Away

— I intended to watch the first episode of “Away,” Netflix’s series about a manned mission to Mars, to get a feel for it. Before I knew it, I’d watched three episodes and three more the next time I sat down. It’s a good story, less concerned with awe-inspiring imagery of space than with the very human stories of the crew and their lives. That’s not to say the effects aren’t nicely executed, just that there’s less focus on the vastness of universe than, say, in Cuarón's “Gravity.” It’s always a joy to see Hilary Swank in action and she’s wonderful, but all the characters are nicely acted. I also appreciate each episode at least coming to some kind of resolution so every hour there’s an opportunity to get on with your life if you need to. That said, this is a very human look at things and, although I still have a few episodes to watch, I’m enjoying it. It may be a little too “movie of the week” in that many of the crises seem familiar, and Swank, for all her talent, has a character not quite sharply enough written, but these are faults for a critic to fret about—I’m enjoying it as a viewer! [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. One Season, 10 Episodes, 47-51 min./episode. Created by Andrew Hinderaker. Starring Hilary Swank, Vivian Wu, Mark Ivanir, Ato Essandoh, Ray Panthaki, Josh Charles, and Talitha Eliana Bateman.]
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/away-netflix-hilary-swank-review-1051740/