[ExI] Film Review: Pantheon 2022

[Stuart LaForge]

I stumbled across an amazing, but very under-hyped, 8 episode AMC+  
original television series from 2022 called "Pantheon".

First off, it is an anime-style cartoon drawn in a softly beautiful  
fashion, like water colors only sharper.

Secondly, the writing is outstanding. It starts off innocuously as a  
family drama revolving around a gifted computer programmer living in  
Palo Alto, California dealing with his adolescent daughter's teenage  
angst and then veers off into a suspenseful and incredibly realistic  
near-term science fiction about the trials and tribulations both faced  
and caused by the world's first few uploaded people that the film  
calls UI for uploaded intelligence.

Thirdly, the acting is incredible. There is so much pathos that the  
entire story seems driven by the viewer's empathy for the characters  
in the story, both human and transhuman. Notably, this was the last  
performance of actor William Hurt before he died and he seriously  
delivers in his role.

This is easily one of the best transhumanist science fiction stories I  
have ever watched. It gracefully navigates themes of greed,  
technology, love, loss, family, and what it truly means to be human.  
It is so elegant in its technical execution that even the soundtrack  
contributes to the story.

Stuart LaForge