Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams

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Season 1
User Score
6.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 73 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 73
  3. Negative: 10 out of 73
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  1. temptershell
    Feb 5, 2018
    8
    Finally, we got an anthology based on little-known stories and in the quality that contemporary television needed. I am delighted with both the intro, the selection of actors and a significant half of the whole series. I want more.
  2. McGillotine
    Jan 13, 2018
    5
    Philip K. Dicks Electric Dreams is a confused mess with great concepts that lead to a sometimes insulting execution. Now to be fair i've always appreciated Philip K. Dick as more so a visionary of Sci-Fi worlds rather than a writer himself and i think that it would be safe to assume that most directors who adapt his work clearly think the same with works such as Do androids dream ofPhilip K. Dicks Electric Dreams is a confused mess with great concepts that lead to a sometimes insulting execution. Now to be fair i've always appreciated Philip K. Dick as more so a visionary of Sci-Fi worlds rather than a writer himself and i think that it would be safe to assume that most directors who adapt his work clearly think the same with works such as Do androids dream of electric sheep? developed into the vastly superior film Blade Runner, Electric dreams takes a very similar route taking the overall concept of one of Dick's work and reworking it for a more modern audience, which is reasonable considering that some of the source material is beyond 60 years old. For the sake of this review given that there are 10 stories, with 10 different directors i will simply label what i found to be the good the bad and the ugly of Electric dreams without going into too much detail for the sake of space.

    The Good: The Commuter & Kill all Others
    When you have two good episodes out of a 10 episode season there raises serious questions for the longevity of this show. The Commuter, the third episode in, is by no means a great episode but it is good. With a memorable performance by Timothy Spall who does carry the 50 minute episode, there is never any real moment where you feel lost in comparison to other episodes and you finally find yourself having fun with the series. Secondly you have Kill all others, and while there is an obvious left leaning liberal bias in this episode regarding the Trump presidency, the connection to ideas in other works such as 1984, invasion of the body snatchers and political ideologies such as fascism add depth to the episode something sorely lacking in the other episodes.

    The Bad: Crazy Diamond, Autofac, Safe and Sound, Father thing
    Boring, predictable and lazy, these episodes lack focus, good writing and the capacity to engage the dullest of audiences. Starting of the bad with Crazy Diamond, a waste of an hour and Steve Buscemi's talent instead we're treated to pig people and a boring plot that starts somewhere and goes nowhere all within less than hour. Autofac continues this trend of bad episodes with across the board weak performances and a twist so lazy and under-cooked you can almost Gordon Ramsey in the background yelling that it's f*cking raw. But this is nothing in comparison to the plot twist in Safe and Sound the Black Mirror wanna be, that attempts to create a social commentary through presenting a paper thin plot that becomes predicable 10 minutes in and continues to pretend as though the audience hasn't already figured out whats in store for the next 40 minutes. Finally we have The Father Thing, a deformed hate child of Stranger Things and invasion of the Body Snatchers that really needs to be put down, with insufferable child actors and an uninspired plot.

    The Ugly: The Hood Maker, Human Is, Impossible Planet, Real Life
    These episode aren't bad, there not good either but i suppose there watchable and yes that is including the episode with Bryan Cranston, The Hood Maker isn't particularly bad, it has a slow start and all too easy ending, but for a start to a series its a promising one with good performances held back by an uninteresting plot. Human Is, has about one good moment and that's about it, it doesn't do much and like the trailers for this episode suggest revolves around the hype of there being Bryan Cranston who isn't really too much of a highlight for this episode. Impossible Planet, would be a good episode if it didn't get more unnecessarily odd and more creepy as the story progressed all leading to a baffling ending. Finally we have Real Life an episode which others quite enjoyed aside from myself. It had a talented cast, an interesting story but i didn't feel anything for it, mainly as the story didn't do anything that you would not expect it to and chances are, what you've already seen done better a dozen times over.    … Expand
  3. EludiumQ36
    Jan 25, 2018
    5
    You'll notice from my one-line take aways from each episode listed below that they're almost all derivative, either of shows a long time ago or more recent, but derivative just the same. The main title series graphics are enticing and each episode's production values are highline, but the stories themselves don't live up to their potential. I didn't really enjoy these, I felt obligated toYou'll notice from my one-line take aways from each episode listed below that they're almost all derivative, either of shows a long time ago or more recent, but derivative just the same. The main title series graphics are enticing and each episode's production values are highline, but the stories themselves don't live up to their potential. I didn't really enjoy these, I felt obligated to work my way through them, it felt more like an assignment to finish than entertainment I looked forward to.

