TL;DR – This is one of those Sci-Fi shows that has you wondering what the hook is going to be and then it hits you.

Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars

Review –

While there have been a lot of issues, one of the best things to come out of the new streaming world has been a new wave or really interesting Science Fiction TV shows. At the heart of this, but by no means the only contributor, has been Netflix that has had a huge slate of really interesting Sci-Fi content. Well, today we get to take a look at its newest addition Another Life with an exploration of its pilot episode Across the Universe.  

Overall, there was a lot of interesting facets in this first episode, but one thing I really liked was the production. The design for the Salvare has facets that are instantly recognisable but also are a little unique. The rings have a visual language of a rotating gravity ship, but there is internal gravity so there is an interesting juxtaposition. The standing sets are also really interesting mixing a bland of high-tech and also maybe-we-filmed-this-in-a-warehouse-somewhere that kind of works. Also, I am a sucker for astronomy, so you had me sucked in the moment you stopped at Sirius A, which they showed in all its glory.

When it came to all the characters, the first episode throws a lot at you, but wisely only focuses in on a few. I think Katee Sackhoff did a perfectly fine job once it got into the episode and a lot of the stiffness from the start disappeared. While there is a lot going on, I think the standout will be Samuel Anderson as William the ship’s holographic interface. There is a lot going on there that I think we will see developed in future episodes. Though, I think this might be the best looking cast I have seen in a show in a long while.

The story is the area where it didn’t quite work out for me at least at the start, and because we are talking about the story there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. A large chunk of this episode revolves around a conflict between Niko and the captain she is replacing Ian (Tyler Hoechlin). Unfortunately, this conflict feels really forced because it makes no sense that a military or other type of ship would keep him on board to avoid the very situation they find themselves in. It works itself out in the end, quite dramatically, but the set up could have used some more work. When it comes to the world-building, there is not a lot there, but there are little nuggets of information about the world, like that Washington DC flooded that lets you know where we are.

In the end, do we recommend Across the Universe? Well yes. The story holds it back a little bit, but then that ending made me want to immediately watch the next episode, so that is always a good sign. The cast is interesting, and the scenario is good, though they could dial back the F-word from every sentence a little. More than that, I am interested to see where the rest of the show goes.       

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Another Life yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Another Life
Directed by – Omar Madha
Written by – Aaron Martin
Created by – Aaron Martin
Production/Distribution Companies – Halfire Entertainment & Netflix
Starring – Katee Sackhoff, Jake Abel, Samuel Anderson, Selma Blair, Jessica Camacho, Justin Chatwin, Alexander Eling, Tyler Hoechlin, Greg Hovanessian, Blu Hunt, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, Alex Ozerov, A.J. Rivera, JayR Tinaco, Barbara Williams, Lina Renna & Parveen Dosanjh