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I'm sorry some of the reviewers can't appreciate any Sci-fi that doesn't include laser battles and far out explosions and such. this title goes back to the roots of Science Fiction. It uses another means and different modes to explore the Human Condition. Go back to the Golden Age of Sci-Fi with authors like Arthur C. Clarke and you will see. Sci-Fi simply provides the backdrop for the actual storytelling. The stories are good, albeit slower than we are used to in 2020, but good none the less- much like the original Science Fiction. It's nice to see for a change where the story comes first and everything else is second as opposed to the current crop of Sci-Fi where the action and effects are first and the story is third or fourth.

The retro-futuristic and immeasurably cozy paintings of Simon Stålenhag have been given life by Amazon Prime. Thanks to my dad, who obtained the Tales from the Loop artbook (org. title Ur Varselklotet) when it was brand new (he may even have donated to its crowdfunding campaign), I've had a good look into Stålenhag's dreamlike alternate past before.

My brother once referred to Stålenhag's peculiar art style as "Sweden punk", where we'll scan our eyeballs over familiar rural environments until, suddenly, some sort of technological behemoth appears. It may be a strange, defunct machine (that nevertheless looks as if Volvo or Stiga could realistically design it) next to a quaint Scandinavian meadow, or a vast spacecraft hovering over a dimly lit torp in the December twilight.

Amazon brings all of this to life with an anthology, each episode nonetheless set in the same continuity, directed by the likes of Andrew Stanton and Jodie Foster (a good choice after her work on Black Mirror) and scored in part by Philip Glass - his haunting, repetitive-but-beautiful tunes as distinctive as ever. The cast includes Jonathan Pryce and Rebecca Hall, who put it best when she said in an interview that the characters genuinely seem to inhabit a universe larger than themselves. The landscape around them clearly has history, even when it isn't expositorily stated.

On that note, the "retro" part of the retro-futurism is also in the characters, including young children who are often more astute than the adults - it shares this with Stranger Things, another nostalgic streaming-original, but I currently think Tales from the Loop is better, partly because of how farcical Things has gotten. Early on, Loretta (Abby Ryder Fortson) and Cole (Duncan Joiner) are curious of the mysteries surrounding The Loop, a scientific facility in their area that seems to dabble in the unnatural.

One of the problems I had with the series is that, possibly due to the episodic structure, certain big revelations seem to come quite early in the show's run. Let me elaborate: In the very first episode, we learn something shocking about two of the main characters, akin to one of the most existentially devastating twists in the Netflix masterpiece Dark, but since we don't yet know these people that well, it isn't as impactful as it could have been. Instead, the second episode moves on to a different (somewhat better-acted) story involving the effects of The Loop, starring a tertiary character from the prior story.

However, accepting the show and the format for what it is, 'tis certainly a charming expedition into the mind of Stålenhag. The book and the artwork are faithfully adapted (including the way the characters are cast, then costumed and groomed) by head writer and developer Nathaniel Halpern, but I gather Stålenhag himself was heavily involved (complete with an on-screen cameo). He even submitted a title card animation, pictured above, "as a suggestion" and they wound up using it.

It just warms my hollow ribcage when an artist gets to realize their vision in this manner, aided by people who demonstrably give a damn. Tales from the Loop, not unlike the Netflix series Love, Death + Robots, is one of those shows that truly prove what a safe space the streaming world is for auteurs, enabled to enrich us with something new instead of sticking to a marketable studio-imposed formula.

If shows like these become successful enough, ginormous studios may learn that providing something new and original is the way to go (people sometimes argue that recent Lucasfilm and Marvel movies do represent an artist's vision, hence their controversy compared to other "factory-made" sequels, but I remain skeptical that Disney would truly allow freedom, or deem controversy as anything other than useful PR). I will certainly do my part and tell you this much: please check out Tales from the Loop. It's a visually inventive and fun watch that touches on the "larger" life questions that sci-fi concepts ought to bring. The dialogue itself can be a bit obvious and some stories may be less intriguing than others, but no matter.

