Raised by Wolves - Leader of the pack? Or just howling at the moon?
The creator of new Sci-fi Drama series Raised By Wolves - Aaron Guzikowski may not mean too much to you right now, but the director of the first two episodes and executive producer Ridley Scott should. The man behind Alien, Blade Runner and The Martian should have your sci-fi mandibles absolutely salivating at the prospect of a TV show with his involvement.
So does it?
The series premiered in the USA on September 3.
I finally got round to being able to watch the first episode when it aired in the UK here on Sky Atlantic on December 5th ( the UK doesn't have HBO Max and had to wait until then to see it.)
Raised By Wolves follows the story of two Androids - Father and Mother who are given the task of raising human children who they have transported as embryos from a newly destroyed earth to Kepler 22-b. This new planet is no Garden of Eden though. 12 years pass and this environment has not been kind to the Children. Only one - Campion named for the Androids creator survives and the Androids themselves are starting to break down. Mother and Father and their one remaining ward are shocked to discover that they are not the soul survivors, as members of the Mithraic Religious order, the enemies of the Militant Atheists have landed on Kepler 22-b looking for somewhere to colonize.
I can't remember the last time I was this excited for a season opener.
Right from the frankly jaw dropping opening scene of the Androids ship crash landing on the new planet Raised by Wolves had me by the throat. That's not the only ship crash we get. Heaven's arrival on Kepler 22-b makes it hard to remember you are watching TV and not a blockbuster movie.
The same goes for the musical score. usually I barely hear music in the background of TV shows. In this it's rich and vibrant and matches the emotional and action themes on screen perfectly.
This show looks gorgeous right from the get go. Cinematic, slick and no expense spared on production. No wobbily cardboard sets here. This is high end Sci-fi.
Fantastic performances match the production values in particular from Father ( Abubakar Salim ) and Mother ( Amanda Collin. ) Collin as the Androgynous "Necromancer" war android switches between creepy and down right terrifying.
Surprisingly gore filled in places. In particular the fate that awaits the crew of the Mithraic Ark ship is an unpleasant one, but it doesn't feel crow barred in for the sake of it. We get to witness just how terrifying a Necromancer War Android is. In a great touch, the Androids "Bleed" white something we have seen before in work from Ridley Scott and its used to great effect here.
This is cerebral, intelligent Sci-Fi with action scenes and a great story to match. I said at the start of this article that creator and writer of this episode - Aaron Guzikowski may not mean too much to you right now? After this amazing and thought provoking premiere I have a feeling it will.
You can watch Raised by Wolves in the UK on Sky Atlantic or in the USA on HBO Max
Stevie Robinson is a staff writer for Kulture Popped who hails from Carrickfergus, Ireland. Stevie has a lifelong obsession with American Pop Culture including movies, tv and comic books. Check out Stevie's first episode of "Plastic Crack", a community show where we review toys and collectibles on our YouTube Channel!