    Electric Dreams, Season 1 episodes:
    1. The Hood Maker - boring, fell asleep so many times
    2. Impossible Planet - so so
    3. The Commuter - too similar to a Twilight Zone episode
    4. Crazy Diamond - another "Are clones' lives as valuable as humans'?"
    5. Real Life - another "How do I know this is real life and not a dream?"
    6. Human Is - another my husband is replaced by an alien imposter
    7. Kill All Others - when politics goes really wrong
    8. Autofac - another "How do I know I'm real and not a cyborg?"
    9. Safe and Sound - satisfies your inner "it's all a conspiracy."
    10. The Father Thing - feels like a "Stranger Things" episode    … Expand
  4. nobodyreally
    Jan 23, 2018
    6
    Admit I have not seen them all yet but this show is what I would call decent mediocrity. Not the most creative television, not even close to the cutting edge, but they do wonders with CGI even with a show with a middling budget.
    Not sure how many of these stories even stay close to the original Philip K. DIck stories, or if they have combined elements of multiple short stories to make one    Admit I have not seen them all yet but this show is what I would call decent mediocrity. Not the most creative television, not even close to the cutting edge, but they do wonders with CGI even with a show with a middling budget.
    Not sure how many of these stories even stay close to the original Philip K. DIck stories, or if they have combined elements of multiple short stories to make one hybrid teleplay. Of course stories can be updated for tech, or given modern themes, but these episodes seem rewritten in stereotypical television fashion, with the typical Twilight Zone twist. Read "Autofac", and the television episode has been changed to a completely different idea that doesn't really even make sense.
    Also, a lot of mild gratuitous sexual situations/ mild nudity are added to spice things up, but they are not very erotic. Seems silly and unnecessary,    … Expand
  5. picklebeaker
    Jan 12, 2018
    7
    |'ve watched the first two and:

    1. Under the Hood - 5/10
    good plot, decent acting but it looks so cheaply made.

    2.. Impossible Planet 8/10
    Nice plot, great acting especially from the lead character. She was great.

    hopeful it will continue on an upward spiral
  6. Maria7779
    Jan 14, 2018
    10
    Loved the series! Philip K. Dick would be proud!! Beautiful storytelling. Commuter was my favorite. But all the episodes have something special.
  7. PrivateCowboy
    Jan 20, 2018
    10
    A Science Fiction reader's dream come true!!

    An excellent rendition of PKD's actual body of works. This is a GREAT show for you if you are a fan of Sci Fi, especially high quality Retro-Futurism! Also if you are a fan of PKD's books. Simply put this isn't a show that you compare to say, something like Black Mirror, which is also a great contemporary science fiction, with a lot of ideas    A Science Fiction reader's dream come true!!

    An excellent rendition of PKD's actual body of works. This is a GREAT show for you if you are a fan of Sci Fi, especially high quality Retro-Futurism! Also if you are a fan of PKD's books. Simply put this isn't a show that you compare to say, something like Black Mirror, which is also a great contemporary science fiction, with a lot of ideas that rooted in Science Fiction works of the 20th century, largely including PKD.

    All said in done their are a few weak episodes, but this is a Science Fiction reader's DREAM COME TRUE SHOW!! Seeing this could open the flood gates for other adaptations. Ray Bradbury short story collection, please Amazon?

    Also MORE PKD!! Let the genius's works live on in new mediums!!    … Expand
  8. Broyax
    Mar 30, 2019
    0
    J'ai lu tous les bouquins de ce maître de la SF et un paquet de nouvelles également... tout n'est pas parfait dans son oeuvre foisonnante et des ratés, il y en a eu certainement... mais là, à part le thème récurrent des faux semblants et des simulacres, on ne retrouve pas du tout la profondeur, l'ironie et l'impact des écrits du grand Philip K. Dick.

