Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams

Despite some Electric Dreams episodes feeling overly familiar or their execution being less interesting than some similar sci-fi takes elsewhere, none of them are a turn-off and there are some real gems to be found here.

Unless your mind is very fresh to these subjects, it will not be blown, but that is not to say you won't fret over the fate of the characters, or feel their feelings, or hope for the hopeful rather than hopeless outcome. (You will get both sorts of conclusion, in more or less equal portions.)

All in all, Electric Dreams contains more hits than misses and a couple of real gems. Let’s hope that it is the shape of things to come: a sign that television is going to invest heavily in science-fiction storytelling that is diverting, eye-catching and dramatically pleasing.

Whereas Netflix’s “Black Mirror” deals with near-future technology angst, the Amazon series is more speculative. Each episode differs not only in look but in tone. So in this binge climate, it is nice having something worth binging that you can also take your time with, and “Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams” is that.

As with all anthology series, Electric Dreams is hit-and-miss, but the hits far outweigh the misses. A large majority of Electric Dreams is worth your time, especially if you’re a fan of Dick’s work, with only one episode that really misfires, offset by one that’s a mini-masterpiece. And the eight in between are what could safely be called “pretty good.”

Electric Dreams works because there's a fascinating nugget of insight about humanity in every episode, even if they don't always succeed. There's a reason we keep returning to Dick's works over and over again, and it's worth visiting his Electric Dreams if only to remind us why.

After a strong start, Electric Dreams meanders through a few uninspired segments--and like any anthology series, those weaker episodes detract from the overall sense of wonder and engagement. But Dick’s visions retain such appeal, and the execution of the better entries (helmed by some excellent directors, including Dee Rees and Julian Jarrold) land so forcefully that the show outpaces its missteps, delivering a smart and transportive sci-fi series that cleverly finds its most human moments in the least humane of situations.

Like all anthologies, some hours are better than others (but most of these are good), and what Dreams lacks in razzle-dazzle, it makes up for in brains.

While, overall, it is not as consistently compelling as Black Mirror, Electric Dreams is a worthy addition to a genre--the anthology series--that is in the midst of a renaissance.

It is uneven in the extreme. ... With this series and Netflix’s Black Mirror, the sci-fi anthology series is now back as a revitalized genre.

The best episodes ask you to engage with the ideas more than they faithfully recreate his narrative, but there aren’t enough of them. (“The Commuter” and “Kill All Others” are the only two standouts.)

In a series that doesn’t meet its potential, “The Commuter” is the best of alternatives.

The series is wildly uneven, with, among those I watched, some strong and affecting hours as well as some overly long, poorly designed, and thematically scrambled hours.

While these stories are as lavishly produced as they are impressively cast, they soon begin to seem rather mechanical. Or preachy. [8-21 Jan 2018, p.13]