Recommended Sci Fi TV: Science fiction and fantasy shows from the past couple of years or so that we believe are worth checking out.
What Is It?
Salvage Marines takes place in a grim future where mega-corporations have control of much of the known galaxy and most people find themselves in a status of debt servitude. When factory laborer Sam Hyst learns that his wife is pregnant, he decides to join the Salvage Marines in order to pay off his family’s debt and make a better life for his son. This specialized group of foot soldiers is tasked with recovering “salvage” that the company deems to be profitable. But life is hazardous and often short for those who sign up for that service.
Starring: Casper Van Dien, Armand Assante, Jennifer Wenger, Kevin Porter, Linara Washington, Peter Shinkoda
Created By: Rafael Jordan, Jamie R. Thompson (Based on the book Necrospace by
Sean-Michael Argo)
Bottom Line: While this show is definitely quite cheesy, it is driven by a good story and well-assembled cast and overcomes its limitations to deliver a decent military sci fi tale.
Why Is It Worth Watching?
Before addressing the strengths of this series, I will level-set and warn that it is certainly a cheesy affair, so set expectations appropriately before venturing forth. It does not have that mega-budget that Netflix and many of the other streamers throw at their originals, and that is apparent right from the start. The CGI looks like retro-Babylon 5 effects when at its best (which is fine for me since I am a huge B5 fan) and bad video game renderings at its worst (the trailer above gives a good idea of what to expect). The acting can vacillate from downright wooden to camp excess at times. The dialog has its share of copy-and-paste as well as just outright bad lines, and the directing can be choppy and stiff. Basically, much of what you would expect from a B-grade sci fi movie or series. (I grew up with films and shows like that, so my tolerance level is high.)
But if you stick with the show, it proves that it has a decent story to tell, an interesting universe, and characters that will quickly grow on you. It pulls in many of the expected military tropes, though it does not descend too far into cliche and manages to keep the viewers attached to the characters. The series focuses on Tango platoon of the Salvage Marines and shows the tough decisions they must make as well as the consequences that follow. Personaly, I consider it to be descended from the same stock as Space: Above and Beyond and fans of that ’90s entry will probably enjoy the newer show. Some may feel that it pushes a bit hard on the pro-union message, but I look at that more as anti-megacorp and I don’t believe that it takes the story too far into unnecessary socio-political commentary. And you have to expect some of that from the dystopia setting it delivers.
Casper Van Dien does a good job of leading the cast and I don’t understand why he got relegated to B and Z movies after starring in 1997’s Starship Troopers. But even though he is the main focus, this is very much an ensemble show with all of the cast pulling their weight. The first season only runs six episodes, so it is a quick watch. And it wraps up most of its storylines so it does not leave you hanging at the end. But there are six books in the Necrospace series, so there is more story to tell should this one continue into a second season and beyond. It is currently streaming for free on PopcornFlix and Crackle which are available on multiple platforms and directly on the internet. For fans of military sci fi, this is definitely one to check out. And anybody who likes a good, gritty dystopian tale should enjoy it as long as you can deal with the cheese factor.
Stream Salvage Marines on PopcornFlix
Stream Salvage Marines on Crackle
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Looks fairly decent, gonna check it out!