Quick Info
Utopia (UK) is a darkly comic conspiracy thriller that was almost sickeningly prescient in its predictions of a global pandemic. Telling the story of a group of online comic book fans who discover a manuscript with potentially world-ending revelations, the series then follows them as they're pursued by a shadowy organisation. The show was critically acclaimed for its stunning visuals and Peter Ferdinando's bone-chilling performance as Arby, the cold-blooded assassin.
The cinematography is a knockout, with each frame feeling like a pop-art painting that could hang in a gallery. However, the show's brutal violence and dark themes may not be to everyone's taste. The pacing is intense with a puzzle box narrative that only becomes clearer with each passing episode, adding to the general feeling of unease. The show frequently challenges our notions of good and evil, and that moral ambiguity is one of its most appealing aspects.
Where Utopia struggled was in its second season, which felt comparatively uneven and tonally disjointed. Happily, this is not enough to detract from the strange, unique and vivid ride that Utopia provides in its first season. Sci-fi thriller fans especially might find a lot to enjoy here, particularly those who appreciate Black Mirror-esq attempts to hold a distorting mirror up to modern society.
