I am a real SF-fan, living in Belgium, and in my (humble) opinion this series totally sucks! . . .
I believe that science fiction should always try to push our imagination beyond reality. But creating really good SF is no piece of cake, because SCI-FI stories only work if we're kind of "plugged in" for the ride. Anything that may ruin the illusion as a whole, ultimately undermines, diminishes, and in the end totally destroys our fascination for the story.
Now, in this case, why does'n ARCADIA deliver?
First of all the acting (with one or two exceptions!) is really, really poor. Maybe this is due to the story itself, because I sometimes think the actors had problems believing in their character and in the story as a whole.
Secondly the created dystopian environment is totally and unbelievably fake! Think of it: getting a "bad" score for eating sugar (does your "chip" records it or what??), or getting no "real" milk when you have a low score . . . ? Also - probably due to lack of really huge financing - the laughable mix of "retro" elements (motorcars, guns, etc . . ) with more "modern" technologies and architecture. But these combinations are completely unconvincing and sometimes even laughable. On the whole it seems like it is SCI-FI made in the year 1970. And also the locations don't look realistic enough to spark one's imagination. Because all that it is hard to feel any emotion whatsoever because nothing really seems "real" and thus "believable".
And third: the essence of the story is a total cliché, used dozens of times, and usually done in a much better way: a dystopian society in a near-future world, where humans allow technology to enter their lives for the benefit of convenience and luxury, with of course all the excesses of nepotism arising among the people.
Also let's not forget that pretentiousness is also a seductive pitfall when it comes to SCI-FI! And with ARCADIA this is undoubtedly the case.
Bad science fiction - like this really is, let's face it! - can fail in what it means to tell an epic tale, bloating itself with unneeded characters, haphazard world-building, and incoherent plots. Without consistent internal logic, the audience is frustrated by questions it shouldn't need to ask.
This is too bad because terrible science fiction movies fail to be entertaining, forget how to make us wonder, and worst of all, make us question our love for the genre.
I believe that science fiction should always try to push our imagination beyond reality. But creating really good SF is no piece of cake, because SCI-FI stories only work if we're kind of "plugged in" for the ride. Anything that may ruin the illusion as a whole, ultimately undermines, diminishes, and in the end totally destroys our fascination for the story.
Now, in this case, why does'n ARCADIA deliver?
First of all the acting (with one or two exceptions!) is really, really poor. Maybe this is due to the story itself, because I sometimes think the actors had problems believing in their character and in the story as a whole.
Secondly the created dystopian environment is totally and unbelievably fake! Think of it: getting a "bad" score for eating sugar (does your "chip" records it or what??), or getting no "real" milk when you have a low score . . . ? Also - probably due to lack of really huge financing - the laughable mix of "retro" elements (motorcars, guns, etc . . ) with more "modern" technologies and architecture. But these combinations are completely unconvincing and sometimes even laughable. On the whole it seems like it is SCI-FI made in the year 1970. And also the locations don't look realistic enough to spark one's imagination. Because all that it is hard to feel any emotion whatsoever because nothing really seems "real" and thus "believable".
And third: the essence of the story is a total cliché, used dozens of times, and usually done in a much better way: a dystopian society in a near-future world, where humans allow technology to enter their lives for the benefit of convenience and luxury, with of course all the excesses of nepotism arising among the people.
Also let's not forget that pretentiousness is also a seductive pitfall when it comes to SCI-FI! And with ARCADIA this is undoubtedly the case.
Bad science fiction - like this really is, let's face it! - can fail in what it means to tell an epic tale, bloating itself with unneeded characters, haphazard world-building, and incoherent plots. Without consistent internal logic, the audience is frustrated by questions it shouldn't need to ask.
This is too bad because terrible science fiction movies fail to be entertaining, forget how to make us wonder, and worst of all, make us question our love for the genre.