could easily have come out of big-budget Hollywood productions. The cyberpunk cities have a gritty, dirty beauty to them. The cityscape is overflowing with bright lights and neon signs. The fight scenes are well shot too and fun to watch with jazz music playing in the background.

But other than that, this pilot episode is a mighty disappointment. Far from drawing me in, I found most of it didn't have much of an impact on me at all. There's a lot of issues that are touched on- an exploited underclass, the neo-Catholic protests that life is sacred and shouldn't be played around with, what it feels like to be put into a different skin to that which you were born in and what it's like to be reborn multiple times. But these issues are only touched on in between the murder mystery, strip club scenes and Tak's drug-fuelled wander. This is a show that cares more about generic sci-fi pulp than exploring the interesting issues at its heart. I know this is only the first episode but first impressions are important.

It doesn't help that none of the characters are interesting. Joel Kinnaman is stony as Takeshi, not letting us empathise with a protagonist who doesn't seem to care about anything. And if he doesn't care, why should we? Most of the rest of the cast are equally bland. It's not just the acting that's to blame though, as the writing doesn't give any of the characters a chance to shine.

Having gotten all up-to-date on "Yellowstone" (do see it) and not finding any new thing I want to see (too picky sometimes) I've been thinking about watching this outstanding series again. Now on Ep. 2. Last I saw, there won't be any 2nd season. Any of a number of things could be the reason for that, including just trying to top, or even EQUAL S1. Joel Kinneman plays a real anti-hero, not a nice man, unless it really counts. And the FUTURE in this story... DHF stands for "Digitized Human Freight", which enables a story unlike anything I've ever seen, though it kinda harkens one back (I'm old) to the original Blade Runner. GREAT effects, story, actors, production. I give it a "how the hell did they do it?" 10.

Altered Carbon launches out of the gate like a winning stallion. The world of Altered Carbon is rich and interesting. And, the introduction to all the terminology, tech, and culture is deftly handled. Kovacs, played by the always enjoyable Joel Kinnaman (The Killing, House Of Cards, Robocop) is a man out of time, lost in history, having been brought back from an indefinite prison sentence 250 years after being incarcerated. The twist is, he's been re-sleeved, meaning his "stack" (consciousness) now inhabits a new body with military enhancements. It's not an unfamiliar premise. But Altered Carbon is so well executed, it's just fun and intriguing to watch.

The show runners take full advantage of the highly developed backstory and culture available from Richard K. Morgan's detailed source material. This is an immersive story that doesn't take time to explain itself. The plot moves quickly forward through this futuristic, yet somehow familiar world where people commonly switch languages as they speak to one another. Cars fly, and police officers seem pretty much the same as they are now.

Visually, Out Of The Past is stunning, Art Direction, Cinematography, Direction, digital artwork, all is top echelon. Comparisons to Bladerunner are inevitable. But, the look is so good Altered Carbon stands on its own.

At the center of the story is the mystery of who and what Kovacs is. We know he is an Envoy and we know how he died. But, there is more to him, more to his past, and more to his abilities than we understand. He has a destiny.

The only weak element is Ortega's unexplained hostility towards him. Why is she so pissed that he was brought back? But, this is not enough to drag the episode down. Altered Carbon is dressed to impress!

After binge watching the whole season in one afternoon evening I can honestly say this is a must see for any sci-fi lover out there, the visuals are breathtaking and the concept behind the story line about being immortal and switching bodies is something any sci-fi lover will fall in love with the storyline is quite complex yet engaging. I am really enjoying it so far and some of the action scenes are amazing in it literally like mind blown and is definitely a blockbuster TV series

Got hooked after the pilot, and binge-watched all episodes! The plot is awesome. Graphics awesome. Music awesome.

Disclaimer: I might be a bit biased since I love this kind of sci-fi movies and series.