Altered Carbon - New Netflix Series

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by jriems, Dec 6, 2017.

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  1. Dave Mac

    Dave Mac Retired Sophisticated Gentleman Of Leisure

    If you were rich in that world you'd probably be self-centered and arrogant enough to change sleeves on a whim. Just consider what the Kardashians and their ilk do to their bodies in this one.
     
  2. Cupids_bow

    Cupids_bow chillin like a villain

    Location:
    The OC
    Only if I can still get the Magnum PI sleeve :D
     
  3. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    The thing is that your personality would change somewhat with each new 'transplant'. That's because your physiology has a direct influence on things like your emotional state, behavioral tendencies and preferences, etc. For example, more and more is being learned how your gut biome affects your mood, health (including mental health) and behavioral predispositions. Occupy enough different bodies for any length of time and the changes from your original baseline would become significant. In fact, that would be a good plot thread to pursue...
     
  4. Wingman

    Wingman Bored of the Rings

    Location:
    Europe
    I'm half way through this and while the story, production, etc, etc. are quite good, there are a few things I don't like at all. The main problem I have is with all of the cigarette smoking. There are more ciggies than a Speilberg movie. One would assume that cigarettes had long since fallen out of favor by that point in the future. Guess the tobacco lobby is behind this show (as they obviously are re: Speilberg movies). The other thing that bothers me about this show is all of the bad plastic surgery that cop, Ortega, has had done to her face. She looks worse than Cher. Nice little tight body, though, gotta give her that.
     
  5. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    In a world where you can throw your body away and get a new one in a few days, then it wouldn't matter if you smoked 10 packs a day. Lung cancer wouldn't be an issue -- even if you got it, you'd just jump to a new body and move on. I don't have a problem with the cigarettes in the show at all. Not everything that appears in a film or TV series is there because of a plug or an ad.

    And that's a criticism I totally agree with. The novels were written in the last 20 years, so it's fair to say that the books of Phillip K. Dick and the 1982 Blade Runner film had a huge influence on the original writer, plus the producers' choice of look and style.
     
    turnersmemo likes this.
  6. glennzo

    glennzo Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Finished the series yesterday and overall it was pretty good.
    Having read the novels some time back I was quite keen to see this after it had been announced.
    Really hoping they make a second season based on the second book Broken Angels, as I rated it the best in the trilogy.

    Yes, the look and feel is quite derivative of Blade Runner, but that's not such a bad thing.

    Glad the producers had licence not to tone down much of the explicit content of the book, so it's not for the feint hearted!

    That nude cloned sleeves fight! (didn't recall that from the book!)
    There's also some lovely outdoor scenary in the Kovacs flashback scenes.
     
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  7. chrischerm

    chrischerm Forum Resident

    There's no cigarette ad here. Rykker's body smoked, so when Tak is loaded into Rykker's sleeve, he takes on the nicotine habit. I'm only on Episode 6, but if I recall correctly from the books, he kicks the habit for Rykker as a gesture to Ortega. Not sure if that makes it into the show.

    The book won a PKD award after it was released, so that may be part of the Blade Runner look and feel. What I've found interesting about the show (so far,) is that it's really faithful to the book. I don't have to think of them as two separate entities like The Magicians.
     
  8. slovell

    slovell Retired Mudshark

    Location:
    Chesnee, SC, USA
    I enjoyed it and I'm hoping for a second season. Looking forward to "The Expanse".
     
    chrischerm and mds like this.
  9. I ended the series last Sunday and I liked it very much. I'm looking forward for a second season and I'd like to see an UHD BD release with HDR, all those neon light, the interiors of the Meth house with the windows and day light scenes must look insane on HDR
     
  10. Scott222C

    Scott222C Loner, Rebel & Family Man

    Location:
    here
    Quite disappointed with this. Never read the books. Stopped watching now after Ep6. So pretentious and cliche. Bad, bad rich folks ; the poor masses, the idealistc rebels, the oh so tough female cop yawn. Same ol' same ol'
     
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  11. rich100

    rich100 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Middle of England
    I quite enjoyed this one, good storyline but the end game went a bit off .

    The question of digitizing ones self is a very interesting one, my first exposure to this idea was the Tad Williams Otherland books - where they sought immortality by transferring themselves (or more importantly a copy of themselves) into a virtual reality where they would be gods. But, if that happens the original 'you' is still left behind to die right? - just a copy of you is now in your place which by definition is very definitely not 'you' - just a carbon copy. Anyone religious might be thinking where the soul goes in these instances, is it stored solely in the brain or a sum of the body it is in?

    the look and feel reminded me too of Blade Runner and also Ghost In The Shell - I'd definitely rather watch this than EastEnders :)
     
  12. chrischerm

    chrischerm Forum Resident

    Well the overall, big picture ending, was the same in the books, but how they got there changed a bit. Some hard lefts that never happened in the books with Kawahara and Leung. Wish they didn't make some of those changes, as they weren't needed. Overall, still enjoyed the show, just not a fan of unnecessary changes.
     
