The Expanse is a mix of realistic space faring and higher Scifi, based on a book series, that should not be missed by anyone who has an affinity for space storytelling. The series focuses on a mysterious and inexplicable circumstance that heightens tensions between Earth, Mars and the so-called Belters in the near future when the human race has colonized its own solar system. This is where the realism starts to meet with the mysterious.
The brilliance of The Expanse is that it all starts of fairly insignificantly with a missing person case and a smart but unconventional detective. In fact, it was so 'small' that this reviewer actually stopped watching for a while, thinking what the fuss was all about. But when I put it back on... We are painfully slowly taken from one tiny clue to the other, but by the time we reach season three, we are in an epic, bizarre and incredibly tense story that may determine the future of the entire human race, involving things that makes one wonder about the cosmos, all while the three main factions are nervously trying not enter all-out conflict.
There are many great things to say about this series. For one, the look and feel is second to none. This was shot on a lower budget, tiny compared to most scifi series out there, but that has led its developers to make designs that are worn, torn, visceral and kinetic. It is in one word fantastic. It feels better than most other scifi out there, because it feels real.
Another great thing about it is space travel itself. No quantum-warp-hyper-drives here; sometimes we even need to make a slingshot around a moon or two to get somewhere. It gives the series even more realistic feels. Better still, it allows the actors to really get into their roles, and have space control their actions. The main cast does a superb job with all its limitations, and should be praised highly for it.
But the best thing this story gives us are the Belters: a group of space faring humans who have occupied the Asteroid Belt and plenty of other far away solar system spots, and have become completely accustomed to the hardships of space life. They have their own look, feel and language and need to be experience to be believed. If anything, their culture is the number one reason to put this show on.
The acting and dialogue are good to sometimes great, but also flawed at times. For me, the Drummer character just blew me away, that's how good she is. There are in general a lot of other good characters, and the main cast does great, yet some lesser important characters can come across as little more than story devices and fillers, either by some lesser acting or lesser dialogue.
And the big Belter bad guy in the later seasons is - to no fault of the actor - the clear low point of the series. He's more of a cartoon villain. You can almost hear him cackle, while drumming his fingers together plotting 'evil thingies to do and hurtful thingies to say'.
You won't be bothered by it at all though, because the overall plot, the long, mesmerizing through-line of this series is just overwhelmingly superb. It is highly original too, with an overall concept that will keep you glued to the screen. It's a shame the entire story has not been put to film yet, since the series ends after six seasons but could have gone further, but chances are that something will be added in the future, just by popular demand alone.
Whatever flaws, you're sticking with these people through thick and thin, that's just how good it is. And even the music, which felt minimal at first, grew on me in such a way that I got chills whenever it choose to enter the third and fourth chord, indicating that now we were really putting some pressure on... as if there wasn't enough of that already.
It's just superb and highly new original Scifi through and through. Put it on.
The brilliance of The Expanse is that it all starts of fairly insignificantly with a missing person case and a smart but unconventional detective. In fact, it was so 'small' that this reviewer actually stopped watching for a while, thinking what the fuss was all about. But when I put it back on... We are painfully slowly taken from one tiny clue to the other, but by the time we reach season three, we are in an epic, bizarre and incredibly tense story that may determine the future of the entire human race, involving things that makes one wonder about the cosmos, all while the three main factions are nervously trying not enter all-out conflict.
There are many great things to say about this series. For one, the look and feel is second to none. This was shot on a lower budget, tiny compared to most scifi series out there, but that has led its developers to make designs that are worn, torn, visceral and kinetic. It is in one word fantastic. It feels better than most other scifi out there, because it feels real.
Another great thing about it is space travel itself. No quantum-warp-hyper-drives here; sometimes we even need to make a slingshot around a moon or two to get somewhere. It gives the series even more realistic feels. Better still, it allows the actors to really get into their roles, and have space control their actions. The main cast does a superb job with all its limitations, and should be praised highly for it.
But the best thing this story gives us are the Belters: a group of space faring humans who have occupied the Asteroid Belt and plenty of other far away solar system spots, and have become completely accustomed to the hardships of space life. They have their own look, feel and language and need to be experience to be believed. If anything, their culture is the number one reason to put this show on.
The acting and dialogue are good to sometimes great, but also flawed at times. For me, the Drummer character just blew me away, that's how good she is. There are in general a lot of other good characters, and the main cast does great, yet some lesser important characters can come across as little more than story devices and fillers, either by some lesser acting or lesser dialogue.
And the big Belter bad guy in the later seasons is - to no fault of the actor - the clear low point of the series. He's more of a cartoon villain. You can almost hear him cackle, while drumming his fingers together plotting 'evil thingies to do and hurtful thingies to say'.
You won't be bothered by it at all though, because the overall plot, the long, mesmerizing through-line of this series is just overwhelmingly superb. It is highly original too, with an overall concept that will keep you glued to the screen. It's a shame the entire story has not been put to film yet, since the series ends after six seasons but could have gone further, but chances are that something will be added in the future, just by popular demand alone.
Whatever flaws, you're sticking with these people through thick and thin, that's just how good it is. And even the music, which felt minimal at first, grew on me in such a way that I got chills whenever it choose to enter the third and fourth chord, indicating that now we were really putting some pressure on... as if there wasn't enough of that already.
It's just superb and highly new original Scifi through and through. Put it on.