L'éternaute

I'm afraid this reviews are completely biased. Argentinian folks are crazy fanatics about any cultural product they do and they're brigading to keep the stars up. I understand the love they have for the comic book, since The Eternaut is a book you can find in most homes and it's recommended for kids early in their lives. This adaptation is really good and that's it. It's not a "masterpiece" as some reviews are depicting it. Actors are expectedly fine; Ricardo Darin and Cesar Troncoso steal the show as usual.

I hope Netflix keeps founding LatAm projects, since is proven that great products can be made here.

The first 3 episodes burn a bit slowly with lots of personal affairs and getting to know our band of heroes. But once the puzzle pieces fall into place around episode 4, things begin to unfold on a larger stage. The atmosphere is such that I expected jump scares most of the time, it's quite tense, and of course it is, nobody really know what's going on, and yet you get the feeling many times that something isn't quite right.

I can highly recommend anyone that enjoy "War of the Worlds"/"V" style shows and movies to give this one a go. It's not quite like anything I've seen before, and I really look forward to following seasons as of course season 1 ends with a bit of a cliffhanger.

Amazingly this was done with a 15 million dollar budget. Every dollar was excellently spent. I found all the effects quite good and it's not unnecessarily gory or bloody.

I'll be looking forward to the next season.

Dear reader, I know you may be confused reading the reviews for El Eternauta. Hopefully this is a good sign.

I myself, just can't get over the reviews of others complaining about "people being quiet" because they can't wrap their head around the concept of the rest of the world not being constantly living in a hyperstimulated world.

So yes, this is not a Hollywood script. People are not jacked, they do not have highly-confrontational relationships with their friends and neighbors, they are almost, let's say, "human".

And "El Eternauta", a original story from the late 50s, is very much a study in the nature of being human.

The protagonist is not a hero, he is a old man, whose primary interest is to keep his friends and family alive and well. He has a normal wife, he is not strong, charismatic, or has any other exceptional qualities aside from those that all common people share.

Faced with a terrible disaster, an apocalypse, he struggles to survive as best as he can, sometimes making errors in judgment.

If you are looking for a show that has that sense of mystery, but doesn't have the same usual tropes that modern scrips have, you totally should watch this. It's in spanish, but the subtitles are very good. The acting is up to par, the visual aspect is great when it comes to the sets, not so great with the CGI, but more than passable. Good direction and production.

And, for once, it's 6 episodes and it's done. You will not have to wait for years just for the show to get cancelled.

My vote: 7.5/10.

A bit of context for American folks: You're used to seeing sci-fi productions set in your own towns. Your industry is huge-Hollywood, whether through independent or commercial films, has explored every movie genre there is. But for us Argentinians, sci-fi is a largely unexplored genre, and large-scale productions like this are extremely rare.

El Eternauta is an adaptation of a 1957 graphic novel. In this part of the world, you don't usually see major apocalyptic events happening on our soil-every alien in the universe tends to invade the first world first. But in El Eternauta, the catastrophe happens right here. That's why it's so compelling and special for us to see the streets of Buenos Aires covered in toxic snow (it has only snowed twice here in the last 100 years!) or our local buses overturned by giant beetles.

And please, don't watch it dubbed.

Much respect to dubbing actors, but every show or movie feels less authentic when dubbed. Subtitles don't hurt, seriously. We've been reading them for years and it really changes the experience.

That being said-WOW!

I didn't know we had this level of FX and makeup artists in my country! The costume design, the effects, the production design, the makeup, the script-it's all incredible. I couldn't be prouder. Amazing performances, amazing storytelling. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen for even a second. I was nervous, totally immersed in the story-and that's a rare feeling to have while sitting in your own living room.

The acting was excellent, with just a couple of exceptions. For example, Carla Peterson-I've seen her in many TV comedies, but she doesn't quite work for drama, in my opinion. Her delivery didn't feel natural. But the rest of the cast? Outstanding! I loved seeing both familiar faces and completely new ones.

I also read that El Eternauta was filmed using StageCraft (the same production technology used by Lucasfilm for The Mandalorian). There are only three studios in the world with that technology-and one of them is just a few blocks away.. That makes me even prouder.

In short: an amazing and incredible show. I can't wait for the next season!

I'm a UK viewer watching the original version with English subtitles. I think this has a good slow-burn human story about an event & invasion, and all the problem solving & personal drama that ensues.

If you are after another US-centric, Hollywood cheese-fest, like Independence Day or Starship Troopers then look elsewhere.

But for those who like their plots to revolve around the unfolding of the narrative and human drama in sci-fi movies- this is a very decent watch. The principal male character is excellent, and i think I've seen him before in other Argentinian films.

I think the bad reviews will largely come from the US and the sort of sci fans that like explosion based fun and marvel film style battles, rather than drama.