Netflix’s newest show, Altered Carbon, starts with a narration. “Forget everything you know”, says a soft female voice, almost warning you about what’s to come. That advice is good since Altered Carbon takes place in an almost unrecognizable future. The catalyst for this massive cultural change is the stack; a digitized version of human consciousness. Since the mind can now be compressed into a digital disc no larger than a tangerine, human bodies (known as “sleeves) have become expendable. The ultra-rich can continuously swap bodies as old ones grow sick and unhealthy. Technology is seemingly used to validate the most egregious and horrible thoughts of Bay City, the futuristic San Franciso where Altered Carbon takes place. The idea of transferring bodies like you change clothes is an interesting one, but the implications are hellish.
At the center of all of this is Takeshi Kovacs, a powerful soldier known as an Envoy. After being “on ice” for over 250 years, Kovacs awakens in a new sleeve. After a quick update on how the world has changed in the past quarter-century, Kovac’s reason for revival becomes apparent. Resurrected by Bancroft, arguably the richest member of the upper class, Kovacs must assist Bancroft in solving his own murder. Sent away with a huge line of credit and one singular task, Kovacs digs deep into the mystery surrounding Bay City.
Altered Carbon lends itself a to a noir-style of storytelling, with frequent narration from Kovacs to fill out the world. The plot is heavy on exposition at the start and can be overwhelming and hard to digest at first. The show piles on a lot of world building and lore within its first few episodes, and despite originally seeming like fluff, every aspect of the world eventually comes into play. The fusion of hyper-violent action and inner monologues is an interesting one that works most of the time but occasionally falls short. The actual mystery of Bancroft’s murder serves the hook to a more detailed and personal plot. As we learn more about the world and the technology surrounding it, we get a deeper look into Kovac’s past. Additionally, most characters have a tangible stake in the show; a reason they choose to act the way they do. More often than not, I found myself caring more about the progression of Kovacs and the rest of the cast of characters than the murder mystery.
However, Altered Carbon does a great job opening up a massive web of story branches and eventually tying them all together. Throughout the ten-episode season, I was consistently surprised by the show’s twists and turns. Altered Carbon tends to get deep into dialogue, especially in the first half of the show. The last half of the season holds a bit more action, and each episode manages to bring a refreshing new idea. Whether it’s a particularly cool fight sequence, a new character, or some insanely cool technology, Altered Carbon slowly deals out its best ideas to great success. When the action breaks loose, it’s well shot and choreographed well. Combat matters, and unlike other shows, characters often don’t survive. Fights are bloody, violent, and effective. Altered Carbon often laughs at the idea of “plot armor”, and no character is truly safe in the never-ending cycle of sleeve-death.
It’s obvious that Netflix spent a good chunk of change on the visuals of Altered Carbon, as they are as varied as they are impressive. CGI use is heavy, but appropriately so. While Altered Carbon does fall prey to the cliché “bright, neon, billboard future” of Blade Runner, it also succeeds in establishing a unique visual style. Bay City is full of incredibly interesting locations, all with an appropriate splash of color. By the end of the season, Altered Carbon‘s world felt fully realized and believable. I often feel a disconnect between super-futuristic shows and ones set in the present; I find it hard to relate to an unfamiliar future. Fortunately, Altered Carbon executes incredibly well on visual world building and fleshing out the many aspects of its fearful future.
In a show with so many characters, it’s important to have a solid cast. Luckily, every performance in Altered Carbon is exceptional, from main characters to support. Kovacs is played well overall by Joel Kinnaman, and while I wasn’t blown away after the first episode, Kinnaman was able to win me over by the end. In addition to the present-day Kovacs that is played by Kinnaman, we eventually get a look at Kovac’s life before he awoke in a new sleeve. This version of Kovacs was actually my preferred depiction, thanks to a hugely emotional performance by Will Yun Lee. Supporting characters make up a good chunk of the overall cast, and I was surprised time and time again by the quality of both the characters and the performances of each. Some of my favorites included Abboud (Waleed Zuaiter), the intelligent partner of focal police officer Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda), Poe (Chris Conner), an artificial intelligence that plays host at the hotel “The Raven”, and Captain Tanaka (Hiro Kanagawa), the stern but secretive police chief.
I was remarkably impressed with Altered Carbon, due to its fully realized world, an excellent cast of characters, and the grim and unsettling mystery its centered around. With enough variety to please any fan of cyberpunk, Altered Carbon establishes itself as a powerhouse in Netflix’s original library. Every time I thought I was going to grow bored, Altered Carbon surprised me with a plot twist or incredibly well-written sequence. If anything, Altered Carbon may be a bit too intense for some viewers, as it does not play lightly with the most disturbing implications of its future. For fans of shows like Westworld, Altered Carbon is your next addiction.
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4″]
Movie Rating: 5 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Download)
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