Black Mirror fans will love this Netflix science fiction series with a perfect rotten score tomatoes

This message contains spoilers For “Pantheon”.

The convoluted relationship between man and machine is often the vital element of convincing science fiction. We have seen this be played in variable colors: the violent dynamics of creators in “Blade Runner”, the encroachment of cybernetics on organic flesh in “Cyberpunk Edgerunners” and the absolute eradication of what makes us human in the technological dystopia of “Texhnolyze”. “Black Mirror” by Charlie Brooker explores this concept by reinventing his ethics (or his absence), which is part of the reason why the series has been seminal in the general public speech since its release. Although the more recent seasons of “Black Mirror” seem to have lost their spark, it is always a valid anthology which is shaped as a renovated (and more cynical) socket of classic science fiction like “The Twilight Zone”.

If you are looking for something similar in tone or thematic focus, see no further than “Pantheon” (which was originally broadcast on AMC + and was then moved to the premium video), the animated criminally criminalally fiction series which approaches very high concept tropes. The secular question of what a human being means is at the heart of this story, as well as the horror to download your conscience to ensure survival (a concept executed in the darkest extremes of video games, “Soma”). The series follows three distinct protagonists: Maddie (whose conscience of the deceased father was downloaded without his consent), Caspian (whose gifted nature is the product of being involuntarily raised in a built environment), and Vinod (a computer engineer whose spirit has been downloaded against his will).

Although these three characters lead clearly different lives, they are forced to face a form of deception that dehumanized them beyond recognition. This existential discomfort, mixed with poorly recommendable connotations linked to an uncontrolled AI and to digital consciousness, leads to a rationalized history which pushes the gender themes established at their limit. “Pantheon” spends his first season to lay a brilliant (and robust) foundation (his 100% rotten score speaks of himself!), And goes everything in his follow-up season, which makes it a taste acquired for those looking for something more relaxed and more pleasant. That said, “Pantheon” is your time worth?

We live in a world which is quickly taken care of by a generative AI in real time. Aside from the massive ethical problems, the environmental repercussions caused by such irresponsible use are necessarily serious and durable, leading to a scarcity of resources that we are currently holding for acquired. The problem with a generative AI lies in the anti-art / anti-life-threatening pulse to replace each love work with inexpensive automation, where everything that makes us human is reduced to a hollow simulacrum without meaning.

“Pantheon” reflects this disastrous and desperate future in lively and uncomfortable shades, plunging directly into concepts like posthumanism and what it means to embody a semi-organic existence. This contrasts with moments that can only be appreciated while you are present in your body, such as the simple joy of filling your cup of coffee or slowly slowing down in a limited space.

Excessive dependence on technology to the point of self-energy can never increase, and the series explores the intrusive nature of these so-called “intelligent” integrations with scathing honesty. A technology with access to each user information element can quickly take a darker turn, and “Pantheon” is not afraid to show how dark things can be when the machines take over. Over time, AI reaches technological singularity (a scenario where technological growth goes beyond human progress by such a great margin that it becomes unpredictable / unmanageable), creating vast cyberspaces that crush all seeming with merciless human feeling.

On the other hand, there is a potential for beauty and growth when these same spaces are built to strengthen human relationships instead of hindering or replacing them. Two characters bind inside a cooperative video game, transforming this virtual world into a paradise to revive a relationship that had faded over time. This only emphasizes how magical online spaces can be when shaped by human creativity and a tender mouse for the community, and at what speed these spaces can transform into digital crypts which are cold and lifeless to see. “Pantheon” skillfully balances these ends, emphasizing all the possibilities that await us in the future – this complexity alone should urge us to unpack our unstable relationship with technology and to make better choices before it is too late.

“Pantheon” is currently broadcast on Netflix and Crunchyroll.