Utopia - Complete series
Utopia is insane! It’s totally genius and ridiculous at the same time! A group of people obtains the manuscript of a cult graphic novel, containing many secrets about controversial scientific experiments. The Network, a shady organisation behind these experiments, wants to get it back. And to reach that goal, they are not afraid to use violence.
Two seasons, each containing six episodes, were broadcast by Channel 4, before lacklustre ratings killed the show. Then news followed that David Fincher would be developing an American remake for HBO, but the project was cancelled after a budget dispute. Luckily, we can still enjoy two beautiful seasons of this cult show.
The graphic novel this show is about and the show itself are perfect mirror images. It’s absurd, but hiding a deeper message. Not everyone can enjoy it, but a small group of fanatics thinks it’s great. I’m one of those fanatics. However, I understand why people won’t like this show. I also don’t think Utopia is really perfect (but it comes close, in my opinion).
Visuals and style are the biggest assets of Utopia. It uses an alternative colour palette consisting of yellow, magenta and cyan instead of red, green and blue. Furthermore, unusual camera angles are applied and they work very good, especially when depicting violent scenes (and there are a lot of them). Exciting music, sharp dialogues and memorable one-liners (‘don’t put the gas away yet’) complete the mix. The result: it's like you’re watching a moving graphic novel instead of a television show
Utopia is a harsh and cynical show. Dark humour and extreme violence alternate. The violence became so grotesque, that several times it’s lead to controversy. Sure, the creators have explored the limits of what’s acceptable, but in my opinion they never exceeded those limits. However, my definition of ‘too far’ may differ from other people. Furthermore, their unique cinematography is excellent for those scenes (especially the start of episode three).
The plot is really well-written and contains every ingredient of an exciting conspiracy thriller. Although themes are sometimes overfamiliar from other pieces of fiction, the creators know how to give it a good twist to keep it entertaining. Especially the second season does this well and the creators know to push the boundaries of the genre. The season premiere, a prequel completely shot in 70’s style that both explores the continuity of the first season and initiates storylines for the rest of season two, works great.
The cast maintains a high level of acting. Especially Neil Maskell (Humans) and Adeel Akhtar (The Job Lot) really stand out. Akhtar (who was nominated for a BAFTA) portrays Wilson, a man who is chased by the Network and Maskell portrays Arby, an assassin working for The Network. Both gentlemen play two characters that are both really convinced of being right, but start to doubt their own beliefs as the series progresses. This character transition is subtly but constantly present, and acted really well.
The only actor I did not really like was Paul Higgins (The Thick of It). Higgins plays a civil servant who is put under pressure to serve The Network’s experiments. Most of the time, his plotlines were separate from the rest of the plot and they were not really interesting sometimes. The way Higgins portrayed his character did not help either. He was a bit better during season two, but it was mainly due to more connections between his storyline and the rest of the plot.
Personally I think season two is weaker than the first season. Although the plot is better, the power and the intensity of season one seem to have diminished a little. Still, time after time (I have watched the entire series multiple times, I admit) I can really enjoy the cast, the excitement, the violence, the cynical humour and the beautiful cinematography.
Two seasons, each containing six episodes, were broadcast by Channel 4, before lacklustre ratings killed the show. Then news followed that David Fincher would be developing an American remake for HBO, but the project was cancelled after a budget dispute. Luckily, we can still enjoy two beautiful seasons of this cult show.
The graphic novel this show is about and the show itself are perfect mirror images. It’s absurd, but hiding a deeper message. Not everyone can enjoy it, but a small group of fanatics thinks it’s great. I’m one of those fanatics. However, I understand why people won’t like this show. I also don’t think Utopia is really perfect (but it comes close, in my opinion).
Visuals and style are the biggest assets of Utopia. It uses an alternative colour palette consisting of yellow, magenta and cyan instead of red, green and blue. Furthermore, unusual camera angles are applied and they work very good, especially when depicting violent scenes (and there are a lot of them). Exciting music, sharp dialogues and memorable one-liners (‘don’t put the gas away yet’) complete the mix. The result: it's like you’re watching a moving graphic novel instead of a television show
It's like you're watching a graphic novel instead of a television show
Utopia is a harsh and cynical show. Dark humour and extreme violence alternate. The violence became so grotesque, that several times it’s lead to controversy. Sure, the creators have explored the limits of what’s acceptable, but in my opinion they never exceeded those limits. However, my definition of ‘too far’ may differ from other people. Furthermore, their unique cinematography is excellent for those scenes (especially the start of episode three).
The plot is really well-written and contains every ingredient of an exciting conspiracy thriller. Although themes are sometimes overfamiliar from other pieces of fiction, the creators know how to give it a good twist to keep it entertaining. Especially the second season does this well and the creators know to push the boundaries of the genre. The season premiere, a prequel completely shot in 70’s style that both explores the continuity of the first season and initiates storylines for the rest of season two, works great.
© Channel 4
The cast maintains a high level of acting. Especially Neil Maskell (Humans) and Adeel Akhtar (The Job Lot) really stand out. Akhtar (who was nominated for a BAFTA) portrays Wilson, a man who is chased by the Network and Maskell portrays Arby, an assassin working for The Network. Both gentlemen play two characters that are both really convinced of being right, but start to doubt their own beliefs as the series progresses. This character transition is subtly but constantly present, and acted really well.
The only actor I did not really like was Paul Higgins (The Thick of It). Higgins plays a civil servant who is put under pressure to serve The Network’s experiments. Most of the time, his plotlines were separate from the rest of the plot and they were not really interesting sometimes. The way Higgins portrayed his character did not help either. He was a bit better during season two, but it was mainly due to more connections between his storyline and the rest of the plot.
Personally I think season two is weaker than the first season. Although the plot is better, the power and the intensity of season one seem to have diminished a little. Still, time after time (I have watched the entire series multiple times, I admit) I can really enjoy the cast, the excitement, the violence, the cynical humour and the beautiful cinematography.
