Scavengers Reign (2023)
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Scavengers Reign Review
Scavengers Reign is a science fiction animated series that premiered on Max in 2023. It’s a pretty good, though not great show.
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“What might appear strange to you is not necessarily a malfunction“
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The series follows the survivors of the damaged interstellar cargo ship Demeter 227 who are stranded on Vesta, an alien planet bustling with flora and fauna but filled with dangers. At first I adored this series as the first couple of episodes showed so much promise. But eventually I begin to find it repetitive and nowhere near as amazing as it could have been with a few tweaks.
This is an interesting story set on an intriguing planet where it appears every single living thing is out to kill our heroes. The highlight here was obviously the emphasis on the flora and fauna of this unforgiving planet. The focus on this extraterrestrial biosphere appealed to me as a biology enthusiast and I found their designs incredibly creative. What was especially unique was the relationships between these creatures and their lifestyles.
But too many of these species were parasitic and antagonistic in nature and the show in its emphasis on these alien animals forgot to develop its human characters. Yes, Ursula and Sam were somewhat memorable, but most did not get their proper due and they felt underdeveloped and forgettable. The voice acting was great, though.
The sparse dialogue and an overreliance on visuals to tell the story also bothered me as it spelled no thematic resonance for the show that is more of an action-adventure than a true SF story. The overall story was slim and the survival elements were overly accentuated.
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But the animation was stellar, especially in character designs. So much of the imagery was striking here, especially that cool froglike alien. The score is also superb with the opening being particularly timeless and gorgeous. The sound was phenomenal. The action scenes were thrilling and so well executed while the atmosphere was memorably odd and chilling. But the pacing was too slow and most of its 12 episodes settled into overly familiar territory already established before.
Scavengers Reign is a dazzling animated SF series in terms of audio-visuals, atmosphere and scope. The flora and fauna on this imagined planet was intricate and so well explored. It succeeds as a survival tale due to excellent action, but it lacks in terms of characterization, dialogue and themes. The show became too oriented on visuals to tell the story, lacking the heady SF themes that I’d expected from it.
Worst Episodes: The Cure and The Decision.
Best Episodes: The Signal and The Fall.
