Altered Carbon Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

1. The Excellent World Building

And finally, Altered Carbon's first-rate world-building is what will ultimately keep viewers hooked throughout.

Aided by the fantastic visuals, there's a fascinating depiction here of a hypnotic future Earth, which while initially seeming to ape Blade Runner's familiar aesthetic, takes it in a wholly different direction as it explores future society, both in terms of the wealthy elite and those making a living in the gutters.

It manages to feel both otherworldly and familiar at once, with its heightened style but constant callbacks to how society functions in the present.

The future created here is incredibly convincing in every sense, and considering how difficult it is to pull this off without making concessions somewhere along the line - usually budgetary - Altered Carbon stands as a truly staggering achievement, flaws and all.

What did you think of Altered Carbon's first season? Shout it out in the comments!