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Amazon.ca
A plague of global proportions. Anarchy in the streets. The collapse of government and the rule of law--perhaps even the end of civilization itself!--followed by the rise of tyranny and vigilantism. There's heavy stuff happening in Survivors, a British sci-fi drama offered here with all 12 episodes from its first two (and so far only) seasons on five discs. Although it shares a title, original writer (Terry Nation), and several character names with a mid-'70s series, this is apparently not a remake. But the basic idea, detailed in the 90-minute pilot episode, is the same: Present-day Britain has fallen prey to a particularly nasty influenza virus. Within days, it's clear that the disease won't be easily contained; within a couple of weeks, at least 90 percent of the population has died from it, not merely in England but across the planet. As the world as they know it quickly falls apart--no electricity, no communications, no mass transit, no readily available medical care--and those who survived due to immunity start to sort themselves out, the show narrows its focus on one disparate and distinctly multicultural group: Abby (Julie Graham), the de facto leader, who's determined to find the son she's convinced is still alive; Tom (Max Beesley), who was doing time for robbery and murder when the virus struck; Anya (Zoe Tapper), an attractive young doctor; Greg (Peterson Joseph), a would-be loner whose life had already been falling apart; Al (Phillip Rhys), a rich, lazy ne'er do well; and Najid, a devout, 11-year-old Muslim.
The remaining episodes follow this core bunch as they cope with their strange new world--a world in which, as Tom puts it, "we make our own law now." These are people we come to know and, for the most part, care about--especially Abby (one of the very few who contracted and then somehow recovered from the virus) and Tom (whose violent ways make him both an invaluable protector and the object of much mistrust). Other major and minor characters come and go, including various bands of outlaws, thieves, and such, led by religious zealots, power-hungry criminals, greedy entrepreneur types planning to cash in once things return to normal, and so on; there are a few good guys along the way, too. The bigger picture is addressed as well, as a surviving minister (Nikki Amuka-Bird) attempts to put the government back together (using increasingly drastic and outrageous methods) and a sinister band of scientists conduct Mengele-like experiments in their search for a vaccine. It's not all brilliant--some of the hour-long episodes move very slowly (by and large, season 2 is faster paced and more exciting than the first), and there are some mawkish, overly melodramatic scenes. But the central themes (Are people basically good, or evil? How would we cope in a world without civilization?) and characters are enough to make for very compelling viewing. --Sam Graham
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Most helpful customer reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining, but disappointing,
By
This review is from: Survivors: Complete Seasons 1 & 2 (DVD)
***Possible spoilers***The first season of the new Survivors is fairly entertaining cheese, but they totally missed the point of the original series: how do a bunch of ordinary people cope when all the supports of society are stripped away? ... they have to learn to fend for themselves, defend themselves, begin producing their own food, provide their own shelter, etc ... overall, how do they re-institute some form of human social organization which has to deal with everything from planting potatoes to dealing with a community member who commits a murder ... it was made fairly cheaply, but the weaknesses in the production values and the unevenness of the cast were overcome by the quality and intelligence of the writing ... In the remake, throughout the entire first season (six episodes), the group that come together make no attempt to start providing for themselves, just find a big house and scavenge for food and supplies; the story is made "bigger" by having a nascent group trying to re-form the government at a big, fully equipped facility with its own wind power, computers, satellite links, etc (a group which inevitably quickly takes on a fascist tone), plus there's a secret installation working on a vaccine/cure for the disease (with the implication that they released it in the first place) ... Meanwhile, instead of focusing on the minutiae of survival, as the original series did, the running time is filled with soap opera stuff among the characters as they pair up, have sex, get jealous, fight and make up ... in other words, a pretty predictable "update" of the original aimed at what the BBC thinks are the interests of a shallow, distracted audience ... people who presumably would be bored with the problems of starting a farm from scratch when faced with imminent starvation ... replacing genuine gritty drama with slick, shallow "drama" ...
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cancelled Too Soon,
By
This review is from: Survivors: Complete Seasons 1 & 2 (DVD)
Ninety percent of the population of the world has died due to a virus. The few who are immune struggle to survive. The series follows a small band and those they encounter with each episode being a morality tale of good and evil. There is plenty of preaching, melodrama, and some silly decision-making by the characters. But this is largely offset by a solid production that makes Britain look like it really has undergone such a disaster. And it prompts one to wonder what it would be like to cope in a world where few rules exist.The (deliberate) multicultural group is a bit annoying and cloying at times - even with their flaws, tensions and disputes, they are bit too plastic. This leads me to my biggest complaint...they are probably the best looking cast England could assemble which is very distracting. As well, their hair, complexion, and clothes are way too immaculate for a post-apocalypse - it seems like manicures are still offered and perhaps car washes too as their vehicles are consistently clean. Also the de facto leader, Abby, miraculously maintains her suburban chub months after the food chain was rudely interrupted. However, it is a shame that the series was cancelled before the plot could be more fully explored. Post-apocalyptic television does not fare well when one thinks that others like Jericho also are cancelled before the larger mystery can be resolved. Hopefully The Walking Dead will make it to a season three (if they pick up the pace).
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting show,
By Chasseur (Montreal Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Survivors: Complete Seasons 1 & 2 (DVD)
The post apocalypse, post catastrophe genre is usually an Hollywood turf but still this British effort is interesting. The actors are all Brits and at first you have to pay attention to the Coronation Street accent dialogs so as not to miss part of the story. As survivors they are a very incompetent lot and those in the know will often smile. Because of their incompetence the show is actually realistic and portrays how ordinary people would face the situation they find themselves in. I didn't get bored and didn't regret my money.Chasseur
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