Raised by Wolves is an outstanding adventure that will heighten your interest with each episode. Riddled with astonishing performances, stellar visual effects, and a Herculean score that gets under your skin. This sci-fi tale offers a thoughtful exploration of humans, religion, and how our beliefs can be our undoing.
HBO Max hasn’t been the best, but Raised by Wolves could be the series to draw more attention. With a second season already confirmed, this seems to be the strongest reason to subscribe at the moment. Alien director, Ridley Scott, helms the first two episodes, and his genius doesn’t go unnoticed. Created by Aaron Guzikowski, Raised by Wolves follows Mother and Father, two androids raising children on Kepler-22b after the fall of Earth. A great war between the Mithraic and atheists caused the destruction. Raising these children to be atheists becomes a challenge, as the Mithraic close in on them.
The series stars Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, Niamh Algar, Travis Fimmel, and Cosmo Jarvis. From the beginning, Raised by Wolves sparks your interest when Mother and Father land on Kepler-22b, a vastly different area compared to Earth. They make use of the six human embryos given to them by Campion Sturges (Jarvis), a scientist who changed his faith and created Mother. After several unfortunate events, Campion (McGrath), the youngest of the six embryos, is the only one left alive.
This phenomenally structured series will secure a following with its religious-based narrative, but most of the human characters don’t impress. For instance, Fimmel and Algar star as Marcus and Sue, two atheist soldiers who have stolen the identity of a Mithraic couple. Their actual names are Caleb and Mary, but they aren’t fleshed out any further. Still, with amazing performances across the board, it makes up for it. Collin is fantastic as Mother, she personifies the lack of care an android could possess. While also making viewers question if there is a slight chance feelings can exist within her.
A lot of effort goes into highlighting the pros and cons between the atheist and the Mithraic. This allows viewers to identify that neither side is particularly right or wrong, and you can side with whomever. The effects are so remarkable and every sci-fi enthusiast should appreciate them. Raised by Wolves lacks in the development of its characters, but the second season should resolve that. Several discoveries are made throughout the series, but in the end, you are left with more questions than answers. Still, this initial season was only the beginning, and the impressive worldbuilding will continue next season.
The score by Marc Streitenfeld and Ben Frost is very powerful. It arrives during all the proper instances, raises the tension, and immerses you into the world of Kepler-22b. Raised by Wolves has the potential to be the next great sci-fi series, and this score will help secure that title. Raised by Wolves features impeccable cinematography that is so rich and vibrant. The look of this series is amazing from start to finish. It will be interesting to see how the second season picks up from the events of the season finale, and how the cinematography evolves.
Raised by Wolves is a great sci-fi series with the potential to become the next big series. An action-packed, futuristic adventure that many fans of this genre will enjoy for one reason or another. The second season should clear up any unanswered questions viewers will have after the season finale, but aside from that, this series is amongst the best to be released this year. A terrifically crafted series, that offers complex characters and a premise every sci-fi enthusiasts will love to watch unfold.