This, I'm sure, is the stuff of dreams to the "serious" sci-fi buff. The kind of thing they've been waiting their whole lives for. But be warned. The art house approach, the ponderous wringing of every drop of darkness from the tales, the dolorous minimalist soundtrack courtesy of Philip Glass, and the doom laden plots all contribute to weighty, even burdensome viewing at times. This is not the sort of thing you put on at the end of a riotous evening. Nor to be binge watched - it will spill your marbles and spark depressive spirals. And don't gift it to your significant other for a birthday or the like if you don't want weeks of angst as they try to work out what exactly you're trying to say. It's intelligent, meaningful and dark - maybe a little too so - well worth watching but make sure you're in the right mood, at the right time, and preferably in easy reach of your support structure!

Not many times in my life I've felt compelled to binge watch a series but this got me. . . A combination of beautiful cinematography, great character study and clever story lines make for a truly wonderful and complete series. The fact that it's about the human interactions and relationships and not all about the weird and wonderful tech laying about just adds to it for me. So many series are in your face with the CGI and effects they forget about telling us anything. The subtleness only ads to the whole feel of this superb show. Take time to slow down a bit and enjoy something that makes you think.

Happened across this today and ended up binging the entire series! As some reviewers have stated, the episodes run slowly, however, each episode looks at the story of indivudal characters in the ensemble cast. The twists are based on quirky SciFi elements and helps the viewer examine how the episode character comes to this point or to an unexpected situation, which may not have a typical resolution. The production, cinematography and acting are top notch and worth viewing from a visual and stylistic perspective. The stories leave you with a feeling of melancholy, that is strangely satisfying. Arthouse work in a TV series format. Worth a watch in my book. If you're looking for lasers and whiz-bang effects, this may not be the series for you.

A really thought provoking show. I didn't know what to think, by the end of episode three I was thinking is this show a bit sad but continued to watch and I'm glad I did.

Yes, it was a bit sad but also thought provoking. It made me consider how I'd feel if I could see my life, my daughters, my mom's at different stages and what I'd/we'd do differently. I think we all like to consider what we'd do differently if we could live our lives again. Every episode made me realise that there'd always be a negative consequence if I / we, did do things differently which I suppose brings peace to the things we consider mistakes.

I didn't expect Cole to become the lead role in the show nor did I expect how fond I became of his character. This show isn't really edge of your seat action but it's very good for your sole. There's some really beautiful music throughout the show too.

I really enjoyed this series. It's slow paced, yes, but it's tremendous solid too. And in an artistic way also very gripping and thrilling. And I loved the actors.

I salute the makers because they could have went the obvious road and give the audience the usual SciFi stuff they'd conditioned to expect from a show like this. But instead they choose to take us on a journey of some kind of meditation about what really matters in life. And this journey is not only beautiful shot, but offers some great ideas and unexpected turns too. Sometimes as a kind of side note and not as she focus of the show - but that is the whole point: don't get distracted by the things you might think life is worth living for, let the stars in the sky be the stars, don't miss in your life what is yet full of awe. And the show never preaches. It's always showing instead of pointing with the finger or shouting at us. You have to think about it to get it. But it isn't a far fetched deep secret either. Just go on the journey and let it sink in.

I guess if they had done it a bit more on the nose, the chance for a second season were better. But I'm glad they didn't - a show like this is nothing you get get to see often. But I sure hope they do another one anyway.

This TV show talks about heavy subject such a loss, aging, love, sexuality, identity, all in a quite slow and convoluted manner.

The Sci-fi elements are aesthetically pleasing and original and technically it is a very smart way to use rather low cost special effects. The moody music, although decent, becomes very repetitive because there is only one tone in this show.

At the end of each episode I was left wondering how the Sci-fi angle added anything and I reimagined the same episode, in a normal setting (e.g. The homosexual twin story could simply be done with real twin brothers). It feels the Sci-fi angle is just there to keep you coming back for more of those mundane depressing stories.

More importantly, the characters and the dialog are poorly written. It is disappointing considering each episode takes 50 minutes. Their motivation and personality is never fully developed and you are often left wondering what they want and why they stay around this "Loop" that cause them so much grief and problems... The Loop is supposed to be an allegory of life itself or something? It wants to be deep and engaging by making unseen study of the human condition? Using Sci-Fi to elevate a weak fondation does not work here for me.

To finish with a positive note, you can afford to go for a wee or read this review while watching an episode and when you come back and you will not be lost as it is all happening very slowly.

There is an extraordinary gentleness to this series that has no antecedent. There is no attempt to shock or horrify or amaze. Only engage. Quality is not even but some of the episodes are absolutely hypnotic, you cannot look away.

