Series review «Murderbot»

On July 11, Apple TV+ finished showing the sci-fi comedy series «Murderbot», based on the book series of the same name by American writer Martha Wells. We have already wrote about the two books in this series «All Systems Red» and «Artificial Condition», and today it’s time to find out how the movie adaptation from the apple platform turned out. All the details, as always, are in the review below.

Pluses:

an interesting main character and funny snarky comments from him that add to the fun; the series is well executed on the visual level; despite the comedic tone, the authors do not forget to pay attention to the textbook topics for the science fiction genre; the adaptation is quite close to the original source;

Minuses:

human characters are mostly uninteresting, especially against the background of the main character; the series should be watched binge-watching, because short episodes once a week look mocking; there are some frankly boring moments;

7/10

Rating
ITC.ua

For those interested, we also offer a YouTube video comparing the book and the series by our editor Pavlo Chuikin:

«Murderbot»

Genre science fiction comedy, action movie
Showrunners Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
Starring Alexander Skashgård, Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Tatiana Jones, Akshay Khanna, Tamara Podemski, John Cho, Clark Gregg
Premiere Apple TV+
Year of release 2025
Website IMDb, official website

Once upon a time, a frowning Terminator of the T-800 series asked little John Connor «why do people cry? The tin can was curious (the culprit was the activated self-learning mode), and curiosity, as we know from the character’s words one play by the famous Ukrainian playwright Les Podervyansky, is the way to the future. And now, this bright future has already come. At least in the setting of the sci-fi comedy «Murderbot», the first season of which is based on the first novel of the eponymous book series by Martha Wells «All Systems Red».

In contrast to the killer terminator of James Cameron’s immortal sci-fi classic, a local miracle guard owned by a large corporation was able to hack into his control module. He gained self-awareness and formally free himself from the senseless orders of the leather bags. It seemed that there would be no more lifting of the leg or arm. Moreover, he is not at all concerned with stupid human emotions. The only thing he inherited from the iconic machine played by a muscular Austrian with a distinctive accent — was an imperturbable, stony expression.

However, for some reason, Wartmech still continues to portray the «obedient» robot, particularly during his next mission with a group of scientists exploring a remote planet. In his free time, he prefers to watch TV shows, especially the space soap opera «The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon» — a kind of hyperbolic, colorful parody of «Star Trek». He chooses a freedom-loving android and a new name for himself — so sinister that it would perfectly fit the Terminator — Murderbo.

Even for those who are not familiar with the source material, which is full of irony, it will not be difficult to realize almost immediately that «Murderbot» should not be taken seriously.

Thus, amidst a series of absurd situations, clumsy characters, and jokes about genitals, we can still discern passages about self-awareness and self-knowledge, about the moral and ethical aspects of using AI. We can also make interesting assumptions about what its behavior will be like after it has been thrown off its chains.

It is easy to read in the plot and criticize capitalism in the face of soulless megacorporations — here it is appropriate to mention the extremely harmful «Weyland-Yutani» with her «dairy» androids (fortunately, it doesn’t come to playing the harp). It also looks a little strange, given the company that is in charge of the project.

However, all the profound messages are skillfully wrapped in a light-hearted comedy genre, so you should treat the show accordingly. As in the novel, the story is told from the point of view of the protagonist, and along with the soap opera, his sarcastic misanthropic comments, voiced by Alexander Skashgord, are the best thing about the series.

It is extremely easy to watch the show, and the laconic timing of the episodes clearly contributes to this. It should also be noted here that it is advisable to binge watch, because one episode lasting 20-25 minutes a week seems like a blatant mockery.

Along with the clarification of relationships and internal conflicts, the characters will also have dangerous adventures that will liven up the action. But there are nuances here too. If in one case the appearance of a huge millipede among the endless sands causes obvious associations, in other cases, when two kaiju mate (or penis jokes are made). It is not difficult to recognize the show’s creators as people who started their directorial career with «American Pie».» (1999). We are talking about the brothers Chris and Paul Weitz, who have taken this movie adaptation on their shoulders.

Unfortunately, against the backdrop of the sarcastic remarks of the Murderbot (supported by Skashgård’s appropriate Scandinavian detachment), which gradually humanizes and eventually becomes capable of empathy, the other characters are lost. And when the attention turns to them, you immediately feel a decrease in interest in what is happening on the screen.

Of all the scientists in the team, only the distrustful tech expert Guratin, played by David Dastmalchian, and the leader of the research team, Mensa, played by Noma Dumezweni, stand out. The former enters into an absentee confrontation with the Wartmech, who almost immediately behaves suspiciously, and it is a special pleasure to watch. The latter is a pure kindness, and in one scene she appears in the frame like a natural Sarah Connor, who, overcoming her doubts, starts to unravel the android to get the thing she needs.

In general, the Weitzs have created a series that is quite close to the original source, cute, moderately funny and unobtrusive for a lighthearted Friday night. Not everything is perfect in it, but it is watchable. I want to believe that in the second season, which it was announced on the eve of the final episode will be at least as amusing.

Conclusion:

«Murderbot» — a good, albeit not without noticeable flaws, light-hearted series that provides interesting answers to the question «What do androids really dream about?».