Tales from the Loop web series review: Not as smart as it tries to be, far more soporific that it realises it is

Revolving around a snowy town in Ohio, USA, Tales from the Loop is an anthology web series from Amazon Prime, comprising eight episodes, centred on well...'The Loop', a machine with the sole purpose of exploring the mysteries of the universe, and how this impacts the entire town, with everyone either working at or somehow connected to the facility housing The Loop

When we think of mind-bending sci-fi, our mind evokes memories of ingenious concepts, with groundbreaking treatment if not technology, and major plot reveals likely to pull the rug from beneath our feet. Admittedly, movies achieve this far more than TV shows or web series, but they’ve been such smart, revolutionary tales on the small screen, too, courtesy titles such as Battlestar Galactica, Haven, The Man in the High Castle, Stranger Things, Orphan Black, Misfits, Dollhouse, The Twilight Zone (not including the likes of Star Trek or Doctor Who because I’m referring to truly innovative sci-fi at least for its times, and jot just great, highly enjoyable and addictive entries). Sadly, Amazon Prime’s new web show, Tales from the Loop believes itself to be quite smart and feels that it stands out from the melee. The reality is quite the opposite though.

Scroll below to read my full Tales from the Loop review…

What’s it about

Revolving around a snowy town in Ohio, USA, Tales from the Loop is an anthology show, comprising eight episodes, centred on…well...’The Loop’, a machine with the sole purpose of exploring the mysteries of the universe, and how this impacts the entire town, with everyone either working at or somehow connected to the facility housing The Loop. Strange anomalies (or at least that’s what the makers have convinced mundane, predictable hokum to be) occur with varied townspeople in each episode, eventually culminating in their stories coming together toward the end.

What’s hot

Let’s see…now that’s as difficult as finding a needle in haystack on this trainwreck of a show. Well, Jonathan Pryce and Rebecca Hall manage to salvage something with their performances, but then again, you’d expect nothing less from such veterans, one of whom is an Oscar and BAFTA nominee. The camerawork is pretty cool and there are a few good ideas thrown in the mix, but they remain just that – ideas.

What’s not

From “let’s see”, we’ve arrived to “where do I begin”? The list is endless and neither you nor I have the time and effort to spare to write or read an entire thesis about the myriad shortcomings of Tales from the Loop. Plus, it doesn’t merit that level of dedication. So, let’s get down to the blatant issues, sticking out like a sore thumb. First and foremost, creator and cowriter Nathaniel Halpern and his mini army of Directors, including celebrated names like Jodie Foster and Ti West, attempt to rehash every idea ever done in any sci-fi book, movie or show before, mash them together and try to pass them off as something slick and new. Nothing wrong with old wine in a new bottle, if the makers weren’t trying to pull the wool over our eyes and peddle stale ideas as their brainchild, which is what the presentation, treatment and ‘oh-look-at-me-I’m-so-smart’ vibe gives off.

Secondly and more incomprehensible is how they take these amazing ideas and turn them into sloppy seconds, leaving you utterly bored with the lack of pace and absence of even a vestige of enthusiasm. Honestly, watching paint dry is far more interesting. As for the five editors involved in the show, we can’t blame them if they slept at their editing tables from complete boredom and forgot to trim each episode or inject a shred of energy in them, can we?

BL Verdict

If you absolutely must, then catch Amazon's Tales from the Loop as a case study of how not to create sci-fi on paper or on screen. But don’t say that I didn’t warn you. I'm going with 1 out of 5 stars.