  13. bherbert

    bherbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Africa
    I knew I shouldn’t have had high expectations for this series. I’m so disappointed after the excitement I felt when I watched the first episode. Of course they had to throw the inevitable romance into the storyline. Of course the lead actors have less personality than a wooden plank. Absolute garbage. I’ll stick with Showtime and HBO when watching series. I’ve lost all faith in Netflix when it comes to series.
     
    Brenald79, Scott222C and Wingman like this.
  14. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    I've watched 3 episodes so far but had read the first book- I guess some of you are smarter than me- being able to follow the plot line without having had the benefit of reading the story first.
    The visuals are pretty spectacular. I do find it slow in parts though, and for some reason, though the concept of the AI hotel is cool (and the change from the Elvis is clever), it also seems a little hokey.
    I guess all dystopian futures look like Bladerunner. I dunno.
     
  15. Bachtoven

    Bachtoven Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    My wife and I gave up after two episodes. Too sci-fi for our tastes! (Counterpart is more to our liking.)
     
    Kiko1974 likes this.
  16. I liked Alterd Carbon but Counterpart is on a defferent league, it's the kind of tricky plot with some also tricky subplots on a Sci-Fi enviroment.
     
  17. will_b_free

    will_b_free Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boulder, CO
    The fresh bits were great (the sleeve concept that introduces the hero to us, the hierarchy of the Meths, Poe at the Raven), and that was just enough to smooth over the overworn bits. And the way some episodes had an entirely different tone than others - especially in the first half of the series - prevented any monotony.

    Since there was essentially no difference between replicants' implanted memories and sleeves' stacks, the recreation of the Blade Runner world was nice. The casting was great - from the lead (who reminded me of a pre-crazy Kevin Sorbo in terms of voice and looks), to the guy who played Poe as such an endearing character.

    If there was a failing, besides some of the buddy-cop cliches, it was that the ultimate Big Bad reveal was comic-book level. I didn't buy the motivation of that character at all - the sadism came out of nowhere. If they'd shown anything from that character's time with the
    Yakuza
    it probably would have made sense, but they didn't so it didn't. That said, there was an excellent fight scene that will surely be talk-show fodder for that actor for the rest of the year! That actor was great, it was just that the character was ultimately disappointing.

    I wouldn't mind a second season, but only if they get rid of some of the characters
    (the Elliott family) and bring back some whose return seems unlikely (Poe).

    A second season would also work with Will Yun Lee as the lead.
     
    turnersmemo likes this.
  18. Wingman

    Wingman Bored of the Rings

    Location:
    Europe

    Since Poe is only an "AI" being, it doesn't seem like much of a stretch that he could return to season two.
     
  19. John Moschella

    John Moschella Senior Member

    Location:
    Christiansburg, VA
    Yeap
     
  20. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    I can see all the criticisms people are raising here, as well as ones in the reviews I've read. Its look is more pure, unapologetic Blade Runner than perhaps any other project since 1982, as if they decided to just hijack the look of that movie and not look back. It's quite often over the top, and there's a good bit of filler over the course of the series. It never slows down long enough to think about the questions it raises, which can be frustrating.

    But even sensing a lot of this is the first episode, I kept watching, and I got caught up in the momentum of it. Sure, there's a good bit of trash here, and the violence toward women (it's time we move past that as a plot point) was troubling. Purely as a visit to this world with a decent, if sometimes overcooked, story attached, though, I found it extremely engaging. I also like Joel Kinnaman as an actor, so that helped.

    I suspect this is going to be one of those you either plug into or you don't, and I certainly can't defend many of its faults. The visuals alone are worth at least checking out. It's gorgeously made, if nothing else.
     
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  21. Boomy

    Boomy Senior Member

    Location:
    Indiana
    Four episodes in. I'm liking it.
     
  22. Well it is a science fiction show set hundreds of years in the future.

    There was quite a bit of backlash related to white washing the character—the only problem is that was the case in the book as well dealing with Dickisan issues of identify particularly given that he was Asian and sleeved in a Caucasian body.

    So the show is true to the source. The Dick look is understandable given how influenced Richard Morgan was by Dick.
     
  23. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    I really enjoyed the whole series, save for maybe the last 20-30 minutes of the finale episode, which played out like a Law & Order episode. But still very good overall and I'm looking forward to season 2.

    What is the status of Takeshi Kovacs original body/sleeve? It is intact somewhere, or was it completely destroyed so he can't get back into it?
     
    Brenald79 likes this.
  24. robertawillisjr

    robertawillisjr Music Lover

    Location:
    Hampton, VA
    It is back. Darker and more sinister than last season. More in line with the spirit (if not the facts) of the books.
     
    Dave Mac likes this.
  25. I enjoyed the second season but it did depart from the novel quite a bit (to,keep it in line with the first season of the series). I think Anthony Mackie did a better job playing kovacs and brought a bit of humanity that was missing from Kinnemam’s portrayal. Granted, part of that is the writing but it’s still significant. Terrific second season better than season one IMHO. For those who read the novels the basic plot point is similar to the show.
     
    robertawillisjr likes this.
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