Altered Carbon (Netflix)

So I've finally got around to watching the Netflix adaptation of Altered Carbon (though I've still got the last two episodes to watch) and I'm not quite sure what to think. As a piece of noir SF it's really very good but as an adaptation of Altered Carbon it's rubbish; it might be based on it but only very very loosely. For example in the book the Envoys are the elite (and feared) corps of the Protectorate, they are absolutely not rebels in fact it probably would have been the envoys fighting the rebels, so for the book they had to invent a completely new elite corps - 'CTAC' or however they spell it. Falconer died long before Kovacs was even born so the entire rebellion sub plot including the romance with Quellcrist Falconer and even Kovacs' sister is completely new. Also whilst the book is definitely quite dark I never got any impression of the permanently dark Blade Runner style lowest levels of the city.

So taken alone it's a good atmospheric piece of SF (though less mumbling would have been nice) but the one thing it is not is an adaptation of Altered Carbon which I would still like to see!
 
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Vertigo said:
as an adaptation of Altered Carbon it's rubbish
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For me this was one of the rare examples of a TV being better than the book. The book tells us the Envoys are elite bad asses then does a really poor job of convincing me. The TV show added in many little nuances that helped make that assertion seem true. Right at the start as he's being awoke because of his training he was able more quickly than the techs expect. I felt the book kept telling us things that it failed to show us. Most of the changes made seemed to be done in an attempt to show us things we were told and not shown in the book.

Maybe it's because I found the writing style hectic and cramped but I found the TV show a much more palatable version of the story.
 
Anthoney said:
For me this was one of the rare examples of a TV being better than the book. The book tells us the Envoys are elite bad asses then does a really poor job of convincing me. The TV show added in many little nuances that helped make that assertion seem true. Right at the start as he's being awoke because of his training he was able more quickly than the techs expect. I felt the book kept telling us things that it failed to show us. Most of the changes made seemed to be done in an attempt to show us things we were told and not shown in the book.

Maybe it's because I found the writing style hectic and cramped but I found the TV show a much more palatable version of the story.
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As I said I think it was good but just not the same story as the book, so impossible for me to compare them.
 
I did not read the book.... but finished the show last night.

Parts of the show were strong... the sets, the lighting, the look of Kovacs (old and new), the minimal explanations of terminology (I like trying to pick it up on my own... the story seems more realistic and less expository), the portrayals of Poe, Bancroft, Ortega, and maybe it's strongest point was that the show wrapped up a story in a season... instead of leaving me hanging.

Parts were weak... the portrayals of Falconer, Ghostwalker, and Lizzie, the lack of a solid ending (20 minutes of explanation?!?!... that's bad writing and direction), and was I supposed to identify with Kovacs? I did not until the destruction of the envoys was revealed. Was I supposed to identify with Ortega? Foul mouthed women don't really endear themselves to me. Falconer? They need an actress with a personality. Lizzie? Ditto. Elliot, the ex-marine, generated sympathy... but he is the forgotten sidekick with little screen time.

Ortega's mother and Ortega's partner, Samir, were the most sympathetic characters.

It occurs to me that the sleeve changing ability will allow the show to continue even if they lose Kinnaman.
 
Boaz said:
Was I supposed to identify with Ortega? Foul mouthed women don't really endear themselves to me.
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If you had read the book, you would know that the sleeve Kovacs was occupying was Ortega's partner and her lover. He got in a money trouble and the only he could pay his debt was to rent his sleeve to Bancroft's. It was their idea to use his body, because they'd already investigated Bancroft suicide twice, before mr immortal got fed up and he was fed the lie that he's should hire an Envoy to investigate his death. So yeah, you were supposed to identify with her.
 
@ctg Thanks. Yeah, I got it that Kovacs' sleeve was Ortega's former partner/lover, Ryker. Hearing f-bombs from a woman's mouth is unattractive to me.
 
Don't get me wrong... I disliked it so much that I watched the entire show... and immediately checked to see if there would be a second season. (If I could do the roll eyes emoji, I would.) I thought Ortega's character was well done. I don't have to like the character to appreciate the character.
 
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Boaz said:
(If I could do the roll eyes emoji, I would.)
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You could always try one of these
someday-im-going-to-eye-roll-myself-into-another-dimension-5527857.png

Boaz said:
I don't have to like the character to appreciate the character.
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Of course you don't have to. I got your points and I accepted them.
 
Boaz said:
I don't have to like the character to appreciate the character.
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I didn't mean it childishly... but it sure looks that way when I reread it.

Love that McGonagall pic. My all time favorite teacher was my high school German teacher... she did not accept anything less than one hundred percent from us in all things. She was tough.... but woe to anyone who attacked her students....
 
Two thumbs up for this show!
I just finished the first season and was glad to be reassured that a second is coming, albeit with an altered cast. I'm expecting a Rick Deckard sleeve to show up. :)
 
REBerg said:
Leftovers?
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No. I think the producers said that they had five year plan, and they only have three books, so they'll have to up to game somehow. I always wished that Mr Morgan would have done another book in Earth, but it never got done. If the Broken Furies is the finishing story, then we have to wait a couple of seasons before they end up seeing the aliens.
 
I expect setting and characters to be different from season one. No matter, as long it's as good.
But I wouldn't have complained if was more of a continuation of the story from season one.
 

Oh, oh, oh... scratch everything. We are going to Harlan's World. But it's not Broken Angels storyline as a lot of it was shown in last time. Also the Hotel didn't follow Mr Kovacs.
 
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