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Utopia (2013, UK) (2013)

2013 · Drama,Mystery,Sci-Fi · sci-fi-speculative, spy-contemporary

Utopia (2013, UK) poster

Utopia is a visually hypnotic British conspiracy thriller in which a group of ordinary comic-book fans stumble into a deadly confrontation with a shadowy organization pursuing a catastrophic global agenda involving population control and weaponized vaccines. Its signature qualities are inseparable: a saturated, almost hallucinatory cinematographic palette, an unsettling and wholly original electronic score, relentless plot momentum across tight 6-episode seasons, and graphic violence that shocks rather than numbs. The show operates simultaneously as paranoid thriller, dark satire, and artwork — drawing comparisons to Orphan Black and Breaking Bad while consistently being placed above them by its devotees. It accrued a small but intensely evangelical fanbase who treat its cancellation after two seasons as a cultural injustice.

From the reviewers

The saturated visuals, the framing, the BRILLIANT and unsettling soundtrack, the writing and the acting - everything fits together perfectly and creates an experience for the viewer unlike any other.
The soundtrack is less a soundtrack, and more of a medium for an aural injection of dopamine and adrenaline.
The visuals are stunning, with camera work that bleeds from every scene with dynamics reminiscent of a graphic novel.
Game of Thrones, a series notorious for it's shocking violence and surprise deaths, seems cheap and gimmicky in comparison to many moments in this show.
Even though Utopia is a deeply cynical and brutal show, every character feels authentic and human. Unlike many other shows, their motivations actually make sense.

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