The Sentinels, an eight-part French wartime sci-fi series from STUDIOCANAL, has been snapped up by the BBC and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Starring Louis Peres, the series is drawn from the graphic novels Les Sentinelles by Xavier Dorison and Enrique Breccia and is billed as an 'adrenaline-drenched steampunk-style thriller'.
Plot and Premise
The series follows a soldier, played by Louis Peres, who is injected with a super serum and joins an elite unit on a mission to end the fighting. According to a synopsis: 'At the outbreak of World War I, Gabriel Ferraud - a gravely wounded soldier - is recruited into a top-secret French military programme designed to create the ultimate weapon: enhanced humans. After being injected with a mysterious serum, Gabriel gains extraordinary strength, speed, and resilience. He joins an elite unit known as the Sentinels - augmented soldiers forged for the front lines.' As the conflict goes on, Gabriel discovers 'a terrifying truth'.
Viewer Reception
The series has won over viewers. One posted on IMDb.com: 'If you like superheroes (antiheroes), war movies and aren't afraid of some action with a touch of grim dark sci-fi in a first world setting... then you'll love this!' Another wrote on Rotten Tomatoes: 'This is absolutely brilliant if you’re into war dramas, thrillers and superheroes. The characters are well developed, both protagonists and antagonists - there’s three main storylines which are all equally compelling, and the action set pieces are entertaining bringing all the gritty brutality of fighting on the Western Front combined with the dirty combat. All in all, something different to the usual.'
'I thought this show absolutely ruled and hope to see more seasons,' another viewer commented on Reddit. 'This was a really great watch,' agreed somebody else. 'Loved the costume design, and the action wasn’t cringy and badly done like a lot of shows.'
Availability
The Sentinels is available on BBC iPlayer.
