After Quentin Tarantino’s harsh comments, Paul Dano has been in the news recently, and despite the actor having a number of excellent projects and performances that highlight how talented he is, even Tarantino would enjoy his animated sci-fi masterpiece. Having started his career over two decades ago, Dano’s incredible volume of work speaks for itself.
There Will Be Blood remains one of his finest films, with the likes of Prisoners and The Batman highlighting Dano’s incredible range. Additionally, his TV projects have been equally good, as Paul Dano’s Escape at Dannemora role once again showed how captivating a performer the 41-year-old is, but one overlooked sci-fi show is arguably even better.
While Tarantino may not have liked Dano’s There Will Be Blood performance, even he can’t deny how great Pantheon is. He may not play the lead role, but Dano is still a major part of the 100% Rotten Tomatoes series, and his wealth of experience helped elevate this project into one of the most underrated hits of the decade.
What Is Pantheon About?
Pantheon‘s incredible reviews would suggest it was a mainstream hit, but despite how well-received it was across the board, it only lasted two seasons and just recently made its way to Netflix, hence why not everyone will be familiar with this series. However, the interesting premise and brilliantly executed storylines make the overwhelmingly positive ratings completely understandable.
Centering on a teenage girl called Maddie, Pantheon explores the death of the young girl’s father, who manages to communicate with her from beyond the grave. With his cancer worsening, Maddie’s father, David, signed up for an experimental brain scan, which allowed him to continue working for Logorhythms even after death.
Although his memories were wiped, this artificial version of David began remembering his life, hence reaching out to his daughter after learning about her being bullied. From here, Pantheon continues to escalate into a memorable sci-fi adventure, as Maddie meets Caspian, a young prodigy looking to expose the truth about Logorhythms.
The show focuses on corporate greed and global conspiracies, with the central characters even having to deal with the outbreak of a technological arms race. It is a truly one-of-a-kind experience that deserves every bit of praise it has got, and Pantheon is a must-watch show for all sci-fi fans, as well as those who love Paul Dano.
Paul Dano Plays Caspian In Pantheon
Alongside Maddie, Caspian is arguably Pantheon‘s most important character, with Paul Dano making it easy to become invested in the youngster. Despite acting as a normal teenager, Caspian was actually cloned by the show’s main antagonist, Stephen Holstrom, who designed him in the hopes he could cure a technological flaw involving Uploaded Intelligence.
Caspian was completely unaware of his manipulated upbringing or his true purpose until uncovering the truth himself, which is what eventually led to him uniting with Maddie. In terms of personality, Caspian is a genius who is wise beyond his years, despite having a more reserved personality, and is able to learn rather quickly.
Overall, he is kind and selfless, but after learning about his origins, Caspian begins to question his identity and becomes far more reckless. Still, he remains pure-hearted, often putting himself on the line for those around him. Despite all the trauma he faced, the deuteragonist eventually falls in love with Maddie, with the two forming a strong bond throughout the series.
His complex history and willingness to do good in the face of adversity are a big part of what made Pantheon a sci-fi masterpiece that wouldn’t be the same without him. As a result, it’s safe to say Caspian was an absolutely crucial part of the project’s success, highlighting how influential Dano’s involvement really was.
Pantheon Is A Must-See For Sci-Fi Fans
Pantheon may not be the most well-known sci-fi show out there, but it is one that fans of the genre simply shouldn’t miss. It has a great fictional universe full of complicated tech that feels particularly fitting with today’s current climate, especially when depicting how powerful companies exploit this for their own personal gain.
More importantly, Pantheon also features really engaging characters brought to life by some top-tier voice acting, culminating in a clever and emotional story. It may take a few episodes to fully get into this wonderful narrative, but once you’re hooked, it only gets better and better, with the strong finale making up for the show’s cancellation.
As a two-season series, Pantheon works extremely well, yet there is still room for more if it is ever picked up for a third season, which may be a long shot due to the complicated ownership between AMC, Prime Video, and Netflix. Even though the visuals aren’t exactly revolutionary, they still help craft a unique setting that works way better than live-action.
So, for any sci-fi lovers out there looking for something fresh, Pantheon is worth checking out since it went under many people’s radar and has nothing but strong endorsements, so much so that even Paul Dano’s biggest critics would probably have to hold their hands up and admit that this adventure is a true masterpiece.
- Release Date
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2022 – 2023-00-00
- Network
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Prime Video, AMC+, HIDIVE
- Directors
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Melchior Zwyer, Ed Tadem, Micah Gunnell, David Dwooman Woo, Mari Yang
- Writers
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Michael Taylor, Scott Gunnison Miller
