SEE (2019) – My rating: 9.5/10

“SEE” is a science fiction television drama series made and produced for Apple TV+. It is written by Steven Knight and directed by Francis Lawrence. Executive producers include Knight, Lawrence, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kristen Campo. This series is exceptional and brilliantly acted.

In the distant future, due to a virus, the human race has lost one of their most precious senses, sight.  Now, society is left to find new ways to interact, build and hunt for survival. Meanwhile, Maghra (Hera Hilmar) a newcomer and wife to the warrior and chieftain Baba Voss (Jason Mamoa), gives birth to a set of twins named Kofun (Archie Madekwe) and Haniwa (Nesta Cooper). To his tribe’s amazement, the twins can see. As word spreads, it gets the attention of a cynical tribe lead by Queen Kane (Sylvia Hoeks), who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the twins. In order to protect his children, Baba is forced to rely on his instincts and must rally fellow tribesmen to take down the queen and her tyrannical cult before they can capture the children. Tamacti Jun (Christian Camargo) is the queen’s Witchfinder General and leader of her army. Tamacti’s loyalty is unsurpassed by none, as he values the queen more than himself. Thanks to the abilities of Paris (Alfre Woodard) who is the Alkenny tribe’s elder, seer and wise adviser, they stand a better chance of survival. The biological father of the twins is Jerlamarel (Archie Madekwe), who is a master engineer and is able to see.

This captivating series is very well acted and scripted.  It’s easy to binge-watch because there are only eight intense episodes: 1) Godflame – anyone who has the ability to see is considered a witch, hunted down by the witchfinder and killed.  2) Message – Baba is directed to a hidden box by fugitive, Jerlamarel as they agree to the rearing of the twins.  3) Fresh Blood in a Bottle – Gether and Souter Bax are related, as she is Gether’s aunt.  Their incestuous relationship results in a stillborn and disfigured child. 4) The River – The Witchfinder army invades the Alkenny settlement, Baba Voss leads his family to a river and a raft he had previously constructed in secret.  5) Plastic – Baba and the twins locate a scavenger settlement nearby where they meet Boots, who can also see.  6) Silk – Queen Kane is abducted and taken to a nearby silk manufacturing settlement known as the City of Worms.  7) The Lavender Road –  A path lined with lavender described as a road to Jerlamarel’s location. 8) House of Enlightenment – A former prison converted into a settlement with electricity, hot water and an extensive library.

I’m certain you will be intrigued by this series. Just imagine the whole cast is playing their parts as a blind person — I don’t think that’s easy given the vigorous fight scenes and the fact that they are out in the wilderness as opposed to a nice civilized environment. Each episode is better than the previous one.  I don’t know the circumstances under which Jason Momoa ditched the Netflix original feature, Frontier but I’m glad it turned out that he now stars in See.  FYI: A lot of “See” has a lot of violence and can be a bit gory but tolerable.  Jason Momoa is the eye candy that just makes for a better day.  I urge you to Check It Out!  “See” is currently airing on AppleTV+, presently at $4.99 a month.  You can always cancel once you’ve seen any chosen series. “See” has been approved for season two!

 

BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) – My rating: 7.5/10

Blade Runner 2049 is an American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. Blade Runner 2049 is a sequel to the 1982 film Blade Runner, which was a big hit receiving 8.2 on IMDB. 2049 is set thirty years after the first film. A blade runner uncovers a secret that threatens to instigate a war between humans and replicants. I didn’t like this sequel as much as the first film but still thought it was good.

The original Blade Runner was set between 1982 and 2019.  The sequel’s timeline is set just 2 years after its release date in 2017.  All the technological advancements of the original were adopted but many of the actual developments of the era were disregarded, for example;  flat-panel displays, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the collapse of Pan Am.

In 2049, replicants (described as “bioengineered humans”) are slaves. K (Ryan Gosling), is a replicant that works for the LAPD as a “Blade Runner”, an officer who hunts and “retires” (kills) rogue replicants. At a protein farm, K retires Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista) and finds a box buried under a tree. The box contains the remains of a female replicant who died during a caesarean section, demonstrating that replicants can reproduce sexually, previously thought impossible. K’s superior Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright) is fearful that this could lead to a war between humans and replicants. She orders K to find and retire the replicant child to hide the truth.

K visits the Wallace Corporation headquarters (the successor-in-interest in the manufacturing of replicants to the Tyrell Corporation, which went out of business) where the deceased female is identified from DNA archives as Rachael, an experimental replicant designed by Dr. Tyrell. K learns of Rachael’s romantic ties with former blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). Wallace CEO Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) wants to discover the secret to replicant reproduction to expand interstellar colonization. He sends his replicant enforcer, Luv (Sylvia Hoeks), to steal Rachael’s remains from LAPD headquarters and follow K to Rachael’s child.

At Morton’s farm, K sees the date 6-10-21 carved into the tree trunk and recognizes it from a childhood memory of a wooden toy horse. Because replicants’ memories are artificial, K’s holographic AI girlfriend Joi (Ana De Armas) believes this is evidence that K was born, not created.

The remainder of Blade Runner 2049 gets interesting.  You must follow it very closely and should know some of the history from it’s first film to keep up.  Blade Runner 2049 is really suspenseful and a good mystery.  I feel the film moves a little slow and relies on too much technical lingo but if you’re attentive you’ll get it.  The acting is brilliant and the plot is amazing.  In my opinion Blade Runner 2049 is not quite as exciting as it’s original film but is still very good and holds it’s own.  Blade Runner is available on DVD and Blu-ray.  Check it out!

NOTE:  Archival footage, audio and stills of Sean Young from the original film are used to represent her character of Rachael. Young’s likeness was digitally superimposed onto Loren Peta, who was coached by Young.  The voice of the replicant was created with the use of a sound-alike actress to Young.

[Blade Runner 2049 is Oscar nominated for BEST:  Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Production Design and Best Cinematography.]