'Utopia' Season 1 Review: British show remake on pandemic squanders chance to tell a gripping conspiracy thriller
For fans of the original series, 'Utopia' is not a great remake, missing out on the grittiness, depth and sense of importance of the all-encompassing conspiracy the British show managed to bring about. Unfortunately for new fans, the series does not hold up all that well on its own, featuring a roster of bland characters, empty stakes and an approach that continually undermines its own seriousness with the silliness of the situation. It's a show that can't quite decide what it's meant to be, and though it places a lot of importance on its twists, turns and big reveals, it's not long before you're wondering why you should be invested in the first place.
'Utopia' is the story of five fans of the comic book 'Dystopia' — a graphic novel written by a mysterious anonymous author featuring the adventures of Jessica Hyde saving her father from the clutches of Mr Rabbit. More importantly, however, is that hidden within the comic's art are clues that have predicted most of the world's major pandemics. When the sequel comic 'Utopia' is discovered, the five comic book fans decide to meet up and bid for it, but they're not the only ones who are after the book.
There are those who will stop at nothing to make sure that the comic never sees the light of day, and the only person who can save the nerds is none other than the comic's protagonist herself — Jessica Hyde (Sasha Lane). Narrowly escaping death, the group work together to uncover the conspiracy hidden within the comic's pages, and try to save everyone from what comes next.
The series takes a pop art approach to its storytelling, which makes for some incredible visuals that are the highlight of the show. It's shot beautifully and it's a fun series to watch when the story's not getting in the way. The show's ostensible protagonist, Jessica Hyde, maintains a near-constant level of eccentric ruthlessness in a script that doesn't give her a lot of room to do much else. The comic book nerds are largely forgettable characters, with the exception of Ian (Dan Byrd), a continual wet blanket constantly trying to center the story around him — pointing out the flaws of the show's events that make both him and the events that much harder to watch.
Added to the series is John Cusack's Kevin Christie, the head of a pharmaceutical company, world visionary and charismatically strange enough to be a cult leader in his own right. He and his family are at the heart of the conspiracy being uncovered, in an attempt to give the series a course of villainy. Joining him is Rainn Wilson's Michael Stearns, a doctor with a possible cure for a recent outbreak of the virus who seems just as obsessed with his own validation as he is with saving the world. As a man obsessed with being right, he doesn't leave his 'The Office' character of Dwight Schrute far behind.
While the show is a lot tamer than its British counterpart, it's still rather violent — though the violence very much plays into the shows pop aesthetic, feeling more absurdly over the top as opposed to disturbing. 'Utopia' is a series that wants you to have fun watching it as much as it wants you to take it seriously, and can't seem to settle on which of those two things it would prefer for you to think. As one of the first major series to feature a national pandemic during a time of an actual, global pandemic, the show squandered an opportunity to make the most of the times for a truly gripping, relevant story, and though it asks you to look closer to find the deeper meaning hidden underneath, it's hard to imagine anyone really wanting to.
All episodes of 'Utopia' are now available to stream on Amazon Prime.