I appreciate why many people have given this show a high rating. It does have substance. However, for me, it was too slow - and what was slow was boring. I found there were entire scenes that felt empty and added nothing to the narrative, or distracted from it. In addition, I was so infuriated by episode 2 - I had to keep watching to see what came from that. There is good acting, directing, cinematography and writing, but in amongst it is some real dross. I don't mind that you are left to interpret endings, or what happened after a characters episode; I enjoyed it. It made me stick with it despite being annoyed by the pace. I also enjoyed the way the characters were tenuously connected throughout the season. But I would have enjoyed it a lot more if they had made each episode half an hour instead of feeling like it was dragged out. I think a lot of people would feel the same frustration. It just wasn't quite clever enough or pretty enough to carry it off, and I didn't find any of the characters likeable enough to just watch them for the sake of watching them.

Tales from the Loop is art. From the perfectly timeless visuals to the enduring relationships between the towns' characters and the sublime music -- this series should be in an art gallery.

It is slow, it is melancholy, it is dark, as it should be. It is also sensitive, moving and so very well done. The last episode had me in tears.

Such an antidote to today's formulaic films. Thank you!

I almost gave up on the idea of watching the show, due to all the negative reviews here. Luckily, I decided to give it a chance nevertheless.

WOW! If Stranger Things and Black Mirror had a baby, this would be it. The beautiful reminiscence of Swedish rural countryside from the early 90s, squared Volvo cars blended with rusty imaginary machinery, all wrapped in cinematic dusk lighting, truly reflecting the mood of Simon Stålenhag's artworks.

I think some people were expecting epic battles between humans and Stålenhag's dystopian machines. I understand that by looking at his artwork one can imagine such scenes, so these people are surely disappointed and they're now writing negative reviews.

But instead, the storytelling of this show brings us back to a true, classic SciFi narrative, where the plotline is more focused on psychology of various "what if" scenarios, such as the ones we saw in "Black Mirror". The Stålenhag's art direction is still visible, but it's not the central subject of the show.

Every episode can be watched as an individual movie, although the characters are interconnected. If you are a true SciFi fan, just ignore all the negative reviews and watch this show.

It's not typical TV series. The ideas inside, the change of action and surprises caused my brain to constantly processing. As a engineer myself, I enjoyed the tech and alternative world. I really hope there will be more season. What a masterpiece!

If you like inception, you will like this one too.

Edit, one month later. After 3 episodes we quit watching, it just didn't interest us enough to watch more. Not that it is a bad show, but we couldn't see an interesting story unfold and there are lots of other shows to watch.

Original impressions, one month earlier: My wife and I have started watching this on Amazon streaming, two of the eight episodes down so far. My initial impression - it is interesting but hardly anything is explained. Very unusual things happen, presumably related to something going on below ground in "The Loop" where locals work. Is this set in the future, or in some parallel universe? This sort of approach worked fine in shows like "Twilight Zone" back in the 1960s but today's audiences, I think, require some connection, some explanation.

This is the type of series that requires great viewer trust, that is trust that by the time all episodes are watched some sort of overall story, an interesting story, has emerged. If not, if these just turn out to be interesting but shallow episodes then I will be very upset with the producers of the show. Upset for betraying my trust. Eight hours is a long time to spend just watching interesting things without some rhyme and reason to tie it all together.

First episode is a good start, which begins the weaving between each episode. The attention to detail in the sets, the acting are all excellent. The SciFi little twist and turns are also very good. But it starts to loose momentum with the pacing, its very slow in revealing any new relevant information. Characters are built well but then it is dragged out with very long pauses of just watching them! It felt like this was done to get each episode to 1 hour, 30 minutes would have solved this.

The other aspect is there more the dark side of humanity rather than the light, with so many kids as key players there is a lot of painful moments with more dark twists than up lifting .

I did like the weaving of characters between each episode and believe it has huge potential, but the pacing will turn a lot away from getting to the end of the series.

This is show is incredibly stylish. Beautifully made. A real work of art. Its really great to see a show of this caliber being produced today, in the age of the short attention span. Granted, you have to be in a certain mood. I watched it over a extended period. If you're patient, it will certainly reward you.

Some episodes are better than others. I tend to agree with the individual rating on each. It's not overly complex. Each episodes has its own simple story line, strong in concept. Perhaps not each story is entirely unique in the realms of science fiction, but in this particular setting, it does feel new. It doesn't rely on effects either, so it's strong concepts may give it a long life.

