Martin Liddament

An over-long and glossy adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s savage and clinical thriller, this show would have benefited from a 50% reduction in length and from being set in the era that is captured so well in the novel. As it is, it should have been titled “Another generic shooting drama played out across modern European capitals with obligatory car chases and explosions”. Forsyth’s Jackal had to work hard in a 1960s world of identity cards and police surveillance. It’s an exciting, grimy novel with an unlikeable protagonist, but the attention to detail and the cleverness of the assassination attempt sweep the reader along. This adaptation has too many familiar sub-plots and a feeling of being made for its own trailers. For me, it has nothing like the impact of the novel.

Some beautiful imagery and an almost-profound exploration of depression derailed by unsympathetic and over-privileged characters. More magical realism than science fiction with echoes of the technological awkwardness of The Man Who Fell To Earth. Acted in whispers and inaudible murmerings pretty much throughout, for no obvious reason except for the volume needing to be turned up so high that the Wagner hits you like a hammer. Interesting and deeply irritating at the same time.

Some evocative CGI landscapes and architecture provide a backdrop to a story that suffers from formulaic dialogue, too much illogical content and too many worn-out tropes. I really don’t need to see more unpleasant soldiers exiting futuristic aircraft to shoot at things, even if those things are put-upon sentient robots with a cause. I felt as though I was being asked to rummage through a box of unassembled components and despite the occasionally gorgeous visuals, the film never took me to a compelling alternative world.

The show felt as if it were constrained by its international provenance, jumping confusingly from location to location. The use of multiple languages seemed to tick production boxes rather than adding texture. After some reasonably tense early scenes I got no real sense of danger, the interpersonal storylines became long, slow and dull, the characters developed from uninteresting to unbelievable and the dialogue felt awkward. I could see the scifi elements coming from a mile off and anticipated the ending, which was not too dissimilar to the much better "The Abyss".

The problem I had with the show is that it tried to span three genres: horror, detective thriller and sci-fi, but ended up diluted and somewhat messy. It worked best for me as a psychological horror story, but it was hobbled by a forced plot line about the police work and Lucy's involvement that was stereotyped and unbelievable. It should have provided a firm anchor for the other themes to pull against, but in the event, it was a weak link.

The show has flashes of cleverness, but now has broken down into three different stories, all of which have mired themselves in familiar streaming sci-fi series themes: the ex-military heroes, the daftly inconsistent futuristic technological society and the contemporary local villain who throws a spanner in the works. They don't work in isolation, never mind together and the whole mess is made worse by slurred, mumbled delivery by key characters and ridiculously affected dialogue and acting by the future London mob. I have given up on it.

I enoyed the first few episodes and found the pace and the quality of the acting refreshing. It reminded me a little of the German TV series Dark in that the technology was very much in the background and an enabler for something more profound. However, frustration started to set in as more characters and well-worn sci-fi threads appeared and multiplied and too many unlikely obstacles started to be written into the story, seemingly just to draw it out. I loved the idea of an elderly couple using alien technology in the same way they might enjoy caravanning, and I initially liked the theme of innocent secrecy. But then as nearly everyone stubbornly and illogically failed to share vital information with each other, the blocks to the already leisurely pace started to irritate me. Secrecy and inner struggles are worthy themes, but there's only so much I can take of watching people tripping up their own lives whilst interesting alien technology hums away in the background. Once I started feeling that, other inconsistencies were too hard to ignore and I gave up with a couple of episodes to go.

Watching this rewriting of Around the World in 80 Days I realised I had entered a bizarre parallel dimension. The production is a diatribe against its source material. The novel has been put in the dock, cross-examined and sentenced to death by virtue-signalling. I was half-expecting a post-credits invitation for anyone affected by the issues to phone in and say how their lives had been wrecked by having to think about how horrid the 19th century was. If you care about literature, don't watch it.