Brave New World

Peacock | Release Date: July 15, 2020

7.9	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 36 Ratings

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truerockJul 28, 2020

"Would you rather be happy or would you rather be free"
And that is the paradox. A question posited in or by just about every philosopher and religion (e.g. the Adam and Eve creation story in the Abrahamic text of the "Old Testament". An"Would you rather be happy or would you rather be free"
And that is the paradox. A question posited in or by just about every philosopher and religion (e.g. the Adam and Eve creation story in the Abrahamic text of the "Old Testament". An astute watcher will pick up on this in the first episode. If you don't catch it - near the end of the first season, one of the characters shouts it to a crowd of awakening populace.

This series is very loosely based on the Aldous Huxley book. It doesn't pretend to get into all of the philosophical details of book - but, it does address interesting and thought provoking issues.

The casting and acting are impeccable. The editing is not so good because of awkward cuts for commercial breaks. Otherwise the directing and camera work are excellent.

If you enjoy using the left and right side of your brain simultaneously while watching a show, you will probably like Brave New World 2020.

So why are professional critics writing poor reviews of this show?
Just reading them... perhaps the critics were given the first 6 episodes to screen and didn't see the last 3 episodes? So, I will point out that season 1 and especially the first 6 episodes of season 1 are somewhat a setup for a larger overall story that would come in subsequent seasons. So, attenuate your expectations accordingly. I think you would need to watch all 9 episodes to actually understand and appreciate the story... and then know it is only the beginning of a bigger story.

There are 3 basic philosophical issues that the show addresses and apparently plans to play against each other in future episodes of future seasons.

Additionally, if you read a review regarding Brave New World 2020 and the critic attempts to draw comparisons to West World know that critic is clueless.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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dr_zoidberg590Sep 15, 2020

Excellent and brave performances throughout, beautiful aesthetics, seriously thought-provoking TV. I'm confused by the low mainstream reviews. Possibly they're too past-it to get it?

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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TVJerryJul 24, 2020

This latest adaptation of Huxley's novel takes place primarily in New London, where the people are happily drugged, and monogamy and privacy are illegal. Of course, several of the characters find love after they bring back a "savage" from aThis latest adaptation of Huxley's novel takes place primarily in New London, where the people are happily drugged, and monogamy and privacy are illegal. Of course, several of the characters find love after they bring back a "savage" from a distant land (played by Alden Ehrenreich). Instead of integrating into their strict society, he expectedly sews discontent. The designers of this series create a dazzling world of impressive structures, high tech gimmicks and very cool costumes (one of the show's greatest assets). Ehrenreich continues to solidify his place as one of the best new leading men with his brooding, square-jawed charisma. The rest of the cast is fine too with the only humor provided by a delightfully perplexed Gamma (Matthew Aubrey) and it's a nice surprise to see Demi Moore. While the series starts well, the final few episodes dilute the narrative and slow the pace to allow for more human interaction. Still, it's well-mounted, visually appealing and enjoyable. (9 one-hour episodes)… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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DraelJul 16, 2020

This is an excellent show IMO. Good production, acting, writing, soundtracking. Very binge-able. It's set in the same setting as brave new world, but not the same story. Forget the book (and that doesn't need re-making anyway).

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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VicFerrariJul 30, 2020

Outstanding world building with phenomenal costume and elegant environment design (the amount of scenarios is mind boggling for television) aided by seamlessly integrated digital elements, support an engaging story and surprisinglyOutstanding world building with phenomenal costume and elegant environment design (the amount of scenarios is mind boggling for television) aided by seamlessly integrated digital elements, support an engaging story and surprisingly interesting characters given the concept. A timely exploration of conformity and group-think that has predictably found itself at odds with the critical blogosphere, which reviews fashionable politics instead of storytelling. Highly recommended.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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MaybeIJul 15, 2020

Forget the book. I like this show. Surprising in all the right ways. Thought-provoking and well made. The performances are top notch. And the production value is really impressive.

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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DeanomiteAug 16, 2020

This show is absolutely fantastic, a beautiful mirror of contemporary society, while coming from a book 100 years old. Aldous Huxley was a genius, if you can see The Devils (1971) it was a tremendous commentary as well. This was well acted,This show is absolutely fantastic, a beautiful mirror of contemporary society, while coming from a book 100 years old. Aldous Huxley was a genius, if you can see The Devils (1971) it was a tremendous commentary as well. This was well acted, photographed, filmed, scripted everything, a top notch production.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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JMGPJul 16, 2020

this show is totally sexy and entertaining and completely drew me in. enjoying the characters and seeing the two worlds colliding. I actually paid for premium so I could keep watching. They got me! They got me good.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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missywJul 16, 2020

I love this show! It's beautifully done and the cast is phenomenal. It's entertaining and yet thought provoking. I say check it out!

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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ElrondsmithJul 18, 2020

I liked this show from first episode... Finished the whole season in two days =) That's how it drew me in.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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Aidansmith11589Jul 16, 2020

Really enjoyed this series. Powerful performances, inspired casting, great cinematography and visual effects!

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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absoxSep 9, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Brave New World, but without the Brave. This adaptation fails to understand the basic premise of its source material, focusing on spectacle without substance. Perhaps most importantly, the showrunners seem to have forgotten to make the society of the World State a dystopia at all; while somewhat sensational, there is no coherent societal allegory contained within - and these deviations from the source only create further problems with the story, which the writers attempt to resolve by way of a convoluted AI conspiracy and problematic subplots which only open up more questions.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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ElthorSep 29, 2020

Short and sweet review: Starts off strong and riveting. Ends as a nonsensical train wreck.
Don't get sucked in. It is just not worth it.