Alex Garland's Devs is as good as Alex Garland's other work; meaning really good. However, it has the same key problem as I often find in his creations: A beautiful body, made with the most loving craftsmanship, a gorgeously intelligent brain... But soulless eyes...

The soundtrack of Devs, sometimes music, sometimes phrases repeated over and over, sometimes just metallic sounds, is outstanding. It is worth a 10, any day of the week. So is the scenery. I guess it has become standard now, to set sci-fi thrillers in the setting of vast, dark, old forests, but the contrast still does something for me. Beautiful.

Science-wise it is ambitious. And alright. Going for quantum computing is a smart choice, and placing yourself in an ongoing (and maybe never-ending) scientific debate about the nature of quantum mechanics is even smarter. There are some eye-roll-worthy moments, but over all the science bit holds a standard high enough for this kind of series. The philosophical ideas are fascinating and interesting, and generally presented and treated well.

Then there is the story, and the acting. For me, a story doesn't have to include love in order to be soulful and powerful. However the plot is led forward by a girlfriend looking for justice and closure regarding her presumably murdered boyfriend. With this as our starting point we would expect some sort of emotional aspect of the series, but there is none. Sonoya Mizuno, as the main character Lily, is not making a good impression at all, and she is sadly not alone.

There is a lot of death, love and loss in the series, but none of it reaches the viewer other than by word. There is not a single character that we really know or care about and for most of the time their decisions seem irrational and illogical. They seem driven by the director's understanding of loss or depression, rather than by emotions and experiences we see, feel and gain from them - and they end up where the plot needs them to be rather than where character development has taken them.

Devs is worth watching, for the scenes, the music and the vibe of true, beautiful sci-fi that Alex Garland represents. If you are looking to be blown away by amazing story telling, however, I am sad to tell you this will most likely disappoint.