I like what I see so far as well. Only critique I have is the classical style music overwhelming the sound effects. When the tower/elevator thing was blown up as an example. I would have liked the destruction sound effects to take precedence in situations like that.
Explosions don’t sound much in space. They just produce classical music.
Btw, sci-fi to me is more of a setting than a specific genre of stories. It’s set in an environment characterized by fictitious science. But the plot/storyline can be basically anything interacting with that world.
So, it doesn’t make sense to me to claim Foundation is not sci-fi, because the storyline is too slow, there are too few naked women, or laser guns going pew-pew in space.
If Asimov was alive today this show would definitely be cancelled because of his attitude towards, and treatment of, women. He was a serial harasser. Asimov treated women so badly he almost makes Bill Cosby look like Billy Graham. Asimov was a pig. It won't be long before Apple realizes this and cancels the show. They will say "bad ratings" was the cause. If you want evidence, search online for the article entitled, "What to Make of Isaac Asimov, Sci-Fi Giant and Dirty Old Man?"
I'm not particularly into cancel culture but I do avoid shows and books by authors who have committed crimes or committed serial heinous acts. Perhaps Asimov is a candidate for the latter. I'm proud to have thrown away his signature and personal letter to me.
Ridiculous assertion, as usual. Asimov has been dead for 30 years. I don't know how you come up with this stuff.
I like the first 4 episodes, I can't expect to enjoy every moment. I got over the gender swaps I saw in the trailers, it'd be boring and homogenic if there'd only be male main characters. Most of the characters from the books were quite similar to each other, I prefer this way more for film adaptation.
Compared to a lot of stuff that has come up lately this definitely is above any of the superhero movies or transformers, I just don't enjoy watching them. This all comes down to subjective experiences, I won't judge anyone if they don't like the show, it is their opinion. But I sure as hell can tell them too that out of the dumb superhero worlds DC is a million times better than Marvell and this is more enjoyable than either of them. >;-)
I'm hooked, also. I'm not familiar with the books, so I have no biases. The slow-burn character development is not too slow for me. The visuals of the space elevator getting destroyed were great. Reminds me of the Dune movie of the '80's, which I liked but had to watch a few times to get all the details.
Having read the books, I was eagerly anticipating this TV series. What a let down! 🤮 Everybody who watches the series should go read the books and see how good the original characters and story are. What a wasted opportunity.
The whole show is very melodramatic, like a Spanish Telenovella. Dramatic vistas are used just for show, not to show the significance of an event or understand the character's motivations. Gall rising from the water, the dramatic expressions in every scene (a la Soap Opera), all come to nothing. All drama and no payoff.
The story has already veered far away from the book, and none of the characters, except Hari Seldon, behave like they should. They are completely different people in the TV show. It is impossible for the audience to identify with, or understand, them.
And why the gender-swaps? Making Gall and Salvor 'diverse' females added nothing to the story or the characters. Neither actresses is anything special. The actress playing Salvor Hardin is especially bad, with her flat voice and wooden acting. Gall being a girl separated from her family could have been used to develop a strong bond between her and Hari (father-daughter, mentor-student relationship). They could have used Salvor's gender to highlight her devotion to Terminus, and her desire to protect the people of Terminus from harm. But, NO. All we got was an ugly woman who looks like a man (brave, independent, and all that nonsense) to please the woke crowd.
My main issue with the third episode was the depiction of Salvor Hardin. Instead of portraying Salvor as a determined, savvy person, they went with the 'Rey/Mulan' approach of making her 'special' so she could approach the vault. What nonsense! It cheapens all of Salvor’s achievements, just like the live action movie ruined Mulan - instead of being a brave girl who risked her life for her father, and passed the rigorous training as well as the men, she was turned into a 'special' girl who was powerful 'just because'.
The worst part of the show was the romance between Raych and Gall. She is portrayed as a young girl (14 - 16 yo), and the actress looks the part. Seeing her kiss a grown man with a beard was absolutely disgusting. What were they thinking?!! Couldn't they have made her a little older?
Not an auspicious start to the series. I fear for the future of this show. I just hope they don't desecrate Asimov's story and memory any further!
