Altered Carbon

Netflix | Release Date: February 2, 2018

6.9	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 128 Ratings

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User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

SankarriMar 1, 2020

The main conflict of the series could be solved with [memory recording], which is already used in the second episode, which would prove Kovach innocent ...

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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AWESOM-0Jan 17, 2020

Not terrible but it does miss the mark on some of the important things that made the novel good. Not just talking details, but about some of the little things that made the characters likable.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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AbomlolMar 1, 2020

Enjoyed Season 1 and thought it had the fantastic potential for growth, quite similar to Westworld Season 1 -> 2. Unfortunately, just like Westworld, Season 2 of Altered Carbon wriggles around in what should be a more profound realization ofEnjoyed Season 1 and thought it had the fantastic potential for growth, quite similar to Westworld Season 1 -> 2. Unfortunately, just like Westworld, Season 2 of Altered Carbon wriggles around in what should be a more profound realization of the Sci-Fi created in Season 1, become reductive and bland. There are glimmers of proper development, but they're overshadowed by two-dimensional characters in which we vest nothing. The spectacle and illusion are beautiful, but that's about it.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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yusepMar 7, 2020

Season 1 - 8 - good
Season 2 - 1 - disaster

Average 4.5 - sad it ended this way.

Season 1 - 8 - good
Season 2 - 1 - disaster

Average 4.5 - sad it ended this way.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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streetspirit666Mar 5, 2020

Ordinary. Full of tropes and stereotypes you've seen a million times. Nothing special here really.
Biggest issue I have: it lacks imagination (which is a huge fault in a sci fi). I'll give you an example: Po as an AI is exactly like any otherOrdinary. Full of tropes and stereotypes you've seen a million times. Nothing special here really.
Biggest issue I have: it lacks imagination (which is a huge fault in a sci fi). I'll give you an example: Po as an AI is exactly like any other human in the show's universe. The writer couldn't imagine how a fully functional general AI would be, so they just wrote it/him as a human in a hologram.
Also changing actors for the same character is a big mistake IMO. the actors act the characters in very different ways, as if it's a completely new character. Gestures, accents, everything changes when actors change. You might as well think the 2nd season is about a completely new character, and you would be correct to think so.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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TavoMolinaMar 11, 2020

2nd season is crap. The same old boring story re-re-re-rewritten as in any other mindless tv series or movie. The arc of Poe is the only thing worthy of mentioning.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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xdestronAug 30, 2022

Season 1 is pretty good if you're in the mood for high Sci-fi. Rating: 8

Season 2 is just not good. Rating: 2

I'll average it out at 6.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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MeritCobaSep 10, 2020

I really don't care what the novel told, since I didn't read it and even if I did program makers are in my opinion free to tell their own stories. And us to criticize them for it. A comparison is valid, just to spite the makers if the sourceI really don't care what the novel told, since I didn't read it and even if I did program makers are in my opinion free to tell their own stories. And us to criticize them for it. A comparison is valid, just to spite the makers if the source material is better, and here is the thing: I hope that novel was less boring than this.

The first season was interesting because it introduced us to a new world with new things to explore. I liked the Poe character. I liked the sleeved idea less as it opened a can of worms that never got fixed. If you can just re-sleeve death stop to have meaning and if death stops to have any meaning, it should impact your society profoundly. But its impact isn't really explored and it feels shallow and just a cool feature to the story. Yes, it is suggested that only the most wealthy can pay for it, but this is never felt to be an issue. lead to revolts or whatever.

Also the protagonist, while played by a likable actor, was pretty cliche. Some kind of resistance fighter that got brought back to life to solve a murder he had no stake in. His main drive is reconnecting with his lost love. It never is explained why this particular guy is resurrected, except well, that he is.

The problems surface in season two where we see the main hero being re-sleeved twice in the first episode alone. Wait, wasn't this something only the rich could afford? So how come he can do it twice? It feels like he is just having a change of clothes. It is devoid of meaning and feels more like an excuse to shove in other actors or to have people killed without consequences.

And the story. Well, the protagonist gets hired by a rich dude to protect him from unnamed killers, but he gets killed before the protagonist is back from being re-sleeved. So our protagonist has to solve the murder because that way he can find his lost love.

Wait a minute:... that is almost beat for beat the story from the first season!

But really. I don't care to find out who killed this person that I hardly know nor do I care if our hero finds his love because he probably won't as we need to allow for a third season. This quest is just a MacGuffin. What really made me stop watching was when they came up with the Yakuza. Seems the protagonist wasn't just a resistance fighter but apparently also in league with one of those groups. Oh and he hates the rich, except for the Yakuza boss: he respect him.

The final nail in the coffin was when Yakuza boss started to reminisce about the past. Those were the times.You know, murdering and murdering and murdering. And also drugs pushing, forced prostitution and extortion. Oh wait, not this guy of course. He never wanted that. Because you know, homicidal gangsters are in their hearts well-meaning good guys who are just misunderstood, or forced to do stuff against their will by society and the cops. Blame them, not us.

Yeah, right.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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jsharbourMar 28, 2020

Lots and lots of style with very light substance due to mediocre writing and really dreadful dialogue.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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