The Man in the High Castle, Amazon's addictive new thriller
Will dystopian drama about life in Nazi-ruled America become the next must-watch box set?
Amazon's big-budget dystopian thriller, The Man in the High Castle, debuts on its streaming service today and reviewers are already hooked.
The series, based on a book by sci-fi writer Philip K Dick, and scripted by Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files), imagines what life would be like in the US if the Nazis had won the Second World War. The pilot became Amazon's most-watched original drama when it debuted in January and from today the full season of ten episodes is available to download.
In this alternative history, it is 1962 and the US has been partitioned into three parts ruled by the Japanese, the Nazis, and a neutral zone that acts as a buffer between the two areas. The story focuses on Juliana (Alexa Davalos) a young aikido student who unwittingly becomes involved in a resistance movement when her sister is killed by the authorities.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Critics were impressed by the pilot and are now giving the season positive reviews.
Tim Goodman in the Hollywood Reporter calls The Man in the High Castle a "bold, intriguing, visually-impressive effort".
It's an oddly compelling twist on history, says Goodman, one that has a science fiction feel without spaceships or aliens but instead presents a kind of alien among us. Goodman concludes that this "refreshingly intriguing" series is "worth the investment".
Maureen Ryan in Variety agrees, saying The Man in the High Castle starts well and gains weight and heft as it goes.
Ryan praises the show's "fantastic world-building" that sees every single element of the Japanese Pacific States' San Francisco and the Greater Nazi Reich on the east coast given a tactile, detailed reality.
She adds that this "serious, ambitious drama" is less of a character study, and more a meditation on how powerful and corrosive forces work their way through society. It also asks whether individuals can really make a difference, says Ryan, and explores the answer in "an intelligent and visually exhilarating way".
James Poniewozik in the New York Times agrees that the show is "chilling" and "unsettling", but worries that the character building is weaker than the world building.
Juliana and her boyfriend Frank (Rupert Evans), the main ensemble leads, take a while to emerge as individuals, says Poniewozik. But Rufus Sewell stands out as a pitiless American Nazi leader who is also a mild-mannered patriarch at home.
Despite this, says Poniewozik, the show marries its heady ideas with an assortment of genres from sci-fi to espionage thriller and mysticism to create a mystery that is "bracing" and "addictive".
All episodes are available to download from Amazon.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 9, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - winter is coming, deflation, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 decidedly droll cartoons about the Democratic doom
Cartoons Artists take on the art of emoting, new directions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Juror #2: Clint Eastwood's 'cleverly constructed' courtroom drama is 'rock solid'
The Week Recommends Nicholas Hoult stars in 'morally complex' film about a juror on a high-profile murder case
By The Week UK Published
-
'Beast' of a lawsuit: YouTube star and Amazon sued by contestants over abuse claims
The Explainer Can the breakout YouTube star weather a growing scandal engulfing his forthcoming reality TV competition?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The Count of Monte Cristo review: 'indecently spectacular' adaptation
The Week Recommends Dumas's classic 19th-century novel is once again given new life in this 'fast-moving' film
By The Week UK Published
-
Death of England: Closing Time review – 'bold, brash reflection on racism'
The Week Recommends The final part of this trilogy deftly explores rising political tensions across the country
By The Week UK Published
-
Sing Sing review: prison drama bursts with 'charm, energy and optimism'
The Week Recommends Colman Domingo plays a real-life prisoner in a performance likely to be an Oscars shoo-in
By The Week UK Published
-
Kaos review: comic retelling of Greek mythology starring Jeff Goldblum
The Week Recommends The new series captures audiences as it 'never takes itself too seriously'
By The Week UK Published
-
Blink Twice review: a 'stylish and savage' black comedy thriller
The Week Recommends Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie stun in this film on the hedonistic rich directed by Zoë Kravitz
By The Week UK Published
-
Shifters review: 'beautiful' new romantic comedy offers 'bittersweet tenderness'
The Week Recommends The 'inventive, emotionally astute writing' leaves audiences gripped throughout
By The Week UK Published
-
How to do F1: British Grand Prix 2025
The Week Recommends One of the biggest events of the motorsports calendar is back and better than ever
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published