Silo Review: Apple TV+ Isn't Taking the piss

Despite its competitors' displeasure, Apple TV+ is slowly starting to establish itself in the very closed SVOD sector. The Cupertino firm cannot boast of being on the podium of the most popular offers, but it very regularly invites itself to competitions and other ceremonies dedicated to the best of the small and big screen. It must be said that the company is giving itself the means to achieve its ambitions. Foundationan adaptation of Isaac Asimov's works, had everyone agreeing with its visual copy. While the story was a little more heavily criticized, many agree that the series broadcast in 2021 deserved to be looked at.

Two years later, and with a few other futuristic productions in the pipeline, Apple TV+ is tackling a new science fiction bestseller. First self-published, Silo has passed to 500,000 copies on the Internet in 2011 before invading the world's bookstores. Success was immediate for the man who is described as a worthy successor to Dan Brown (Da Vinci Code). Inevitably, this advert has caught the eye of Hollywood giants, including AMC and Apple TV+, who are aiming to bring the stories to the screen.

Edited by Graham Yost (Band of Brothers: Pacific Hell), Silo takes us into the bowels of the earth several years after an ecological disaster that made the planet uninhabitable. Within a bunker of a hundred floors, the residents of the Silo live organized into castes. One day, the Sheriff asks to come out even though it is forbidden to say these words. Since the death of his wife, he doubts what is really happening outside. He is not the only one.

A phenomenon that is taking root

There is no shortage of post-apocalyptic series on SVOD platforms and television channels. Just mention the recent ones The Last of Us And Sweet Tooth to convince themselves that the genre is still omnipresent. If it is more discreet in cinema, especially since the wave of adolescent productions including The Labyrinth, Divergent And Hunger Gameshumanity still likes to question dystopian futures to confront them with our realities.

Silo could thus give rise to a feeling of déjà vu among viewers familiar with the exercise. When the first trailer was released, many people pointed out the similarities between the new Apple TV+ production and The 100. But make no mistake, Silo is not just the story of a society built on the debris of a world destroyed by a major catastrophe. It takes roots in many film and series genres, the thriller first and foremost.
Evolving around a questioning of our beliefs, Silo is divided into several acts.

After two particularly interesting first chapters, which intend to lift the veil on the sheriff's motivations to leave the world that saw him grow up, the production takes a turn towards the police investigation. The narration brings out a clever puzzle that promises to keep the spectators in suspense.

Because if the company undoubtedly aims to continue the adventure over several seasons, Silo does not just set the stage for what comes next. With a certain rhythm, it unfolds a plot with many ramifications. With formidable efficiency, this adaptation rediscovers the very essence of the page-turner from which it is taken. We get caught up in the game and Silo has fun thwarting our predictions in more ways than one. While there are some dips in performance, its creator skillfully exploits cliffhangers.

The series thus becomes less a story about survival in a hostile environment than the chronicle of a civilization whose collapse is (again) looming. As doubt creeps into the characters' minds, the viewers also begin to question their certainties. What was announced as yet another dystopian chronicle around the phrase “Man is a wolf to man” turns into a social and political reflection on the stupefaction of the masses and the preservation of peace. It is therefore difficult not to draw parallels with some other emblematic stories of the genre such as Fahrenheit 451 or even 1984. Silo could have given in to the sirens of the laborious reference, but cares enough about brilliantly embodied characters to devote the time necessary for their development and thus cultivate its singularity.

Silo, so ugly?

The whole artistic challenge of Silo rests in this dimension of confinement. The series manages to transcribe this aspect with great accuracy, especially in its first episodes. If the cursor could be pushed a little further, the objective is not to paint a picture of a disaster story but rather to infuse its imagery with more or less subtle references to its underground society and its codes. The protagonists go hiking on stairs, see a devastated outside world through digital windows and get excited about each camera cleaning.

The latest Apple TV makes the various lockdowns imposed during the pandemic seem like walks in the park. It navigates between the narrow spaces and dizzying staircases that make up the architecture of this immense bunker. The camera is sometimes a little too tame.

With its sets straight from the 60s and 70s, the retro-futuristic series is minimalistic, but manages to create a real atmosphere thanks to a subtle play on calibration. This new production is probably not among the most economical, but its budget is particularly well used. Apart from a few failures on the digital effects side, the series directed by Morten Tyldum and David Semel is worth a look.

After seven episodes, out of a season that has ten, Silo stands out in many ways. Since the literary saga is divided into several novels, the SVOD platform offers itself the opportunity to continue the journey if the success is confirmed with the public. One thing is certain, it should pass under the radar of many fans of the genre. Apple TV+ is quietly building a reputation as a demanding platform, which certainly does not multiply projects, but which takes care of each of its entries.

The arrival of his catalogue at Canal already promises to give him a real boost in the spotlight and to invite him more widely into French living rooms. Silo thus joins the Apple TV+ showcase in the same way as Ted Lasso And Severanceboth praised by viewers around the world. This Friday, May 5, two episodes will be offered to Apple TV+ subscribers before the series adopts a rhythm of one episode per week.

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