Altered Carbon (Netflix)

[gastovski]

Finished EP3. Lots of boobs, assess, penises.

[Halie Satanus]

It has its low moments, but after having seen chapter six I would say it gets better. if you do not mind discovering babymetal in the process, by the way.

I'm up to ep5. Not too many low moments, maybe the scene with the infected. I assume it's to reinforce Kovacs is beyond cynical. Even when Bancroft seems to be doing something for the lowest of the low Kovacs isn't buying it. That scene felt unnecessary, unless the infected play a part later on and that was just to introduce them.

Overall it's such a rich universe but not so tech advanced that it feels impossible. Closer to Blade Runner/Alien than Star Trek. Tech that doesn't work and AI being out dated while humanity seeks real experience are nice touches. I like Poe and I'd stay at the Raven for my hols if it were a real hotel. Vernon feels a bit of a clichéd side kick.

James Purefoy is hamming it up, anyone notice he's played a flawed egomaniac in pretty much everything he's done since Rome..

[mishkin]

The actress (total unknown so far?) is not bad either. Although I suppose that some more expert eye will put in doubt her capacities in the figt scenes.

[Halie Satanus]

The actress (total unknown so far?) is not bad either. Although I suppose that some more expert eye will put in doubt her capacities in the figt scenes.

It would odd if Ortega was ninja powered... Fight scenes have been pretty good all round, no one seems to be too OP (maybe Quellcrist), even Kovacs gets the stuffing knocked out of him fairly regularly.

[Knight of Heaven]

Meh it is watchable but i wouldn't call it good, although nowhere near the level of a blade runner and such.

The story is a bit over the place, which isn't a bad thing in it self, if not was for a lot of cliche things ( too many for my taste, ex: use of flashbacks, dream sequences very common themes.. its just uninspired overall, the action isn't as good as it is advertised, although visually it is an impressive show).

Purefoy isn't in this as much as i would like, But when he is, it is very good imo.

Really hoping it stays away from political allegory...

Hum you will be disappointed. Even though i would call it more of a social allegory then political, but i guess is both.... (Later on they do seem to dwell on the envoys uprising and what it was all about, as part of Takeshi past as well)

Still i found some interesting scenes and moments.

Cant say it isnt worth the watch, but me personally i didn't found it to be that good.

The actress (total unknown so far?) is not bad either. Although I suppose that some more expert eye will put in doubt her capacities in the figt scenes.

Finished EP3. Lots of boobs, assess, penises.

She has nice attributes indeed. and later she gets a

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

metal arm

James Purefoy is hamming it up, anyone notice he's played a flawed egomaniac in pretty much everything he's done since Rome..

As i understand it, that is the main point of the Bancroft character. And all Methusalas generally speaking.

[Halie Satanus]

Fell a bit flat towards the end for me. Almost gave up on ep8, just wasn't anyone worth caring about. Ironically it's main plot point of people not really dying was it's Achilles heel. The plot twists happen so fast I barely had time to absorb them before they were gone and on to the next sequence, and when they become relevant again it's all a bit meh..

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The baddies are so despicable I just wanted them to die, but when they did (or didn't) it felt a bit, good, what now. Even the explanation for why it all happened was a bit lost. I recall thinking when they mention Prop 653 in an earlier episode this sounds familiar (Minority Report/IRobot), but that wasn't give much weight early on so when it became a major plot device in the big reveal it barely registered.

Ortega's robot arm kind of ruined it too.

Looks amazing but the plot was overly complex without being clever.

[Marcus Aemilius Lepidus]

I really liked it but i hope if they make a second season that they don't use the same main actor again. He was not bad but not really good either. Especially in the fight scenes you saw that the actor of the original Takeshi Kovacs had actual hand to hand combat training while the american actor just looked brutish and big. I hope they led him play in in a possible season 2.

[SturmChurro]

I really liked it but i hope if they make a second season that they don't use the same main actor again. He was not bad but not really good either. Especially in the fight scenes you saw that the actor of the original Takeshi Kovacs had actual hand to hand combat training while the american actor just looked brutish and big. I hope they led him play in in a possible season 2.

Agreed. He is supposedly giving back that sleeve, so maybe he can somehow get his original back. I liked Kovacs in his original skin the best.

