Utopia book gillian flynn1/2/2024 ![]() ![]() The result could be a fascinating mashup of sensibilities, but instead, the series flattens and settles into a more basic middle ground. Dillard and Toby Haynes, “Utopia” teeters on the edge of conspiracy thriller and pure comic book energy without ever fully committing to either. So while ably directed in the end by Susanna Fogel, J.D. Together, Flynn’s acidic writing and Fincher’s chilly direction have proved a potent blend that could have made this version of “Utopia” more uniquely unsettling. In that respect, it’s also hard not to imagine what “Utopia” might have looked like if Flynn got to work again with “Gone Girl” director David Fincher, as was originally the plan for the series. The moments when the show draws a line between this underground and the banalities of everyday life are smart and chilling on their own. These represent sharp enough instincts that it’s a bit of a shame when “Utopia” spends so much time down the rabbit hole where the conspiracies are accepted as facts. In modifying Dennis Kelly’s original UK drama to fit an an American mindset, Flynn, who wrote every episode, expands upon a few key themes: an intrinsic distrust of the government, slashes of shocking violence, and her characters’ deep-seated longing to be heroes - or at the very least, to have a greater purpose. ![]() All do good work, even when saddled with deadpan groaners of lines like, “I don’t like puzzles - I am one.” And Byrd and LaThrop, bringing something resembling normalcy to the table, are even downright charming. As the enigmatic Jessica Hyde, Lane tears into her character’s laser-focused mission with ferocious precision. Christopher Denham takes a purposefully flat character and finds every inch of humanity lurking therein. Christie’s benevolent billionaire act, even if that storyline is the series’ weakest. Cusack, for one, has fun subverting his everyday nice guy vibes for Dr. Still, the crowded, overlapping narratives still give the actors some room to play. For every genuine surprise, there are five more “twists” that were telegraphed from five miles away. But for a show that’s essentially a series of puzzle boxes, its mysteries are all too easy to solve. Unlike many streaming dramas given as many minutes as they like to tell their plodding story, “Utopia” flies right by. The season consists of eight energetic, propulsive episodes (seven of which I’ve seen), each unfolding like a chapter of an addictive crime novel. (And yes: the irony of this show premiering now, as a dangerous new flu spreads across the country as citizens question their government and corporate conglomerates like Amazon, is inescapable.) In “Utopia,” all governments and corporations are suspect the only person you can trust is yourself, and even then, it’s a leap of faith. With time running out, a group of rabid fans (Desmin Borges, Jessica Rothe, Dan Byrd, Ashleigh LaThrop and Javon “Wanna” Walton), a shadowy network called “The Harvest,” a possibly mad scientist (John Cusack) and the heroine of the comic herself (Sasha Lane) all end up racing to find and decode its pages as the body count around them steadily climbs. After a disturbing comic called “Dystopia” appeared to anticipate several devastating pandemics, from SARS to Ebola and back again, a sequel called “Utopia” surfaces with the promise of predicting the catastrophic future, sparking an urgent hunt as a dangerous new flu spreads across the country. Utopia will also star Ashleigh LaThrop, Dan Byrd, Jessica Rothe, Desmin Borges, Javon “Wanna” Walton and Cory Michael Smith.Thrillers have long gone to the story well of the truth hiding in plain sight, but Amazon Prime’s “Utopia” makes it plainer still. Kevin Christie, head of the bio-tech company that seems the likely culprit for the virus. To stop the virus and save the world, the superfans team up with not only a wily scientist played by Rainn Wilson but the central character of the comics, Jessica Hyde (played by Sasha Lane), whose real-life existence only adds credence to the conspiracy. ![]() In a chilling - although certainly unintended - parallel to this real-life moment, the superfans find themselves confronting a deadly pandemic that the Utopia comic says will lead to humanity’s downfall. A comic book story contains a web of real-life conspiracies in the new trailer for Utopia, set to premiere September 25th on Amazon Prime Video.Ĭreated by acclaimed writer Gillian Flynn ( Gone Girl, Sharp Objects), the series centers around a comic book called Utopia and a select group of fans who believe there are hidden messages contained in the pages that predict actual events. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |