The problem that we face with a lot of science fiction tv shows is that it is going to take an unusually high budget to be able to pull it off especially if the scenes that are filmed are meant to take place in outer space frequently. The simulation of zero G is going to be really tough no matter how you look at it, and when I watch a show like The Expanse I can appreciate what they are trying to do but I also realize that they are staying away from extremely difficult to replicate situations such as people's hair floating weightlessly around them by having everyone have shaved heads or tight braids for the ladies, and well, I can see what you are doing there.
It can be kind of fun though, to watch and see where they are clearly trying to save money through some sorts of tricks and how at times the gravity defying boots that they are wearing force them to walk really slow and at other times they just kind of throw that rule out and people can run willy nilly. That in itself can be pretty entertaining but the thing that I don't like that they are doing in this very bold undertaking is that since they don't have the budget to do this properly, they instead are relying on a ton of boring dialogue in order to take up all the time in the episodes.
I am familiar enough with the source material here to know that this must have been a really tough one for some execs to green-light seeing as how the story dictates that a great deal of what goes on is going to involve certain situations that simply cannot be properly replicated while filming in a place that isn't outer space and does in fact have gravity.
I am sure that this was a big part of the reason why nearly everyone in the cast that ends up in an outer space sort of environment has a shaved head, some sort of really tight curly hair, or unnecessarily always has a hat on.
A lot of what is going on involves finding a central character named Julie Mao, who is the daughter of some really rich dude. There are a few really cool scenes with her in zero G where her hair and the rest of her body is floating around and that must have been very expensive for them to pull off. It would have been a relative CGI nightmare to film this and I will admit that I found it rather amusing that one of the first things they did with her when we encounter her in this massive ship that has lost gravity, is to have her tie her hair back so tight that they wouldn't have to do that anymore. I mean, if she had that hair tie the entire time why wait? It must have been super annoying to have your hair in your face up to that point.
I like to believe that they were filming and then a producer was like "guys this is costing way too much money, let's get that girl a hair band."
The outer space stuff including the little bit of combat, they do pretty well with it but you can't help but look at it and say that it looks fake and kind of cheap. For me this often takes away from the overall quality and yes, I know that this show is over 10 years old.
A lot of time is spent on the political side of things and this is just fine. The entire story here is about Earth, Mars, and the workers of the asteroid belt not really getting along and being on the brink of war but for many, this political side of things could seem to drag on a bit. Is it true to the source material? Well, you'd have to ask someone that read the books to get an answer on that.
For me the series has a decent plot but I just can't help but feel as though a lot of the scenery that we are subjected to has been intentionally altered so as to accommodate a Sy-Fy network sort of budget.
One other thing that I found a bit "sub-par" was the actor that portrays "James Holden." It is my impression from what little I know of the source material that this dude is supposed to be an imposing physical force and also of unerring mental willpower, yet he often looks quite small and comes across as a bit on the whiney side. I can't really put my finger on it but to me he just doesn't portray the role of feared and respected very well.
This show has a near 80% or 8/10 on the major review sites but much like anything that is science-fiction these reviews can be a bit unbalanced because if there is one thing the nerdy types (I am one of those nerdy types, so don't get offended) often do is to look out for their own. If they want something to carry on with the seasons, they do everything they can to make it appear as popular as possible. For me though, I think that this show is only going to appeal to a very small segment of overall society.
Should I watch it?
Well, I think if you are the type of person that this would truly appeal to you probably already heard about it a decade ago and already watched it. For modern audiences I can only really recommend this for people that truly enjoy science fiction, especially the kind of science fiction that exists in the realm of technology not that far ahead of what we currently already have in our real world. There is no "faster than light" there is no "force" there are no crazy laser weapons that never run out of ammo, it is pretty true-to-life and that I can applaud them for.
I think if the average viewer were to watch just the first episode though, that they would likely already be bored. Time has not been kind to the production value of this series, as is similar to almost any sci-fi production that has been made, ever with rare exceptions such as the Aliens films.
I would go as far as to say that if you aren't a science-fiction fan there is virtually no chance you are going to enjoy this.
this can currently only be legally streamed for free with an Amazon Prime subscription, or you can buy it on AppleTV+