Of all the genres of dystopia, perhaps the most favorable for all sorts of adaptations and extensions. And Brave New World is probably the most favorable for such a dystopia.
The lack of a strong attachment of the meaning of the book to its plot and characters and the focus of the reader’s attention on the device and description of the world, hypothetically opens up space for endless variations in the world of Huxley. Therefore, claims in the spirit of “not like a book” I will not be able to consider seriously.
The brave new world is not so much a story as a model. Working with a model untied hands, sometimes groundlessly, confident directors and screenwriters.
The picture in the series is amazing. The views of New London are full of futurism and constructivism. Natural curves and the rigor of geometric lines are combined in the local architecture and create a delightful landscape. Wildlands, unfortunately, do not look so good, but there are not so many of them in the series.
The work of the operator in places is also gorgeous. Some scenes are really good for the eyes. Bright colors, play of light and shadow. Epsilon choreography. The scene, accompanied by Jack, is worth a lot.
The music fits, trying to make a romantic get-together on a bench under Brian Eno is a very strange, sudden, but, nevertheless, a great hit. The atmosphere is created almost like in a classic film, but strange, as expected from such a moment in Brave New World.
Is it a masterpiece? Unfortunately, no. Working with the characters, the writers of the script created a very strange situation. Despite the soma, people in New London are constantly under stress. Most of the characters are being sidelined out of fear of being re-educated rather than enjoying the chemical high.
And the main problem here is that this is the plot. Indra, the creators of New London, the transformation of the deeply dependent Jack into an opinion leader after relocating to Brave London - all these plot elements would play normally if the New Londoners had a real idyll.
The abundance of negative emotions among soma consumers makes many elements of the plot very strange. Epsilons who regain their humanity are not so stupid. But the acquisition of humanity against the background of the surrounding castes is completely overwhelmed by human passions looks very strange.
This is not a wonderful or new world. The performance is excellent, but with a semantic load trouble. It seems that the writer and the director at some point completely forgot what the whole series was thinking.
The story is quite finished, so you can not look back on the cancellation of the second season. On such a leaven, it would hardly be adequate.