The ability to live forever. Some people would kill for that.
“Altered Carbon,” a new Netflix original series, takes place in the future, where humanity has discovered a way to transport one’s conscious into another body, or “sleeve,” if the original body has died. As one can imagine, this practice is extremely controversial, and is only available to those of the futuristic 1%, the Methuselahs or Meths for short.
The show follows Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), a former member of an elite military force who wakes up 250 years after his previous sleeve is killed. His new sleeve is that of a former cop. In this new sleeve in a new time, Kovacs is offered an opportunity to help solve a mysterious murder of a prominent Meth. Thus begins an interesting roller coaster ride of futuristic proportions.
While the plot seems rather complex and strange, the show is still immensely entertaining. It is obvious that production spent quite a bit of money on CGI, and the show benefits from that. Kinnaman delivers a solid performance and helps captivate the audience through any slow or confusing portions of the show.
Netflix is known for delivering quality entertainment in the form of dramas, with successful shows such as “House of Cards” and “Stranger Things.” “Altered Carbon” plays off the science-fiction aspect that helped propel “Stranger Things” into the limelight, just without the nostalgia of the 1980s. Instead, it delivers a possibility of what society could be like in the future, with advanced technology and the ethical dilemmas it sometimes presents. “Altered Carbon” is a must see.
