![]() ![]() Ava DuVernay was one of the first to recognize Salli's skill as director, offering Salli two back to back episodes of the first season of QUEEN SUGAR. Changing gears to a role behind the camera, Salli has burst onto the scene as a director and producer. On television, Salli starred in the long running SYFY network hit series EUREKA as well as three seasons of STITCHERS on FREEFORM. Jackson in THE GREAT WHITE HYPE, Denzel Washington in ANTWONE FISHER, and Will Smith in I AM LEGEND. ![]() She has been featured in over 20 major motion pictures and has starred opposite a number of Hollywood's top actors, including Samuel L. Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: /list/ls075552387/ Favorite films: /list/mkjOKvqlSBs/ Lesser-Known Masterpieces: /list/ls070242495/ Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: imdb.Salli Richardson-Whitfield is a 30 year industry veteran. To sum it all up: for sci-fi and cyberpunk fans this show is a must for all other carbon-based life-forms, well, it may not be an "altering" experience, and it certainly isn't perfect, but if you don't give up after the first couple of episodes you could be in for a nice surprise. But unlike the grand daddy of all cyberpunk films, 'Blade Runner', this has less of a brooding, "noir" vibe to it instead it's an action-heavy, at times pulpy but very densely plotted story with lots of colorful characters and so much going on that it doesn't drag for a second. As for the plot itself, I won't give anything away here it's enough to know that it starts with the protagonist being brought back from "retirement" to solve a murder mystery. Stick with it though, and things will start to become clearer. Also, if you're not familiar with the genre or used to a more straight forward narrative where everything is explained to you, 'Altered Carbon' may initially feel a bit confusing or even overwhelming, because you're being thrown head first into a strange new world where you - like the protagonist - have to process an overload of information in order to get a sense of orientation. What I should probably also mention is that this is a hard R-rated show (if this were a feature film, it would actually perhaps be closer to a NC-17 than an R) which doesn't hold back in terms of sex and violence. It feels real and has that "lived-in" look that even big-budget Hollywood productions rarely get right. But the world of 'Altered Carbon' isn't just "decorated" with visual effects and future tech to make it look cool (though it DOES look very cool) everything we see has a function and is there for a reason. There is so much eye candy for a sci-fi nerd like me nearly every shot is packed with such an abundance of visual information that I had to hit pause several times to take it all in. And what a world it is: the production values are insane, especially considering this is a TV show. Instead of relying on lengthy monologues for exposition which have a tendency to weigh a story down and make the narrative lose momentum, we get the clues we need via flashbacks or just by seeing and learning about this world through the eyes of the protagonists. Many of the characters have complicated backstories that are crucial to the plot, and the rich history of their world is equally important, but what this series does remarkably well is show rather than tell. What stands out right from the start is the worldbuilding. I haven't read the novel upon which this show is based, so I can't comment on whether or not this is a faithful adaptation I am, however, a huge fan of the sci-fi subgenre commonly known as "cyberpunk" (in case you're not familiar with the term, think of films/stories set in an urban, dystopian high-tech future like 'Blade Runner', 'Akira', 'Ghost In The Shell', 'Strange Days' or 'The Matrix' and you get the idea), and as such I can absolutely testify to the fact that 'Altered Carbon' is one impressive looking example of that particular brand of science fiction.
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