Crappy film

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

I call this a Science Thriller rather than Science Fiction because to call it Sci-Fi immediately puts you into the expectation game for Fast Pace, Zap, Boom, Fantastic. . .Even further-- remember that this is British in flavor-- and NOT of the 'Torchwood/Dr Who' variety. Think more like Masterpiece Theatre with just a little bit of 'hustle'.A Gov't Scientist and his security minder go about tracking down culprits in outré crimes and disasters in working class England. The show touches on concepts that are theoretical, or bleeding edge-- like the Cloning episode-- but it does so by approaching the concepts in the process of unraveling crimes.If you settle down to the fact that this is more a Crime Thriller rather than an Action Thriller, you will not be bothered by the non-Hollywood aspects. The scenes are not bright and glossy with lots of glass skyscrapers and busy streets. No Car chases. No running through the streets. No swat teams kicking down doors with laser gun-sights.It's plain, gritty, moody, rumpled, surly & workaday in the way it presents the story. And the final difference is the fact that the endings are not tidily wrapped up. But then neither is Life. . .I wouldn't say that the acting on Pat Stewart's part is his best-- I've only ever seen him in Star Trek, (and frankly found his Picard Character 'annoying') So this is a new way of seeing him for a lot people. But the rest of the cast, having no precedents in the American/Hollywood, are spot on with good honest, believable characters. This isn't the Glamorized England of Dr Who or Primeval. You get a sense that this is closer to the 'Real England'.My one quibble is an overall grimness that makes it take to watch all in one sitting. But maybe that's my American/Hollywood trained Bias.Still, it's interesting, thoughtful drama for a rainy weekend afternoon.

I found the episodes to be fascinating and well written. As a TV show, it was entertaining which is what I expect from fictional entertainment. I like the "relationship" between the Professor and his female Security Guard ... although sometimes her Scottish accent makes it a bit difficult to understand what she is saying. I was hoping that there would be more than just four episodes. I recognize that one commenter/reviewer of this series had comments relating to his opinion as a physician. I understand this gentleman's comments; however, this is a fictional television series which is meant to entertain ... not present precise facts like a documentary. Patrick Stewart performs well and makes his character believable. If you want to watch a documentary, then this is not the series for you. But if you want to watch unique scientific-based theories in an entertainment-based medium, then you will enjoy the four episodes.

How on earth can you have such fantastic actors in such a miserable creation? This is one of the most stylized pieces of rubbish I have seen in a long time. Not only is it poorly written, it is a product of shoddy direction and editing. The cinematography is so horribly manipulative and unoriginal and the montage jumbled beyond belief. The actual ideas behind the plots (cloning, toxic waste, climate change) are all fine to begin with but where the production/direction team takes them is a big cesspool of filth, the likes of which are seen in one episode. And this is a Scientific series? I am a physician and all I can say is that the science in this film is utter crap, almost embarrassing to watch. I really felt bad for the actors involved since they were all extraordinary.

I found the first episode less impressive than I had hoped. Patrick Stewart was nowhere near even his ST:TNG form, much less the stage presence we know he is capable of. It felt a bit weak, not quite "phoned in", but unenthusiastic.I was really bothered though by the lack of sophistication in the thinking behind the scientific issues involved. After all this is a show about a "government scientist" (who introduces himself as "Alan Hood, Scientist"--which I find hard to imagine coming out of any scientist's mouth: is he a physicist, a bioethicist, biohazard specialist, geneticist, medical experimenter, or what? Am I too picky here? It just didn't ring true...) Episode one was a drama about illegal human cloning, with the police refusing to take an interest because "there's no murder here". (If Hood has no authority, then in what sense does he "work for the government"?) At no point was it clearly expressed what was actually wrong with the human cloning that was going on. (Stewart rolled his eyes and bellowed that it was "repugnant", "abhorrent", and such things, but at no point explained why.) OK, it was self-evident that the exploitation of young surrogate mothers was wrong, but this was not a drama about exploitation--although it handled the issue well. I would have liked to see more medical ethics covered, after all it is a serious issue and the only way to keep such matters from being judged by the "morality of repugnance" is to educate the public as to some of the issues involved.But as I say this is only the first episode. I'll watch a few more and see if other issues are better handled. This sort of show often takes a few hours to grow into itself, so I remain hopeful.