Global warming is a vein like any other in Hollywood. As proof, this luxurious series of science fiction which, starting from an announced catastrophe, has fun exploiting the different parameters. Concept of smart man: in each episode, we advance in time (2037, 2049…) and we follow a handful of witnesses shattering to our dark destiny, itself driven by the greed of a big omniscient boss and insatiable.
Devoid of harshness and charm
Screenwriter specializing in chain reactions (we owe him the aptly named “Contagion” and “Secondary Effects”, two of Steven Soderbergh’s most innocuous films), creator Scott Z. Burns has thought of everything: rising waters in the north, drying up in the south (the starting point of episode 1), endangered species, intensification of allergies, social inequalities, scarcity of raw materials, stale air… Everything holds together and fits together in its implacable demonstration, boosted by the metronomic presence of one star per episode.
The sequel after the ad
However, there emerges a glaring lack of style, even more singularity, even in the writing: instead of inventing a future of its own, “Extrapolations” is content to embed a slew of archetypes on a screen tested by ten years of dystopias already seen in cinema and on TV. Result: the whole works like a well-honed program but devoid of harshness and charm, as if it were generated by ChatGPT.
« Extrapolations » : American series by Scott Z. Burns (2023). With Kit Harington, Tahar Rahim, Meryl Streep. 8 episodes. Available on Apple TV+ March 17.
