Let’s start this new month with three great series featuring a journey to Mars (Away), science fiction by legendary director Ridley Scott (Raised by Wolves) and the return of our anti-heroes and superheroes (The Boys)!
Be sure to read our reviews and have a great weekend!
You can still have a longer list of the releases under the “This Friday” section on the homepage.
Away
WHY
With Away, Netflix and Hilary Swank take us on a journey to Mars that will prove to be much more exciting than expected. We weren’t really keen about the storyline but we were quickly change our mind thanks to the excellent casting and the very good chemistry between the characters. Especially the ones inside the shuttle. For each of these characters, their respective stories are developed in a right way and have some surprises. We also appreciate the international side of the cast which allows to have different points of view according to each culture and religion. The flashbacks serve perfectly to develop each character backgrounds rather than to fill the void. Tensions in the shuttle are frequent and intense, whether due to the characters or technical breakdowns. The feeling of remoteness and isolation that will affect each character in a different way is very well captured. The fact to be able to communicate with the family and friends is essential and the slightest little call becomes truly essential. The interactions between the shuttle and the Earth are also interesting, especially when they are no longer in real time. Are you ready to board?
WHAT
Away is a thrilling, emotional drama on an epic scale that celebrates the incredible advancements humans can achieve and the personal sacrifices they must make along the way. As American astronaut Emma Green (Hilary Swank) prepares to lead an international crew on the first mission to Mars, she must reconcile her decision to leave behind her husband (Josh Charles) and teenage daughter (Talitha Bateman) when they need her the most. As the crew’s journey into space intensifies, their personal dynamics and the effects of being away from their loved ones back on Earth become increasingly complex.
WHERE
Raised by Wolves
WHY
How can we not be excited at the announcement of Ridley Scott‘s return to science fiction with Raised by Wolves. In addition to producing this series, he directed the first two episodes, his son Luke directed the next two episodes. From the very first minutes, all the talent of this legendary director is in evidence. This return is a magnificent success, first visually (what an art direction!) and then narrative (what a pleasure to have an original story and not an adaptation)! From the stunning opening title, we are immersed in this fantastic atmosphere and we set off to discover a new world. We follow with great interest the androids Mother and Father who are trying to raise little humans on this hostile planet. The casting is very successful especially for Mother (Amanda Collin). In addition to the difficult conditions of the planet, a new threat will soon arrive with a group of humans whose clothing strongly reminds us of the Crusades. Religion plays an important role in this series. Mother’s “maternal” instincts will be at their most powerful during an impressive sequence in the Ark of the Humans that will really generous on the gore aspect. Mother has a huge sense of power, especially when she turns into the attack mode! You can easily feel the fear of the humans when she arrives. The many flashbacks allow us to learn more about what happened on Earth and the Mother backstory. The writing is really interesting especially when it comes to the humans inside this cult. The art direction is really beautiful as well as the score. The allusions to Ridley Scott’s previous films are numerous like the tornadoes of The Martian or the white blood of the androids like Alien. In the following episodes, new mysteries and threats appear. HBO Max showed us the first 6 episodes and we are really looking forward to discover the conclusion of this wonderful series.
WHAT
Raised by Wolves centers on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet. As the burgeoning colony of humans threatens to be torn apart by religious differences, the androids learn that controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous and difficult task.
WHERE
The Boys – Season 2
WHY
What a pleasure to have the protagonists of The Boys back for a new season and in particular Butcher (Karl Urban) and Homelander (Antony Starr)! The development of these characters is really interesting and we discover with great pleasure their past. The threats on our heroes will be more numerous in this season without forgetting the arrival of a new superhero with Stormfront who will bring a lot of tension within the Seven and in particular with Homelander as he is losing his influence and public affection. Stormfront’s character is really interesting especially in her first appearances and shows the generation gap between her and Homelander mainly in terms of social medias and how she can manipulates her audience. The Vought’s PR machine will be working at full speed again and we will discover more about the structure of this organisation. This new season brings a lot of surprises, (very) violent deaths and tons of iconic action sequences (poor whale! You can see a clip here). We really enjoyed the subversive and cynical side of The Boys! Can’t wait for the 3rd season which has already been greenlighted by Amazon Studios!
WHAT
A group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers.
WHERE