A breath of fresh air and an absolute pleasure to watch. Sadly I think the TikTok generation won't be watching in droves so we may not see a second season. At least there is this. A real achievement.

This is old school sci fi/thriller/evocative story and its good,,,,and bad. The stories themselves are obviously conjoined within "The Loop", but far enough apart so you can jump in at any episode and not be out of sync. However, the endless melancholy makes me feel as depressed as listening to a Leonard Cohen funeral dirge. Much like that other classic "Lost", i'm sure it'll make sense in the end, but i'm sorry i wont be able to make it till season 7. The idea of finding out, its just some psycho's wet dream is too predictable to wait for.

A rare example of what science fiction can achieve, with a subtlety in its thoughtful pacing that is rarer still. Almost certainly this was what failed to appeal to the mass market, since its languorous tempo will drive the mainstream attention-deficit audience out of their tiny minds.

Some well-worn and yet timeless themes are refreshed by gentle treatment.

Unspoken secrets (episode 1) Jealousy (episode 2) Conformity, Fear of responsibility / not wanting to grow up / peter pan syndrome? (episode 3) Existentialism (episode 4) Desire for control / overprotectiveness (episode 5) Forbidden love / possessiveness and the pleasure of its unattainability (episode 6) Guilt and Alienation (episode 7) Grief, nostalgia and the death of innocence (episode 8)

Understated, powerful performances and sympathetic acting.

Inevitably a product of its times, and so occasionally lacking in subtlety plus somewhat heavy handed in its treatment of gender politics. And there are a couple of sex scenes that are unnecessary and were better left to the imagination, not least of all because the majority of the story is suggestive instead of explicit. Perhaps it is a matter of taste.

Supposedly the series was inspired by a painting, which under normal circumstance would not be a recommendation in its favour however for those that are able to work their way through it all, you may be able to appreciate the metaphor in terms of a backdrop for powerful yet restrained drama - as in a theatre where a small number of actors demand your concentration.

Superb.

The story-writers and production team deserve great praise, and whoever it was at Amazon that made the case to purchase the series or - it is almost unimaginable to contemplate - commissioned it rather than relying on The Market to spew it out: we can all hope you get more opportunities to exercise your talents.

Firstly, excellent acting, cinematography, score and sound. The stories, while well-written, are so laborious and dull that I get agitated, and for this I blame the producers. Something more should be going on in every episode yet they all land flat... and depressing. Such a sad world each episode weaves into a larger season of a dreary tapestry. It doesn't feel worth any of the time I've spent watching. I wish the best for most of the people involved.

Not a show for the kind of people who need action, fighting, shooting and stupid smart-ass dialog to keep them interested. this is a piece of art that most will find is beyond them. much is left for the viewer to come to their own conclusions about why/how things happen.There are hints albeit subtle ones. i know for the people that need everything explained to them because they lack imagination ,this is a show killer. the complaints of being "slow" just shows immaturity. i love the pace the stories are told, many times without words. its an alternate reality where strange things happen to ordinary people and they just kind of go with it, never seeming to overwhelmed by the strangeness of it all. i hope for another season, we need more of this type of show.

Great images, but too convoluted story that does not know how to take advantage of these. It's a shame because the setting and the world created deserved more.

It was the kind of show I found myself excited to get back to when I wasn't watching it, so that says something, but when I was actually watching it I felt quite underwhelmed, which I think says even more. It was beautifully shot and directed and the cast gave mostly good performances, but this kind of writing is just not satisfying enough for me. It was really more of an anthology series, except that real anthology series have stronger and more complete stories within each separate entry. This was just one large loosely tied together plot in which really in the end not much happens and you can't help but ask yourself what was the point? Life is sad and fragile and destined to end in heartbreak? Maybe they could have conveyed that message a little more efficiently and with a bit more actual plot.

Episode 6 was the zenith of this shows failed potential. They had a great story to work with for that episode but did nothing meaningful with it. That episode especially, but others as well, was really a stain on the sci-fi brand.

I've heard others say they tied things together "beautifully" in the end, but I whole heartedly disagree. I think there were giant holes all over the place and whatever story lines they did tie together were not done with great thought and delivered very little viewer satisfaction. I have no problem with slow, but not when there is little to no reward waiting for you on the other side.