John Shipley

I went into this with no expectations. Adapting something like Foundation would not be easy, and almost impossible to stay true to the books, so I knew I had to look at it as its own, standalone thing, with only vague references to the book and a broad adaptation of the plot. Visually, it's fine. In 2021 anyone whose blown away by the visuals must spend a lot of time watching SD re-runs of 80s TV. It's not cutting edge or breathtaking in anyway, but it's perfectly adequate for where we are currently in terms of visual effects. The acting however....Lou Llobell, Leah Harvey and Alfred Enoch are tough to watch. Laura Birn is fine as Demerzel, but her physical acting shouldn't leave anyone surprised as to the character's true nature. Lee Pace and Jared Harris are as good as always. The plot is weak, the story is boring, it's tough to watch. So much depth and story in the source material, I'm not sure what the writers were trying to accomplish with their spin on this.