The world is facing a water crisis. Global drought, parched seas, nearly extinct flora and fauna. Water is distributed based on social and professional status, causing much protest and unrest. Astrobiologist Son Chan joins a group of astronauts on a mission to the abandoned Bohai Lunar Research Station, where the solution to Earth's problem may lie. But the station's secrets, combined with Dr. Song's personal ones, put the operation and the lives of the entire crew at risk.
It's hard to take space fiction seriously. There are so many things to consider at once. The physical and psychological state of the characters, the physics of the objects, weightlessness, pressurization, the plausibility of the spacesuits, the instruments, the construction of the base, the logic of the scientific discoveries and the science fiction hypotheses. When filming Star Wars, you can dispense with that. But in a story like Sea of Tranquility, you always have to be on your guard, or the audience will hang you for every little thing. Any inaccuracy here kills the suspense.
Alas, the writers of Sea of Tranquillity have failed. Most of what happens is logical, the details are well explained - but what's most frustrating are the obvious flaws and stupidity of the characters. Unfortunately, almost any detail explaining the claims about the series would be spoilers. I'll just say that sometimes writers ignore logic for the sake of a nice frame or image. Characters who reason and act sensibly in some situations suddenly do incredibly stupid things in similar circumstances. Stupid actions can't even be attributed to stress or insanity because they're usually not preceded by anything. And what makes the series particularly sinful is that in a critical situation, the characters stand around waiting for something to happen when they should have already acted.
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| The Silent Sea – Picture: Netflix |
The meditative Korean way of filming cannot be dismissed - in other works, it usually doesn't prevent the characters from acting. Revealing Korean characters with long portraits and facial games that replace dialogue is a good thing, given the seriousness of the story and the mass of mystery and intrigue. It's even more frustrating to stumble through the gaps in logic. Also, many of the details are explained in the worst science tradition on the CW - why. It's just there, and you believe it. On top of that, the plot lost a couple of lines in the finale. And since the series was supposed to be a one-season series, no one will find them again.
The situation is saved by the overall atmosphere, which remains tense and compelling most of the time, some unexpected plot decisions, and, of course, the actors. What the series has no problem with are strong characters and vivid characters. Understandably, the series doesn't skimp on the stars. The role of captain and mission leader Kang Yuntae is played by Kong Yoo (the star of "The Train to Busan"). He may have seemed cynical, but at heart he was a noble leader, and played the role of Dr. Sun. Dr. Sun is played by the Wachowskis' own Pae Doo Na (Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending, The Eighth Sense). He has almost all the drama of the series on his fragile shoulders.
"Sea of Tranquillity" elicits mixed reactions. Interesting setting, great actors, lots of components and moderately unexpected twists. Plus it's all decently filmed. But the constant flaws in the logic of the characters' behavior and the lack of sensible explanations often spoil the positive emotions, leaving a sterile impression after the series.
