Chosen Review: Netflix’s Latest Sci-Fi Thriller Has Bland Characters and Dull Mystery

Chosen, a Danish sci-fi fantasy thriller is now out on Netflix. It stars  Malaika Mosendane as Emma, Andrea Heick Gadeberg as Marie, Andreas Dittmer as Frederik, Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt as Mads, Mohamed Djeziri as Elvis, Anders Heinrichsen as Lukas and others. Kaspar Munk is the director of the series written by Jannik Tai Mosholt, Christian Potalivo, Ida Maria Ryden, Stefan Jaworski, Julie Budtz Sorensen and Kaspar. There are total 6 episodes of 50-minutes each.

The synopsis reads, “A 17-year-old girl finds her world turned upside down when she and her friends discover the disturbing truth lurking in their quiet Danish town.”

Netflix Show Chosen Review Contains No Spoilers

Netflix’s latest Danish sci-fi thriller Chosen is about a teenage girl named Emma and her down Middelbo. The town became popular 17 years ago when a meteor entered its atmosphere and crashed there. It led to many known and unknown changes in the town and its people. Emma always felt that she was different from others around her. Her suspicions about the town and the whole meteor story grow stronger when she meets a group of teenagers.

These teenagers believe that there’s more to the Middlebo’s history of 17 years ago when the meteor had crashed. They all work together to find what’s the truth. While seeking truth, the teenagers encounter various secrets and dark truths about the town and its people. Was it a meteor or something significantly more powerful that struck the small town 17 years ago?  What truth Emma and others will learn about the town and themselves? You will find some answers in the 6 episodes.

The first episode of Netflix’s Chosen is tedious. It doesn’t pique my interest enough to make me want to watch the next episode. Emma appears in practically every scene, yet you have no emotional attachment to her or any interest in her life. No scenario presents the entire notion of “she feels different from others”. She’s a grumpy teenager who hates people who lie, gets drunk, has a trashy boyfriend and a loving mother. I wish there was some light shed on what she means when she feels “different.”

While you’re waiting for that one twist that would spark your interest in Emma’s story, the writers introduce a new group of teenagers. Mads, Mohamed Djeziri, Marie, and others are among the members of this group. The group and Emma are brought together by the similar notion that something is amiss with the town and the meteor event. You’re hoping things would pick up now and become more intense and compelling. Unfortunately, that happens rarely.

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I’m not sure why the majority of the characters in the show are so boring and harsh when they speak. Riverdale, Dark, Elite, among other shows feature teenagers solving dangerous mysteries. At the very least, the characters are likeable and have chemistry with one another. Emma’s and her group’s equation has no life here. The show’s spectacular visual effects, along with my determination on finding answers, kept me going till the end.

Have I gotten the answers? Not all, to be sure. It’s frustrating that the makers of the show took three episodes to establish a decent plot before ending it on the sixth episode. There’s a cliffhanger, and there’s not much to admire or understand. The progress of these characters in unravelling the mystery is as shaky as their “friendship.”

Netflix Show Chosen Review: Final Thoughts

Overall, the science fiction thriller is a letdown. Because of the poor screenplay, none of the actors had a chance to shine. Even though episodes 4 and 5 show some progress in the plot, the conclusion is unsatisfying. It’s better to skip than to sit through six episodes of bland characters who won’t offer you a single decent answer at the end.

Chosen (2022) is now streaming on Netflix.

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