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?
![The Man in the High Castle](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/abTfxapfVpoUDG4Y56fmrT-415-80.jpg)
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.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
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.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
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
-
Red Speedo: a 'darkly comic' doping drama
The Week Recommends Lucas Hnath's play stars Finn Cole as a 'reptilian' swimmer determined to win at all costs
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
One Aldwych: where London's creative spirit takes centre stage
The Week Recommends This five-star Covent Garden hotel is the epitome of elegant independence
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Charlotte Dujardin and equestrianism's dark side
In the Spotlight Olympic gold medallist and dressage star's suspension over horse whipping brings abuse in horse sports back into the spotlight
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Douglas Is Cancelled: Hugh Bonneville plays a shamed news presenter
The Week Recommends Cancel culture drama is mostly 'clever and sharp'
By The Week UK Published
-
A Quiet Place: Day One – the 'pleasant surprise of the summer'
The Week Recommends Silence is golden in this prequel to the popular 2018 apocalyptic thriller
By The Week UK Published
-
The Bikeriders: Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy star in high-octane drama
The Week Recommends Film inspired by 1968 book about notorious biker gang in Chicago
By The Week UK Published
-
Raffles London at The OWO review: a quintessentially British stay
The Week Recommends This heritage building has been given a twist as a luxury hotel in the nation's capital
By Leaf Arbuthnot, The Week UK Published
-
The Young Woman and the Sea: Daisy Ridley stars as 'tenacious' heroine
The Week Recommends The film explores the story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim across the Channel
By The Week UK Published
-
Has Bridgerton lost the plot?
Talking Point Return of the hit Regency series has divided both fans and critics
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Michelangelo – the last decades review: an 'absorbing' exploration of art
The Week Recommends New exhibition focuses on works from the final 30 years of the artist's long career
By The Week UK Published
-
Silversea cruise review: a Central and North American adventure
The Week Recommends An incredible journey featuring cultural exploration, cooking classes, comfort and more
By Yasemen Kaner-White Published