Have you ever wondered what it would be like to truly share the thoughts, feelings and even the talents of others? The Wachowskis, the siblings behind mind-bending science-fiction tales like The Matrix trilogy and Cloud Atlas, and J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of TV’s Babylon 5 and offbeat comic-book series such as Midnight Nation and Rising Stars, teamed up to offer their intriguing take on this idea in the thought-provoking Netflix series Sense8. The show follows the stories of eight people from around the world who discover they are psychically connected on both an emotional and physical level. They can access each other’s thoughts, skills and memories, and can communicate with each other on a level that goes far beyond empathy.
The disparate set of characters includes Will, a police officer in Chicago; Nomi, a San Francisco-based hacker and activist; Capheus, a bus driver in Nairobi, and Sun, the daughter of a businessman in Seoul, who moonlights as a kick-boxer in underground tournaments. The eight-member group becomes like a family, forming strong bonds and friendships with one another. Because they share their thoughts and experiences so intimately, the group helps one other with the challenges in their individual lives. They also try to discover the origin of their powerful connection. Our heroes learn they’re not the only ones with these powers. It turns out there are those who hunt down people like them, and the group may face an even greater threat than their own personal difficulties.
Sense8 is an intriguing and thought-provoking show. There are some terrific action-sequences, and the location shooting in places like Berlin, Iceland and London and other places around the world gives the series an epic, truly cinematic feel. If you’re a science-fiction fan, you’ll dig the unique blend of concepts and ideas; if you love conspiracy thrillers, there’s a lot for you to enjoy in the series as well. But the real heart of this series lies in the characters and their emotional journey. There are touching moments of love and joy, as well as heart-rending ones of anguish and loss, all delivered beautifully by the superb cast. The fine ensemble includes Jamie Clayton as Nomi, Brian J. Smith as Will and Doon Bae as Sun. The supporting cast includes Terence Mann, Daryl Hannah, Naveen Andrews of Lost, and Freema Agyeman of Dr. Who.
The show was well received by critics and fans, but was cancelled by Netflix after one season. The support of loyal fans helped convince the network to renew the show for a second year. While Netflix later decided not to continue the series beyond season two, the network did allow the show’s creators, cast and crew to wrap up the series with a movie-length finale in 2018. Sense8 is currently available for streaming on Netflix. There’s so much to watch out there these days, that I only caught up with the series recently, after reading about it in J. Michael Straczynski’s autobiography, Becoming Superman. I highly recommend Sense8. The series is a passionate, thrilling story about love, human connection and how our differences enrich us rather than divide us. Here are links to a pair of trailers for this amazing show. If you have Netflix, it's a series that's worth diving into and binge-watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKpKAlbJ7BQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT-bpE9Tr8g.
No comments:
Post a Comment