Brave New World

The new series is a clever modern adaptation, engaging deeply with the source material while dispensing with Huxley’s glaringly racist themes and some of the misogyny, too.

Though the “Westworld” parallel applies to the affluent creeps-exploiting-the-poor in an amusement park narrative, “Brave New World” is much more rewarding to watch. Attention-getting scenes of good-looking people having orgies aside, “Brave New World” benefits from a dark wit -- which the grimly self-important “Westworld” has always lacked -- and which keeps it watchable.

The plot devolves a bit as it builds to an overcomplicated finale, and Ehrenreich is a bit of a blank spot, rightfully refusing to carry John with a pure protagonist’s swagger, but without finding the charisma we know he’s got during key scenes. Still, Season 1 is an emotionally intelligent thriller, and it looks damn good to boot.

It is a series well aware of its purpose as a confectionery gateway to synthetic emotion. As long as you're not expecting much longstanding value beyond that, you'll probably be happy with it.

With its small cast and heavy reliance on CGI, Brave New World has the look and feel of a modestly-priced Syfy miniseries. It will appeal strongly to some but not to most.

“Brave New World” begins as mostly serious and dystopian, but by episode four there’s a shift in tone. Whether by showrunner David Weiner’s design or network notes, the show lightens up, allowing for more moments of dark humor but also some weird character turns.

This isn’t a slow-burn Netflix drama with all the big plot points lurking in the finale; there are frequent, cheesy, surprising deaths. By the time the romantic triangle heats up, Brave New World has successfully put the “soap” back in “dystopia.”

Interesting looking and provocative in its themes (updating the 1932 book for modern consumption), "Brave New World" starts out with considerable promise and doesn't end nearly as well; still, at least the show feels big, strange and slightly different.