A new sci-fi series from the creators of Westworld called everything from "dazzling" to "a slog" in first reviews
Critics can't make up their minds about new Prime Video series The Peripheral, the latest sci-fi offering from Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. In its first reviews, the show has been called everything from "dazzling" to "a slog" – so if you're intrigued by it, it might be one you'll have to check out for yourself to really know what you'll make of it.
Based on the 2014 novel of the same name by William Gibson, The Peripheral was adapted to screen by Scott B. Smith, while Nolan and Joy acted as executive producers. Released on the streaming platform today (October 21), it centers on Flynne Fisher (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young woman who stumbles across a secret connection to an alternate reality – and a dark future of her own, too. Katie Leung, JJ Feild, Gary Carr, Julian Moore-Cook, Louis Herthum, T'Nia Miller, and Jack Reynor also star.
As it stands, the outing has a 65% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience score is slightly higher at 75%. Many verdicts celebrated Moretz's lead performance and the show's visuals, but criticized it for being cold and needlessly convoluted. (Should we have expected anything less from the Westworld team?)
The Guardian's Lucy Mangan (opens in new tab) gave it four stars in her review, describing the show as "a bravura rendition" of Gibson's original works. She went on to state that it's clearly "told with confidence by people I suspect will keep the plotting tight and the internal logic – whatever that may be – consistent."
"Propulsive, imaginative and visually dazzling without being overwhelming, this adaptation of a William Gibson novel by the Oscar-nominated writer Scott B. Smith is refreshingly clear and downright enjoyable," writes Detroit News' Tom Long
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