#Utopia tv show movie
#Utopia tv show series

The strong cast all play their roles very well, and the convincing writing promises some unpredictable twists and turns. The first episode indicates that we’re in for quite an adventure, and it effectively blends cinematic production values with familiar long-form storytelling. I’ll be looking forward to next week’s episode to see just where exactly this high-concept thriller is headed.

#Utopia tv show series

The series makes use of vibrant colours and unusual camerawork (such as continually changing perspectives during a conversational scene) to give it a distinct graphic novel tone. This choice does serve a purpose beyond just looking like a film, though, as it allows for a number of stunning shots and is frequently disorienting.

#Utopia tv show movie

Perhaps the main reason that Utopia feels so much like a movie is that it is shot in widescreen, something that is rare for television. We don’t really have enough information to speculate on certain details (there appears to be some sort of manufactured disease involved), but things are sure to come into focus as this six-part series develops. Conspiracy stories can often be frustrating, but this is genuinely interesting. Utopia is sharply written, frequently funny and always engaging. At times, it bordered on being gratuitous, but showing the soulless way that the Network conduct their business is absolutely necessary if they are to feel threatening. The show is particularly violent, with one torture scene sure to stick in the minds of viewers. At least, I inferred that the seemingly unrelated side-plot that followed an exploited civil servant with a secret (Paul Higgins) serves as a demonstration of the Network’s reach.

Clearly, it is able to influence the government and the police. Before we arrive at that point, the central characters get a glimpse of the Network’s power and we begin to get some idea of just what this conspiracy might be. Constantly mentioned throughout, we don’t get to meet Hyde (Fiona O’ Shaughnessy) until the very end of the episode. We meet them after a disturbing opening that sees two assassins - Arby and Lee (Neil Maskell and Paul Ready) - enter a comic book store and kill everyone inside after asking them for the whereabouts of Jessica Hyde. The main members of the forum are bored IT consultant Ian ( Misfits’ Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), PhD student Becky (Alexandra Roach) and conspiracy theorist Wilson Wilson (Adeel Akhtar).

The scripting keeps things unpredictable and it makes for a deeply involving drama that leaves you wanting more.

Utopia has a remarkably cinematic atmosphere, an excellent soundtrack and is wonderfully acted. These otherwise unconnected people talk about the possible conspiracies that surround the mysterious comic book, while a shadowy organisation called the Network attempts to keep its origins secret. The slick production follows members of an online forum who converse about a graphic novel entitled ‘The Utopia Experiments’.

Channel 4’s bracing new mystery thriller Utopia exceeded my expectations with its fast-paced and compelling first episode.