infiniti

Great series really. At first I had doubts because at the same time interesting, at the same time slow.

But the pace and the storyline justify watching the whole series. Don't rely on the notes of people who couldn't see it in full.

Stunningly shot with excellent performances, but very slow moving and more concerned with being ambiguous and leaving mysteries unresolved than addressing its convoluted plot. There is no satisfying ending to this genre mash-up, and it left me scratching my head in frustration as to what the hell actually happened. Too long with no actual pay off or meaningful explanation for the paradox that drives the first episode. This show gets lost in its bleak setting and smoke filled interiors, assuming that the audience will find these unusual locations compelling enough to not worry about the narrative. Perhaps the meaning we are looking for is that there's literally no meaning, and that's a bummer because there are loads of other shows out there that provide smarter and compelling resolutions to their mysteries. Sadly, this show is beautiful to look at but a complete waste of time that will make you feel cheated and angry.

I love shows that transport you into new realms and artfully mix genres. But this is nothing like any Star Trek episode. With fantastic acting and an obvious big budget, it spins a carefully unraveling mystery that mostly takes place in the wilds of Kazakhstan. The filmmakers should be congratulated for taking a narrative risk and stepping out of the box to create a unique, absorbing series.

I have to speak as I find and what I found was a series that is half in heavily-accented English. Despite the virtual impossibility of being able to follow what some of the actors were saying in that language, there were no subtitles for the English parts. I sat right by the television and it didn't help at all in many scenes.

EDIT NUMBER ONE

//The proficiency of some of the cast in English was variable. There was a couple of real stinkers. However, virtually none of the cast was what I'd call completely fluent. So often it seemed that they were reciting their lines and not acting them. Dialogue was stilted and unconvincing. This even affected those whose first language was English - or maybe they were just useless actors. //

A further disadvantage was that someone had decided to use a small off-white font for the subtitles provided for the non-English parts. Due to the terrain of Kazakhstan, vastnesses, deserts and bright sun, this meant that they often could not be read.

EDIT NUMBER TWO

//I found subs for just the English parts that I added. These were actually better than the hardcoded subs as they had a black background. So at least I was able to follow the entire plot//

Both of these defects conspired to irritate me and finally forced me to switch off. This was a shame as so many of the reviews are good.

EDIT NUMBER THREE

//So, I managed to get it all seen. I was really pleased to see Daniyar Alshinov in a leading rôle. I'd seen him in A Dark Dark Man a couple of years ago and he was just as good here. In fact, the Kazakh and Russian actors were far more convincing when speaking their own languages. Alshinov though was good in both languages having proper fluency in English.//

EDIT NUMBER FOUR

//I'd left a mark of four last time and I'm not going to change it. The plot was pretty ridiculous and the philosophical flights of fancy did not convince. I wanted to find out what happened but it was perfectly ludicrous.

Can I recommend this? Not really. //

It's a slow burner, no doubt about that, but a very well developed project until the fifth installment when the bubble bursts and from then on, it's just formalities.

I do not know anything about the French female lead, but her Kazakh counterpart is excellent with his film noire like behaviour, sad, disillusioned and basically broken. The story develops slowly but becomes compelling overtime. The production value is excellent and the camera work is quite spectacular sometimes. I adore that the home video style shaky camera work is absent all together.

All in all, this is a good show - if you a sci-fi fan.