Produced by Sony Pictures for Britain's Channel 4, with hopes that AMC might jump on board, "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams" begins its Amazon Prime premiere on Jan 12.
The ten-episode anthology was produced by Bryan Cranston (of the eponymous author's inspired "Total Recall '12"); Ronald D. Moore; and Michael Dinner, triggered by (though not exclusive to) various themes presented in Dicks' fantastic fiction.
For the most part, the stories essay cognitive and civil-liberty issues that may occur in the future, which means they're disguised examples of what may occur today. A strong cast helps bring these allegories to life, featuring Cranston; Steve Buscemi; Geraldine Chaplin; Vera Farmiga; Terence Howard; Greg Kinnear; Ana Paquin; Jack Reynor; Timothy Spall; and Benedict Wong. The fables are written by such speculative bards as Matthew "Life on Mars" Graham; Ronald "Battlestar Galactica" Dowl; Travis "Pacific Rim" Beacham; and Jack "Star Wars IX" Thorne.
The content, along with its questioning tone, will be familiar to viewers, having already entered the annals of "Star Trek"; "Science Fiction Theatre"; "Twilight Zone"; "Outer Limits"; "Black Mirror"; among others. The series also stands as a roundabout companion to the films based on Dick's work, with the original "Blade Runner" and "Total Recall" in the forefront. (Also, that Channel 4's debut of the series coincided with "Blade Runner 2049'"s theatrical release can't be coincidental. Heck, the android sequel also hits disc just a few days after the Amazon series loads. How's that for some apt, thematic overlap!)
If the British buzz is accurate, "Electric Dreams" ought to be a treat for U.S. viewers. If the latter embraces the show's content, it could spawn annual incarnations, much like Amazon's additional Dick tribute, "Man in the High Castle". Let's keep our fingers crossed (carbon based and synthetic) that "Electric Dreams" does, in fact, possesses that imposing potential.
I found the series interesting and at times, moving. Certain episodes touched me more than others (i.e., some were more identifiable to me than others), but the variance among the content (with some being quite futuristic, and others being no more than a day's jump into the future) was a wise move. It gave the presentation more of a "Twilight Zone"/"Outer Limits" texture.
ReplyDeleteI understand the "Black Mirror" comparisons, but in its atmospheric design, "Electric Dreams" often reminded me of "Ray Bradbury Theater" and/or the '80s "Twilight Zone" (the CBS revival, not the theatrical film). It also smacked of the short-lived "Masters of Science Fiction".
I'd like to see another batch of episodes. Will keep my fingers crossed...