[Commissar Caligula_]

Just watched the first episode, it seems cool.

[mishkin]

They could have done it much better

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

What a fail Lizzie's epic entrance. What a coitus interruptus. And what a boring ending. Neither emotional nor exciting.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Just finished the series. Holy . Watch it, watch the hell out of it. Absolutely great series, one of the best of the year clearly if not of all time. It has twists and originality, and it's well worth the time investment.

[ggsimmonds]

Just finished it.

I liked it. I was entertained watching it but I hesitate to label it "good"

The plot was a bit difficult to keep up with. Felt like plot twists just for the sake of plot twists.

Also, my own personal opinion, but

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Ortega>>>Quell. If I'm Kovacs I'm not chasing a ghost instead of sticking it out with Ortega. Ryker is going to have to be content with getting his body back, because he ain't getting the girl.

Bit of a legal/philosophical question

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Bancroft was drugged with stallion which is what led to the girl's death. How much does that absolve him of the crime?

[Lord of Lost Socks]

If anyone wonders why it falls flat after/during episode 6, it's because that's where the writers start seriously deviating from the books.

Kovacs never knew Quell. Rei is made up.

[Knight of Heaven]

yeah the whole

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

evil sibling is very cliche and done to death to be honest. When i saw that was the plot, i felt it what a wasted opportunity, and how unoriginal it was...

[HannibalExMachina]

i like it enough to binge it, though i wouldnt call it first rate. i thought it worked well enough as a crime story, but the whole half-baked super rebel stuff is just a bit too cliche. its fine just to have good rebels vs bad space facists if you are star wars, but this one just wants to dip its toes in some rich oligarchy vs spiritual rebels (who are also kinda cray), and doesnt really do anything with it. maybe thats in a future season, but its not exactly up to expanse standards.

[Halie Satanus]

Yeh, I think I'd have preferred if they stuck with the detective angle more. And if everyone wasn't a closet ninja. Why is everyone so obsessed with kung-fu. I love a good snake in monkey's shadow but now and just having someone smash a pool cue over someone's head would be refreshing. In a universe where death is almost non-existent, why learn kung-fu, just carry a gun.

It also bugs me the young girl who was given an old woman's sleeve (ep1) wasn't resolved. They could have used that to give Kovacs some humanity (personality).

[HannibalExMachina]

absolutely. rewatching firefly atm, now theres you have some rotting good pool cue action. somehow, it even does social commentary better

[ggsimmonds]

i like it enough to binge it, though i wouldnt call it first rate. i thought it worked well enough as a crime story, but the whole half-baked super rebel stuff is just a bit too cliche. its fine just to have good rebels vs bad space facists if you are star wars, but this one just wants to dip its toes in some rich oligarchy vs spiritual rebels (who are also kinda cray), and doesnt really do anything with it. maybe thats in a future season, but its not exactly up to expanse standards.

Agreed. The moment Quell revealed the goal of the envoy's I lost any sympathy for the cause. I mean I was glad they didn't go all in on generic oppressive regime, rebels don't win points with me by saying "dis technology is bad mmkay"

[Pontifex Maximus]

Agreed. The moment Quell revealed the goal of the envoy's I lost any sympathy for the cause. I mean I was glad they didn't go all in on generic oppressive regime, rebels don't win points with me by saying "dis technology is bad mmkay"

I thought it added another layer of complexity, because it made the newly revealed antagonist look like the protagonist. Stopping the rebellion suddenly seems like an admirable thing to have done

[HannibalExMachina]

but only because the rebels are portrayed as brainwashed killers. yeah, points to them for not being brainwashed luddites, but how do you establish an oppressive class system. a bunch of religious fanatics who force permanent death on people, and somehow you manage to make the people opposing them look bad?

though, i am still not clear on their motives, do they oppose rich people living forever because they only they can afford it, or do they oppose "eternal live" in general?

pretty sure this wasnt in the show, but i read the quell character bio for the books, and, jeezus:

She believed that all war is the result of unused male drive and the over-accumulation of testosterone in men, yet her own actions and views led to a great deal of violent action.

the future everybody, alex jones got himself a female sleeve.