Acting leaves a bit to be desired in some places, but the world building*, sets, costume, and graphic design are simply amazing. I especially like how they've used people's clothing and such to indicate that the occupied United States has become something of a backwater. In some areas it is quite obviously the 1960s but some people look like they haven't bought new clothes since about 1943.
They haven't even bothered to remove old WW2 propaganda posters-although perhaps this is unlikely-especially in the Nazi section.
http://insidetv.ew.com/2015/01/15/amazon-pilots-review/
Amazon pilot reviews: 'The Man in the High Castle' is king
By
Jeff Jensen and Melissa Maerz on Jan 15, 2015 at 3:50PM
Image Credit: David Berg/Amazon Studios
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The Man in the High Castle
Creator: Frank Spotnitz (
The X-Files)
Premise: An alt-history saga adapted from the Philip K. Dick novel of the same title imagines America in a world where the Axis powers won World War II—by beating everyone else to the bomb and nuking Washington D.C. The year is 1962, and the United States is split in two, à la Berlin. The Nazis control the East, the Japanese control the West, and the cold war between the former confederates threatens to explode, pending the outcome of political instability in Germany: Hitler, it seems, has Parkinson’s, and not long to live. Against this backdrop, we meet a variety of characters suffering or surviving each oppressive culture. Two of them in particular—Julianna (
Mob City’s Alexa Davalos), investigating the murder of her sister, and Joe (Luke Kleintank of
Pretty Little Liars and
Bones), a newcomer to the resistance—are on a collision course, drawn to each other by the mystery of illicit newsreels depicting a different, better history, one where the Allies carried the day. The films are rebel art, producing an Anonymous-like subversive known only as “The Man in the High Castle.”
Prospects: Depends. If you’re tired of high-concept dystopian fantasy and Nazi bad guys, this is a pass. If you’re a fan of high-concept dystopian fantasy done
right and are at least agnostic about Nazi bad guys, this is for you. Directed by veteran helmer David Semel, this well-cast, well-acted, swell-looking pilot is by far the most polished of the group. It’s engrossing despite its stately pace, and a triumph of world building.
The Man in the High Castle could be Amazon’s first successful attempt at big saga TV.
—Jeff Jensen
*One nice little titbit I noticed was that St. Louis has been renamed New Berlin
Have you seen a map ?