Murderbot

A standout Skarsgård, with excellent support, in an entertaining send-up of cyborgs— but strictly for sci-fi fans only.

There’s much more in play here than simple entertainment as “Murderbot” explores the value of free will and our inherent need to roam and explore so we can enrich our soul.

Wells devotees are bound to have their quibbles with the way "Murderbot" makes the leap from page to screen. Those issues aside, and apart from the occasional pacing hiccup, this a remarkable new series packed with humor, heart, and big ideas that are both constantly present and never in the way of a thumping good sci-fi story.

Some viewers who are unfamiliar with the source material will likely find the contradiction between the show’s title and its content jarring. But, much like its central character, Murderbot doesn’t care, gleefully embracing all the weirdness and contradictions inherent within itself and reveling in them.

Like Wells’ books, the Apple TV+ series—written and directed by About a Boy filmmakers Paul and Chris Weitz—is accessible and funny.

Murderbot is certainly a quirky show, but it has a good combination of fun and human moments, punctuated by a surprisingly funny performance by Alexander Skarsgård.

This winning dose of cosy escapism will warm the cockles of any heart, artificial or otherwise. The uplifting effect is achieved via a gag-filled script, more Seinfeld than cyberpunk. To that is added an optimistic message about the importance of human connection.

With a unique premise, interesting world, and clever humour, the dedicated performances by all of its cast members are endearing enough to make you want to see more adaptations of Wells’s universe being brought to life.

When held up against book-to-screen adaptations, Murderbot will arguably go down as one of the strongest so far this year, as well as one of Apple TV+'s best sci-fi shows yet, thanks to a delightfully layered lead performance from Skarsgård, a terrific ensemble fortified by Dumezweni and Dastmalchian, and a perfect blend of laugh-out-loud comedy and high-stakes drama.

It’s a wryly funny sci-fi comedy with a robot trying to understand humans, even if it would be easier to just kill them all instead.

An odd but welcome diversion.

Really, though, this is Skarsgård’s show, and he only acquits himself better as the premiere progresses.

The Apple TV+ adaptation is a pip, but the world-building is fuzzy. .... Gradually, like Pinocchio, Murderbot becomes a real boy. Or something like it.

On screen we see Murderbot from the outside. There’s no avoiding it, and for better and for worse, that move into a world seen from beyond Murderbot’s perspective flattens everything into a story that’s simpler, sillier, and lighter. The show’s biggest boon is Skarsgård, who plays Murderbot with an unblinking straightness that still manages to read as a whole palette of emotional experience.

It’s a decidedly silly show, but one in which Skarsgard, who so brilliantly plays sociopathic men, portrays a disdainful but soft-eyed killing machine with a lot of anxious “humanity.”

Murderbot isn’t an exact recreation of the books — and it’s too irreverent to be the kind of thing Murderbot would enjoy — but it’s very fun and satisfying as its own thing.

After 10 episodes of the new Apple TV+ series, Skarsgard’s interpretation of the character became one I appreciated tremendously. Creators Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz’s grasp on the property’s tone and world-building is less effective for me and, unlike with Skarsgard’s performance, I never came around to fully embracing its validity. Still, I like Skarsgard more than I dislike the bland overall approach.

A jokey saga that hinges on the caustic drollness of its protagonist.

The season is nearly half over before Murderbot’s dynamic with its team, and the ongoing mystery about the slaughtered researchers, really start to develop. When Murderbot finally starts voicing its annoyance to Mensah and the team, the series gets a lot more entertaining.

Fans of the books may have mixed reactions to this adaptation, which successfully recreates the snarky humor of the novels (particularly for Murderbot itself) but doesn't entirely nail the deeper sociopolitical underpinnings.

Though the pacing improves and the characters’ interactions become more meaningful as the series goes on, when “stupid fucking humans” remains the bulk of the commentary and “I don’t have a stomach so I can’t throw up but if I did, I would” are a representative sample of humour, it feels like a wasted opportunity.

For the story of a (possibly) murderous robot learning the value of love, it has surprisingly little soul. But it is, still, a romp. Skarsgård’s ability to pair his chiselled, leading man good looks with a very goofy sense of humour (recently utilised to good effect in Succession) makes Murderbot an enjoyable, lightweight watch.

As a comedy it’s not especially funny, but an intriguing premise, weirdo mood and enjoyable performance from Skarsgård carry it over the line.

While “Murderbot” is interesting to think about as a weird, somewhat wild swing for Apple TV+, it doesn’t exactly thread the needle of all these competing interests and genres. Instead, it feels purposely unclassifiable. That’s fine, in and of itself, but the show is never as funny or mysterious or heady as perhaps the filmmakers intended.

Skarsgård, for his part, is excellent here, offering up a performance that nails the character’s tightrope-walk between playing along as an unfeeling droid and warming up to its meek, weak charges. I do wish that was enough, though, and despite the elegant production design and admirable effects, “Murderbot” feels like a sci-fi comedy still searching for identity.

Though the series has promising aspects – namely because of Skarsgård’s performance, a flimsy plot and uneven pacing may fail to keep viewers tuned in.

Buoyed by some blissfully short episode runtimes, Murderbot eventually finds tension and intrigue in its home stretch, though you need to wade through some graceless filmmaking to get there.