    On a l'impression ici de se    J'ai lu tous les bouquins de ce maître de la SF et un paquet de nouvelles également... tout n'est pas parfait dans son oeuvre foisonnante et des ratés, il y en a eu certainement... mais là, à part le thème récurrent des faux semblants et des simulacres, on ne retrouve pas du tout la profondeur, l'ironie et l'impact des écrits du grand Philip K. Dick.

    On a l'impression ici de se retrouver devant des épisodes de la Quatrième Dimension, génériques et lents, extrêmement léthargiques et d'un ennui très profond. Chaque épisode est un somnifère lourdement dosé et une fort mauvaise publicité pour l'auteur (qui doit se retourner dans sa tombe). A moins qu'ils n'aient adapté que les nouvelles les plus nazes du célèbre écrivain... mais non, même pas !

    Evidemment, les oeuvres dickiennes sont incroyablement difficiles à adapter et seul le Blade Runner de Ridley Scott a pu en extraire la substantifique moëlle tout en gardant sa propre personnalité... et interprétation. Mais là, c'est clairement fait par des incapables qui n'ont aucune idée de ce qu'ils font... ou plutôt si : ils font de la merde.    … Expand
  9. shoulderoforion
    Jan 13, 2018
    8
    I'd like "A Confused Mess" of beautiful top shelf SciFi, over just about anything else, all the time, more of this please, thank you very much. I hope a season 2 is in the works.
  10. Nobilis1984
    Jan 19, 2018
    4
    Yes what I should say in addition. Visually really well to us dressed up, but what Dick in a time without technical toys of the today's time thought up, today is of all reality. Some examples are the drones and the terrorists.
    2-3 episodes are OK, however, the series must increase.
  11. Vancomycin
    Feb 12, 2018
    6
    This is one of those sci/fi series that takes a lot of work to get into. Armies of "we love the books" and elite Philip K. Dick royal guards can't help, simply because it's largely emotionless and derivative.
  12. jaasieljunior
    Mar 12, 2018
    7
    É inegável que a série lembra bastante Black Mirror,mas seus episódios não costumam sempre ser pessimistas. Dos 10 episódios, 6 são interessantes e viciantes.
  13. eva3si0n
    Oct 28, 2018
    8
    I always loved series which are executed in the form of the almanac. So you receive several various stories. Unfortunately because of quantity the quality is very strongly lost. There are for example very interesting the 2 and 3 an episode for example, and the most boring 4th episode. Though in the 4th episode excellent cast. The pilot release came out weak, despite acting of RichardI always loved series which are executed in the form of the almanac. So you receive several various stories. Unfortunately because of quantity the quality is very strongly lost. There are for example very interesting the 2 and 3 an episode for example, and the most boring 4th episode. Though in the 4th episode excellent cast. The pilot release came out weak, despite acting of Richard Madden too. The pilot release in general can confuse the viewer, in him the weak plot is evident the small budget of the project also at once. Everything looks as Blade Runner removed for $10000. And though from all season only a half of series of the almanac, it is all the same very interesting project have turned out interesting.… Expand
  14. Jamedris
    Apr 17, 2019
    8
    As a die-hard fan of PKD's work I was really shocked when I found out that there is a TV series resolving around some of his short stories. First episodes were watchable, but not so great at-all. Fortunately, it got better and better with every episode; by the end, I wanted to see more of them, especially those cyberpunk-ish. Some of them hits your brain HARD, just as his books, and theAs a die-hard fan of PKD's work I was really shocked when I found out that there is a TV series resolving around some of his short stories. First episodes were watchable, but not so great at-all. Fortunately, it got better and better with every episode; by the end, I wanted to see more of them, especially those cyberpunk-ish. Some of them hits your brain HARD, just as his books, and the cast is surprisingly good with actors like Steve Buscemi. I see some similarity to one of my favourite show, Black Mirror, and it is definitely a good thing. Finally, I really appreciate that not every plot is FULLY ended and the whole TV series leave some room for imagination of audience. I think PKD would like this work. CGI is done quite well, it surely fits the scheme. It's a solid watch.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

99
#99 Best TV Season of 2017
81
#81 Most Discussed TV Season of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Yahoo TV
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Jan 18, 2018
    60
    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.
    Read full review
  2. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Ben Travers
    Jan 12, 2018
    50
    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.)
    Read full review
  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    Jan 12, 2018
    80
    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.
    Read full review
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