I'm a huge sci-fi fan, and I enjoy series such as Black Mirror, Lost In Space, and For All Mankind. So when Netflix released the new Korean sci-fi series called The Silent Sea, I was really excited about it.
The Netflix limited series comes hot on the heels of Squid Game, a Korean show that dominated the Netflix Top Ten list globally. Both series feature Korean actor Gong Yoo, but apart from that, these are two very different series.
WHAT'S THE SILENT SEA ABOUT?
The Silent Sea is a series based on director Choi Hang-yong's short film of the same name, which won many accolades at the 13th Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival in 2014.
The premise of the series is intriguing, a world where water has become a scarce resource. Supply is tightly controlled by a system of ration cards. Those lucky enough to have a gold card, can take the lion's share of water, the rest of society is left surviving on meagre rations.
It's a dystopian version of the future, and humanity appears to be on the brink of extinction.
Amid the desolation, we meet Song Ji-an (Bae Doo-na), an astrobiologist struggling to deal with her sister's death. She died following a radiation leak at the Balhae Lunar Research Station five years previous.
The Space Aviation Administration (SAA) recruits Song Ji-an to join a team on a mission to the moon to retrieve an unknown sample located at the Research Station.
Ji-an is immediately suspicious of the assignment and its real goal, but she agrees to join the team, hoping that she might uncover what happened to her sister.
We're introduced to several of the teams' backstories as they assemble on the launchpad for the rocket that will take them to the moon.
Once the crew approach their destination, things begin to go wrong, a robotic arm malfunctions and fails to detach, triggering a chain reaction of disasters.
From here on, the narrative picks up momentum, moving at a decent pace compared to the slow opening. The series quickly becomes a visual tour de force, with spectacular views of Earth from the moon and vice versa being some of the best ever seen on the small screen.
It becomes obvious that not everything they were told back on earth was true; there are several secrets to be uncovered, and finding the sample is difficult, and things become worse when it appears that they are not alone on the moon.
As the film's narrative unfolds, Song Ji-an and her team are forced to fight for their lives against both known and unknown foes. Although the tale moves swiftly, there are a few problems with the plot and pacing.
IS THE SILENT SEA WORTH WATCHING?
In many ways, The Silent Sea reminds me of the online game ‘Among Us‘. A team is stuck on a space station and they must work out who is the imposter. Crewmates get killed and eventually, the mystery is solved, and the imposter is ejected into space. OK, I might be clutching at straws a little, but you get the picture.
Overall, I enjoyed The Silent Sea, although it does lack the tension and drama of other sci-fi series. If you like the genre, you'll probably enjoy The Silent Sea. However, for me, it was slightly underwhelming – which is a shame, as the series had the right stuff to shoot for the moon.
MORE SCI-FI SHOWS?
If you want more Sci-fi recommendations, head over to our dedicated page, where you can find hundreds of fantastic recommendations for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and more. Our top picks in the genre include: Altered Carbon, Zoe and Time Trap.
