A captivating series on Amazon Prime, endorsed by Stephen King, has been compared to a “page-turning” novel by the renowned author.
If you’re keeping pace with the latest episodes of King’s new Amazon Prime sci-fi thriller, The Institute, you’re in for a treat.
The show stars Joe Freeman and revolves around a young boy imprisoned by a mysterious organization seeking to exploit his telekinetic powers.
King has consistently shown appreciation for the streaming platform’s original series, with one in particular being hailed by fans as a ’10/10′.
From the mind of Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn, the series centers on a close-knit group of online friends who reunite at a comic convention.
While there, they uncover a series of cult graphic novels that seem to predict impending global disasters.
From environmental crises to deadly pandemics and secret vaccine agendas, the content is undeniably eerie.
As they delve deeper into the comics, they become targets of a shadowy organization planning an outbreak linked to synthetic meat, accompanied by a vaccine rollout plan tied to elite conspiracies.
The series in question is called Utopia, adapted from the 2013 British thriller of the same name.
It premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2020, which might be surprising to some.
A month after the show’s release in October 2020, King shared his impressions on Twitter.
“I’m loving UTOPIA, on Amazon Prime,” he commented. “It might not be to everyone’s taste, given the times we’re in, but it has the gradual build-up to full intensity that I associate with page-turning novels.”
He described the series as ‘horrifying, violent, and at times laugh-out-loud funny’.
Many social media users echoed his sentiment, with one noting: “Utopia on Prime Video is a MUST WATCH!! If you have Prime 10/10 I recommend it.”
Some suggested King should watch the 2013 UK series, believing it to surpass the US version.
Indeed, the original series earned a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the 2020 version’s 50 percent.
Nevertheless, fans believed the US adaptation received undue criticism, primarily because it was released during the Covid-19 pandemic…
While critics applauded its ‘cast and mystery’, they noted the theme might be perceived as ‘too timely – in a negative way’.
On IMDB, a viewer described Prime Video’s Utopia as a ‘crazy, funny, engaging pandemic drama you need to watch’.
“I watched it all without taking breaks,” they confessed, adding: “With every episode filled with twists and enjoyable elements, Utopia is one of the best shows I’ve seen this year.”
Another viewer called it ‘an easy show to binge with excellent acting’, while a third summarized: “Compelling. Shocking. Just great TV.”
Both the UK and US versions of Utopia are currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.