Thread by @TheSpaceshipper

[Thread] ISAAC ASIMOV'S #FOUNDATION (Sep 24, AppleTV +) REVIEW! (without spoilers)

Praised be the psychohistory: I enjoyed the first two-thirds of this season (I'll do an overall spoiler-free review later).

It's such a relief.

1/X

I would even say that my beloved sci-fi series of novels might join my favorite audiovisual space fiction works one day.

It is of course too early to tell. It's just the 1st season, with a whole universe to explain.

But it is possible, and I am the first to be surprised.

A quick note first for the eternal detractors of David S. Goyer (who also wrote The Dark Knight and Dark City): you are free to not watch the series, no need to repeat again and again under my tweets that you don't like him. XD

Please? <3

And for the Foundation novels fans like me: seeking literal adaptation of the books is a monumental mistake. If you like them, you know it. You can't expect this show to replicate every line, that would be complete nonsense. But it's up to you.

Free your mind and try it.

This series is extremely ambitious, narratively as well as visually. More than what you think.

The work done by the team of designers and the visual effects studios, @dneg in particular, is formidable. No complaints.

It's beautiful. Peak sci-fi.

@dneg They tried to don't make Star Wars or Trek again.

Because it was the trap: Foundation inspired many works that we love, and they had to be able to differentiate it from its heirs.
Overall it's successful, although sci-fi enthusiasts will regularly think of other known planets.

@dneg Production design: a master stroke.

From sets to costumes to ships to VFX, it's a home run, or almost.

@dneg Narratively, it was necessary to succeed in adapting a story deemed unsuitable for the screen.

Goyer and his team of writers did exactly what I hoped for: use the novels as a template, a skeleton, to write another Foundation. The same Foundation story, but the 2021 TV series.

@dneg The novels had a lot of exposure and off-frame events, which are shown here (show, don't tell) and which help to feed the story of characters who take on new dimensions.

@dneg Gaal Dornick (a great Lou Llobell) thus becomes our point-of-view character, ourintroduction to an immense and sprawling Empire which is however about to fall. A wise idea, and it guides us in this first season and this complex universe.

I love her.

@dneg Other characters take on thickness, and even humanity. Foundation was full of ideas but here the characters are the common thread. Some are invented from scratch, or almost, but bring real added value to the era.

@dneg I am thinking in particular of the Emperors (whose history is however very ... Asimov), who embody the challenges that Hari Seldon (masterful Jared Harris, as usual) must take up.

The less you know, the better.

@dneg By mixing the great ideas of the books with characters that we see evolve, the series has become a good (just good) adaptation, corresponding to its medium.

Time jumps also begin to show the scale of a story that will hopefully unfold over 8 seasons / 80 episodes. I hope, now.

@dneg For a first season of such an ambitious project, it's really an unexpected success.

I'm not saying it's perfect, especially in terms of pacing. Some storylines fall a little flat too. All the stories don't mix well.

It's not AMAZING. It's good - and better than I hoped, by far.

@dneg The qualities have overshadowed the flaws in my eyes, and I will have to revisit and look at the season with hindsight.

Still, it's only the 1st season. First seasons are always hard to do.

@dneg I have high hopes for Foundation. A successful second season will immediately put it next to my favorites like Star Wars, Trek, The Expanse or BSG.

The future of space fiction is on the move. Unless the end of the season is disappointing, but I will find out in a few hours. ;)

@dneg So far, that's a big thumbs up.

You can count on me for many ships threads and behind the scenes stuff, as usual. Maybe for a decade, who knows.

In any case, Apple TV + wanted its big saga capable of attracting subscribers, and it now has it.

@dneg Reminder; it's available on AppleTV+, a streaming service like Netflix/Prime/etc. (there is a free week)(there is FOR ALL MANKIND too, don't miss it dammit)

It begins with 2 episodes, then one episode weekly starting next week.

@dneg Hope it will work out, so that SW and Trek have some competition. Science fiction can be so many things!

For those who like numbers, my rating would be like 7.4589/10.

I need an art of/making of.

And I need to sleep, time to wake up in 4 hours. Cheers!

@dneg They liked it.

inverse.com/entertainment/…

@dneg They liked it.
starburstmagazine.com/reviews/founda…

@dneg They liked it "but" ;)

variety.com/2021/tv/review…

@dneg Can't say they liked it lol

hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/…

@dneg They really don't liked it.
gizmodo.com/they-said-foun…

@dneg I really agree with:
"It's easy to imagine a tighter season, a more disciplined structure, that tightens the water-treading. It's ironic that the core storyline is the one that sometimes drags, while the subplots and asides are the ones that resonate."
slashfilm.com/614615/foundat…

@dneg Like I said It's not perfect. There is a lot to learn. But as a start, it's better than I hoped.

They liked it:
mashable.com/article/founda…

@dneg They didn't liked it:
rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/…

@dneg Oh well, a last one.
cnet.com/news/foundatio…

@dneg I read myself again and I find myself a little enthusiastic. Because the series deserves it, for a first season of an adaptation of an infilmable novel.
I enjoyed what I saw, but they'll have to learn from mistakes to join my favorites. It's a good start, better than I expected.

“Foundation is more consistent than Raised by Wolves, but less magnetic because of its concessions to sci-fi expectations. It could have been better, if only, like Hari Seldon’s disciples, it had faith in the plan."

nytimes.com/2021/09/23/art…

"It’s by chasing a more high-concept Star Trek feel that Foundation takes liberties with the source material that might turn off long time fans of the book. But these changes really work to make an engrossing work of science fiction for television."

denofgeek.com/tv/foundation-…