Real Humans: Real Humans - Season 1 - DVD

Content: Sweden in a parallel present: Here human robots, called HUBOTS, belong to everyday life. As household help, workers or also for the quite particularly private pleasure the Hubots are used. For most people, the androids are nothing more than a soulless machine that facilitates their everyday lives. But there is a group of hubots who do not see themselves as slaves to humanity, but dream of a world where humans and hubots can coexist as equals. These fierce hubots include Leo (Andreas Wilson), Mimi (Lisette Pagler) and Niska (Eva Röse), who, along with a small group of other robots, are constantly on the run from the police, always looking for a place to recharge their batteries. One night, as they're about to break into a house, Mimi is kidnapped by a group of black marketeers. While Niska continues to lead the group in search of a safe place, Leo sets out to find Mimi, unaware that she has already been sold to a new family and is now living there under the name Anita.

While Leo's search takes him deeper and deeper into the world of the illegal hubot black market, police detective Beatrice (Marie Robertson) and her partner are hot on the heels of the fugitive robots, the family whose home the hubots broke into having been brutally murdered. Beatrice seems to approach this case with particular doggedness, as she is not particularly fond of hubots. She is even a member of an action group that advocates the complete abolition of androids. But in truth, Beatrice is pursuing a very different plan - one directly related to Leo, Mimi, and the other feral hubots and their origins...

Real Humans: Real Humans is the new series from Lars Lundström, who has already made a name for himself as the author of several Wallander adaptations. At first glance, his latest creation seems like a series adaptation of Steven Spielberg's A.I. - Artificial Intelligence, mixed with a bit of I, Robot and Blade Runner. But even though human robots are at the heart of the story, the series isn't really classic science fiction stuff. That's because by setting the story in an alternate form of the present day, Lundström almost completely loses the sci-fi aspect. There are no flying cars, no futuristic cityscapes, and no alien-looking communication devices. This makes it easier for the viewer to settle into this world and focus primarily on the story and the various issues being dealt with.

The ten episodes of the first season present themselves as a mixture of thriller, family story and social drama, highlighting numerous philosophical, ethical and socio-political issues. The whole thing is spiced up with light fantasy elements, a bit of satirical humor and everyday problems that many viewers can identify with very well. This is sometimes very clever and intelligent, sometimes exciting as well as thrilling and always extremely entertaining. Great praise is due to the actors, who portray the hubots only with the help of make-up effects and always strike the right balance between man and machine. They seem somehow alien, yet hubots like Mimi or Odi quickly win the sympathy of the audience. This makes it understandable why some humans demand more rights for the hubots or even develop downright feelings for them.

Real Humans: Echte Menschen is therefore good entertainment because the series is not just fun, but because in its best moments it also makes you think and presents old familiar motifs in a fresh and original way. If you appreciate exciting TV entertainment on a high level, with a light fantasy touch and Scandinavian flair, you should not miss this DVD box set. Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The audiovisual realization of the series on the DVD is overall on a good to very good TV level. The picture is clean and apart from some slight picture noise in darker sequences, there are no noticeable glitches visible. The color scheme is consistent and enhances the slightly alien atmosphere of the story. The sound is primarily dominated by the very centrally mixed dialogue, but has a few good surround moments every now and then to provide a little movement in the soundscape. Good!

Extras: Bonus material has this first season unfortunately not to offer.

Conclusion: Real Humans: Real Humans is an excellent example of the high quality of Scandinavian TV entertainment. A genuinely gripping story, spiced with a dash of satirical humour and moving drama, makes this first season a real treat, especially as the ten episodes are not only extremely entertaining, but also raise interesting social, ethical and philosophical questions. Anyone who appreciates TV entertainment of a high standard should definitely not miss this mix of fantasy, drama and thriller. Absolutely recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp