David Holmshaw

Bold indie music, gritty sci-fi sets, realistic character emotions. It hits you from the first few seconds that this is going to be a unique piece of work. In a very similar way that award winning 'The Revenant' completely tore apart the old stereotype of 'cowboys and Indian movies' for good, instead showing the harsh reality of life in the furthest outreaches of civilization - Prospect does the same but within a sci-fi setting, showing how personalities are forced to change rapidly to survive on the frontier. If you're looking for a happy-go-lucky cheerful Star Trek type series, using glitzy visuals to cover up the lack of any real character development, with unrealistic personalities delighted about the next near-death situation, then do turn away now. Instead we get a Dune-style bleak futuristic world, where only one world can provide the most precious items in the galaxy: 'Aurelac' gems from the 'Green Moon', a planet seething with poisonous dust. Different classes of people are driven there, Mercs by greed, Floaters by their debt and desperate poverty. Following the young character 'Cee', played masterfully by Sophie Thatcher, you get the feeling from the start as a viewer that you need to 'learn fast or die faster'. All the skills that you see through her eyes at the start of the film are needed later on to survive: everything from loading a futuristic gun, to maintaining the space suits, to harvesting the Aurelac itself. Every time a new challenge presents itself, you almost feel the creative part of your brain light up as you find yourself searching through the various skills you've learnt asking yourself 'what should be done next to survive?'. The most impressive part of the experience, isn't how the characters change, but how you find yourself changing from a complete novice to an experienced Harvester. If you're looking for a happy pick-me-up, then this might not be for you. But for any other true fans of the sci-fi genre this is a must.