Crappy film

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Utopia is a show I'd never heard of and truth be told had it not been a recommendation I don't think I'd have ever given it a chance even if I had.It's a remarkably crafted British television show that managed 12 episodes across 2 seasons and it's certainly difficult to categorise.It tells the story of a group of people who get pulled into a shady plot that......nope, I pretty much say anything at all and I'll wander into spoiler territory.What I will say about Utopia is that its creation is outstanding, the use of colour is hypnotic and highly memorable! Twin that with some great sound work and a fitting score and it's crafted in a way that puts other shows to shame.The story, the execution, the performances also fantastic so why am I not rating it higher?Though the creation is a pure masterwork it is also riddled with flaws. The characters are mostly very two dimensional, generic, cliched and not all that interesting. Don't get me wrong there are some good ones, but the majority are somewhat lacking.Though I'm not keen on 6 episode television series I think this story was perhaps on too big a scale to successfully work in such a format and thus in places the pacing does seem rather off.And then the finale (Which of course I won't ruin). I'll just say I assume they thought they were going to be renewed for a third season and therefore Utopia is like an enjoyable book that you read only to discover to your horror has had the final chapter ripped out.Watchable stuff but by all rights should have been better.The Good:A couple of interesting charactersUse of colour and sound is very originalOverall decent effortThe Bad:Grant is just the pits, very damaging to the showSome very mediocre charactersFinale is far too open endedThings I Learnt From This Show:A person will hold a grudge should you remove their eye with a spoon

While the central premise of the series is a good one and deals with one of the central problems facing humanity today, what might have been a brilliant undertaking is spoiled by several factors. Firstly, the insertion of paranoid conspiracy nonsense which detracts from the main plot line.Secondly massive plot holes, including: improbable characters; a vast number of murders (many public) to which the police appear to be oblivious; a supposedly international conspiracy which only involves British people; and meaningless attempts to weave in real assassinations to the story, which have no relevance and have no historical basis. Thirdly, the extreme and graphic violence, which it seems, does not bother any of the reviewers. Also extremely disturbing is the number of children murdered throughout the series, which again, has not drawn any comments. This is what is so wrong with out society today; we are so inured to violence that we are prepared to accept any amount of it, however graphic and distasteful, in the name of entertainment. Yes it is well made, well acted and visually good, but that is not enough in my view, to overcome some of the truly vile aspects of this series. Handled intelligently it could have been so much more. A great disappointment.

I want to give British movies a chance but they are simply bad and boring. The colours are bad, like a stupid dream Nonsens story Unwatchable for me, can't see more than 2 episodesI want to give British movies a chance but they are simply bad and boring. The colours are bad, like a stupid dream Nonsens story Unwatchable for me, can't see more than 2 episodes

This is an interesting series which has a lot of blood and ludicrous logic. It is gripping, for most of the time. The biggest problem it has it its characters. You don't really care for them or fear them, except one, Arby/Pietre. His is the character that affects and though not the fulcrum of the series, it is amazing how much emotional depth it brings to the plot. Unfortunately, you cannot say the same of the lead character, Jessica. She is quite unbelievable, literally. The difference between hers and Pietre's character is stark even though they are equally larger than life. You don't really feel for Jessica and that sort of winds the impact of the general plot. Another interesting part about this is the cinematography. It is extremely saturated and can catch your eye more than once, drifting you away from the main action. There are other characters too who are prominent in the two seasons. Most of them change traits over the course of the episodes and add to the general inconsistency of the show. It was good to see Paul Higgins get to play a character so opposite to his role in The Thick of It. He is one other you feel sympathetic towards but again, everything around him is a bit outlandish. Why then is this an interesting show? Primarily, the plot is quite attractive. It is mostly characters drive a story, and in such stories, they weave, what they call the McGuffins, in it somewhere and you ignore them for the greater good of the characters. Here, it is the opposite. The characters are the McGuffins.