Raised by Wolves

It’s exciting, with each twist and turn arriving as clues to better understand this crazy place, from its smallest elements to its greatest themes. And yet, the answers to the mysteries always take a backseat to the interpersonal dynamics among the survivors.

Raised by Wolves has the potential to be the first great sci-fi show of the ’20s. Visually stunning, technically marvelous, and trippy as hell, it feels like both a callback to the golden era of sci-fi and a template for what the genre could be in this century. Raised by Wolves is a must-watch for sci-fi devotees and a return to early career form for Sir Ridley Scott.

A welcome dose of high-quality science fiction. ... Even when “Raised by Wolves” gets bogged down by its frenetic plots and a frigidly brutal vision of what lies ahead, the show seems exactly right about one thing: A whole new world should totally feel like a whole new world — from the untouched grit beneath one’s boots to a complete reordering of right and wrong. That’s the point of breaking free.

Though it continues to spend an inordinate amount of time panning over its beautiful and haunting sepia-tinged landscapes and offering vague critiques of the cruel and warlike nature of humans, Raised By Wolves is at its most riveting when viewers get the opportunity to simply watch a close-up shot of Mother’s face as she attempts to reconcile what she wants to do with what she knows she should do instead.

It is not the fact that there is nothing new on show. Delivered with enough panache, there will always be an appetite for traditional sci-fi tropes reassembled to bang home the usual messages. But Raised By Wolves does not have panache – and the thin, unsophisticated story it comprises stands naked, particularly cruelly so in a post-Westworld landscape.

The series struggles to fill its time with meaningful development, and far too quickly abandons its frank nature for time-hopping twists and unfulfilling jargon. Worst of all, after the big, lavish spectacle seen in the first few episodes, “Raised by Wolves” ends up feeling small.

It's more than possible that the momentum of that first episode might be enough to carry some viewers — fans of evasive-yet-ponderous hard sci-fi — through the series. I found the next five episodes a study in diminishing returns, the breathtaking aesthetic fading with Scott and Wolski's baton-passing after the second episode and the overall world of the show becoming less and less compelling with each contrived plot point and thinly sketched new character. With nobody and nothing to really care about, I'll probably skip the season's last four episodes.

Nice direction for the show. It is different and had potential. I would like to see how it goes.

The series struggles to fill its time with meaningful development, and far too quickly abandons its frank nature for time-hopping twists and unfulfilling jargon.

Raised by Wolves is one of those high-concept shows that slow-burns into an engaging piece of storytelling, only for it to take a giant dump on you at the very end by taking a nonsensical twist. There's plenty to admire, and I was fascinated by the prospect of this new world and how humanity would function in it, against a backdrop of philosophy, religion and sci-fi mythology. I just can't fathom that ending and it left me quite annoyed.

I really liked the earlier episodes. But the final two episodes are just so disappointingly bad. Overall the show also struggles with some really poor acting at times, especially by the young cast members (who are also poorly written). As others have noted, it all too often comes off as a bad Syfy series. Still, it was good enough to stick to, but the end result makes it a big thumbs down.

Starts promisingly but doesn't deliver. The change in directing is really noticeable after Ridley leaves, the characters have little depth, there are pretty gaping plot holes, the pace is pedestrian, and the story is a bit of a jumble. This would work well as a 2.5hr film, but as a series it's flawed.