The brooding, charismatic hero of Jules Verne’s classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea has appeared in tons of films and shows over the years—and for good reason. Captain Nemo is an enigmatic figure, possessing a solid moral code but driven by a dangerous desire for vengeance. He’s also a flawed man whose heart and mind are engaged in a tug-of-war, which makes his journey interesting to follow. And now Nemo is at the center of Nautilus. Set in and around India during the height of British colonial rule, the 10-part epic reimagines his underwater adventures with a few twists that, unfortunately, steer this ship into choppy waters.
For a show featuring whales, sharks, a colossal squid, an electric eel, and killer aquatic bugs, Nautilus is oddly bland. It’s not the fault of the visual effects or the production and set design because the scenery is gorgeous. The sunny islands, Arctic glaciers, cities, palaces, and cobalt seas that Nemo and his crew find themselves in are more appealing than the actual storylines. Exacerbated by underwhelming performances, Nautilus simply fails to strike an emotional chord.
The series draws from Twenty Thousand Leagues and Verne’s follow-up, The Mysterious Island, in which Nemo’s true heritage as Indian royalty is revealed. After a rebellion against the East India Mercantile Company in 1857, Nemo (a.k.a. Prince Dakkar) loses his kingdom and family, so his precious ship becomes his anchor. Nautilus spins this into an origin story in which Nemo (Shazad Latif) is a rugged captive of the British with an upsetting past. In the premiere, he escapes prison along with a few convicts, steals the submarine he helped design, and dedicates himself to bringing down the company, even if his agenda puts the lives of his new friends at risk.
An inherent sense of danger lurks throughout as people live inside a spacious sub while the company’s huge ship chases after them. What’s more, Nemo is on a treasure hunt that takes him and his crew to everywhere from Atlantis to a meeting with Valkyries to fit the show’s case-of-the-week structure. Unfortunately, this reliable format is populated with forgettable players.
Captain Nemo is the obvious exception. As mentioned, his internal battles make up the emotional crux of the series. And his push and pull between seeking justice against the captors who wronged him and looking after the group of people he now leads is engrossing. Latif (Toast Of London, Star Trek: Discovery) wholeheartedly immerses himself in the character so Nemo’s fury, frustrations, and heartache are palpable on his face. But his well-crafted arc is a luxury not afforded to his co-stars. The only one who gets a pass is Georgina Flood’s novice but astute engineer, who possesses the right amount of skills to save Nautilus time and time again and is charming enough to crack Nemo’s tough exterior.
Sadly, Nautilus‘ supporting characters are basically inscrutable. Almost all of Nemo’s pals are played by actors of color stuck with broadly defined roles, resulting in one-note performances (and some stereotypical accents). They don’t get nuanced arcs until much later in the season’s run—and by then, the show has lost steam. In episode eight, Nemo’s group yells at him for not knowing anything about their history, motivations, and personal lives. Yet, not even their full names are revealed to the audience until this installment.
Conversely, the company soldiers are portrayed with more complexity. A couple of them struggle with the implications of apprehending Nemo, as well as their country’s atrocities. (Their captain is a buffoonish, mustache-twirling villain who couldn’t come off as more trite if he tried.) Nautilus rarely gets into how merciless British rule was over India. Only one outing condenses colonial atrocities through the lens of a leader (played by fantastic guest star Richard E. Grant) and his reign of terror over his workers. And Nemo’s journey through such treacherous situations feels both rushed and obtuse.
Nautilus‘ trip to our screens has been pretty rough too. Commissioned by Disney+, the streamer decided not to release it after filming was completed in 2023, with the series airing in Europe last year on Prime Video and making its way to the U.S. and Canada this month on AMC. The project still has a Disney-fied, colorful, and family-centric vibe. But the show feels like a genre-clashing history lesson that’s neither informative nor fun.