I've read the books in my youth, and re-reading as an adult. I think you've forgotten how dull the first book is -- characters and character dev wasn't Asimov's strong suit, and it's almost entirely two people talking in a room about stuff (the most dull being trade relations). The characters are completely forgettable, which he tried to improve on later.
An ugly woman who looks like a man? WTF are you smoking dude? She's black, not ugly nor a man. Sounds like that's your real beef.
Gall doesn't look like a 14 yo -- she looks like a young woman. The actress is over a quarter-century for god's sake! Sounds like there's something else bothering you about watching them.
I find the show absolutely engrossing. I have read and re-read the novels many times and absolutely love how Goyer and his team have used the original material more as inspiration than slavish recreation. The changes are a blast to watch. I also appreciate how it already incorporates the Robot novels...despite the fact that revelation/addition was something Asimov added almost 40 years after writing the original stories. It makes it a much larger world to explore--which is saying something. It is indeed one of the most gorgeously shot shows...and I am really happy to know another season is coming.
If Asimov was alive today this show would definitely be cancelled because of his attitude towards, and treatment of, women. He was a serial harasser. Asimov treated women so badly he almost makes Bill Cosby look like Billy Graham. Asimov was a pig. It won't be long before Apple realizes this and cancels the show. They will say "bad ratings" was the cause. If you want evidence, search online for the article entitled, "What to Make of Isaac Asimov, Sci-Fi Giant and Dirty Old Man?"
I'm not particularly into cancel culture but I do avoid shows and books by authors who have committed crimes or committed serial heinous acts. Perhaps Asimov is a candidate for the latter. I'm proud to have thrown away his signature and personal letter to me.
Bill didn't treat women bad GTFOH. Go be a simp elsewhere maybe it will get you laid.
Lol.
Also, the executor of the Asimov estate, hisdaughter, said that he would have absolutely supported the changes to the characters being made. And, after the debacle with The Banker, you can be damn sure Apple is doing its due diligence on every project they put their name on.
As I said before, I would have never imagined, fifty years ago, that I would one day see this series, and of course I like it very much, and agree with the necessary adaptations which were made.
In fact, I just have one minor complaint : the colorimetry of the image is colourless, dull, privileging yellow sand. I do not understand such a deliberate choice.
Don't get me wrong: I love "pew pew" action as much as the next guy. At the same time, I don't need Michael Bay-like action throughout the entire series. Now, if nothing really ever happens in this series, well, I suppose I'll end up disappointed. But to me, some world-building is indeed in order. So if this ends up being a space-opera where no one actually does anything other than complain, well, yeah, that'll be a disappointment.
I just don't think that'll happen. So for me: so far, so good.
This show definitely not for those who has short term memories. As it was said, needing at least 70 episodes to produce. It offers little direct continuity from one episode to the next so I understand it will bore most people. You need to consume the information and not to digest all of them yet but wait for the next one. I never read the book so I don’t give a damn about originality and so far, I like it and enjoy it.
Comments
So, it doesn’t make sense to me to claim Foundation is not sci-fi, because the storyline is too slow, there are too few naked women, or laser guns going pew-pew in space.
Compared to a lot of stuff that has come up lately this definitely is above any of the superhero movies or transformers, I just don't enjoy watching them. This all comes down to subjective experiences, I won't judge anyone if they don't like the show, it is their opinion. But I sure as hell can tell them too that out of the dumb superhero worlds DC is a million times better than Marvell and this is more enjoyable than either of them. >;-)
An ugly woman who looks like a man? WTF are you smoking dude? She's black, not ugly nor a man. Sounds like that's your real beef.
Gall doesn't look like a 14 yo -- she looks like a young woman. The actress is over a quarter-century for god's sake! Sounds like there's something else bothering you about watching them.
In fact, I just have one minor complaint : the colorimetry of the image is colourless, dull, privileging yellow sand. I do not understand such a deliberate choice.
Don't get me wrong: I love "pew pew" action as much as the next guy. At the same time, I don't need Michael Bay-like action throughout the entire series. Now, if nothing really ever happens in this series, well, I suppose I'll end up disappointed. But to me, some world-building is indeed in order. So if this ends up being a space-opera where no one actually does anything other than complain, well, yeah, that'll be a disappointment.
And a plug to Korean cinema, they are hitting a lot of home runs in the last ten years. The Squid Game was Evil….