Better Than Us (2018–2019) User Reviews

Actually very entertaining (check your Netflix settings)

[funkstar186 · 8/10 · 27 August 2019]

Before I add my review it's worth mentioning that you never HAVE to endure the terrible dubbing applied by default to many shows. Check your settings and there are two language based settings. One for the subtitles and another for the voice acting. If you choose "native" for the main language it's as it was filmed, then the language of your choosing for the subtitles. I passed on so many great shows until I realised this as I can't stand dubbing, regardless of how good it may be. It takes so much away from the overall effort of the acting and actors.

Anyway, as for the show it's really quite good. It doesn't set new boundaries and it's not massively original, but it's filmed well, the special effects are very good and the acting (although sometimes a bit cheesy) is generally very good, especially from the young daughter, considering her age.

As others have said, it has similarities to the likes of Humans, so if you were a fan of that show, or sci-fi in general, it's well worth a watch.

Very good show

[soarer-866-768408 · 8/10 · 17 August 2019]

I stumbled to this on Netflix was pleasantly surprised. I haven't seen any advertising for this show. If you like a science fiction this is the perfect show.

Series where you get hooked to each episode

[gabriel_kh · 8/10 · 21 August 2019]

Me and my wife are in the middle of watching these series and so far we've been hooked to each episode. Compared to British "Humans" I would say that these series have a spark missing in the British one. The actors' play is great and the story line involves you immediately into this show. I wish Netflix does more quality shows like this one.

Bravo Netflix!

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 9/10 · 29 August 2019]

Wow, great move on Netflix to pick up this Russian series gem!

There are many factors why I really enjoyed this series. The directing by Russian TV show director Andrey Dzhunkovskiy is near perfection, and in line with top seasoned Hollywood directors. Every camera shot is well thought out and captures the scene perfectly, creating the amazing tension and drama. I'm not sure if his use of "less is more" in most of the sets was intentional or budget restricted, but it worked perfectly. Who would've thought that a simple bunch of drones flying around would be enough to set the stage for a futuristic sci-fi?! Open unfilled spaces in vacant buildings or the main lobby of a corporation with just a long counter and one sofa - all worked perfectly! I also enjoyed seeing some of the Russian landscapes.

The cinematography was exceptional and really set the tone of the entire series. The score was outstanding and perfect for this sci-fi film, especially that specific set of tones. The Russian actors (we've never heard of) were all cast and performed perfectly. Every characters look and style fit their role, especially Paulina Andreeva as Arisa.

The just under 1 hour run-time per episode was great, although the 2nd half of the series needed better pacing and much better editing.

My only complaint was the writing that had many obvious plot and technical issues, especially the 2nd half of the series. As well, the dubbing was clearly an issue, and lagged most of the time, but after the 2nd or 3rd episode, I got used to it.

Otherwise, an outstanding series that left me wanting more, of which I hope the producers will capitalize on. Mad props to the entire Russian producers and film-makers for creating this little gem, and bravo to Netflix for picking this up. A well deserved 9/10 from me!

Do you expect to see actors without expression and even worse wooden robots ...? Let it surprise you !!!

[mildiner · 9/10 · 17 August 2019]

We have seen many stories of FemBots. This a different product, really well achieved. With small creative special effects, credible performances and with which, surprisingly, you can even empathize. They are not glacial cold Russians, there is a story of a family and the most surprising of all is that it will catch you. I usually enjoy the Nordic series, because you can appreciate different cultural elements and at the same time the equalizing effects of globalization. Give yourself a chance to enjoy a Russian product made by Russians. Look at it without prejudice. It will surprise you

Casting from the catwalk

[santicnyc-amazon-229-142111 · 7/10 · 31 August 2019]

It's clearly inspired by BBC Humans and its Swedish progenitor, but that's not a big strike against it. I'm halfway through the two-season combo that Netflix is calling season one and enjoying it. Keeping in mind that I like it, I can't help but notice how it reflects Russia's current state of being ultra modern but socially a step behind. There is pretty much no female cast member that couldn't do fashion modeling as a side job, men hold every seat of power, everybody is straight, and the competent women tend to be assistants and sidekicks. The only average-looking woman I've seen so far was was brought in specifically to be fat-shamed by a robot. I'm an American who loves Russia, and I offer this in a humorous spirit, but let's just say it feels very much in character for a Russian production.

Really good!

[alexeyzolotukhin · 9/10 · 19 August 2019]

This was surprisingly good! I watched it in Russian so I don't know how good the dubbed versions are, but I really enjoyed the first season. As it often is with Russian productions it's a bit long and not as fast-paced as similar western-made movies and TV shows, but give it a chance. You won't be disappointed! It is a solid Sci-Fi TV show that deserves to be seen.

Very entertaining

[Borszczuk · 7/10 · 2 November 2020]

This is well made show and very entertaining. I watched all the episodes in just a few-days-spree. Sure, plot got some holes (starting from where Arisa is coming from in first place), some behaviors are schematic, some scenes make little sense, but the plot is fine overall, with some nice twists. Acting is good, camera is good, sound is good, F/X are good. futuristic vibe is there. I personally noticed a few opportunities for better twist or story development wasted and but overall I enjoyed this show. WARNING: there're are bloopers added to the credits, just after last episode is over. This ruins the whole episode's mood for me, so you may want to pause the playback after last scene.

Also please note that some reviews mention that you should choose native (russian) voice + subtitles. I am not Russian native, but I can speak the language and I definitely disagree. Beside from some odd translation issues that english version adds to this show, voices in English version are far superior and add significant value to the show. The tone of the voice, the sound - Russian Arisa is no that "robotic" as English one. So do not follow the review. Do not believe me blindly - just check for yourself first. IMHO watching the show in English is still better.

Binge it. Great show: Dramatic, Scientific, Cool Tech, & Storytelling

[sarafinata · 9/10 · 26 September 2019]

Really enjoyed the tech in this show. It's about bots, like the show "humans" so reminiscent but very different. Technology ceo is out of control, the government is involved, the police are corrupt, and the innocent get caught up in the middle. Lots of conflict. The tech is clean and cool--we should be using it already but for some reason are still waiting for it. My recommendation is to watch it in the original russian with english subtitles rather than dubbed english. Otherwise you miss some of the great acting--you can hear the emotion better in the russian language even if you can't understand it. Note: I think some of the bad reviews are based on the dubbed versions. The acting was actually very good--not lame as others have said. I dumped the dubbed version on the 2nd episode as it got worse. Maybe people don't realize that Netflix is defaulting to English dubbed versions (which in my opinion is a mistake).

It's a fun and thriller ride

[sumanthvarmag · 7/10 · 25 March 2021]

Yeah it is illogical some times, As an action and SciFi movie can't expect logic in every frame

The series has all the elements combines first 6 episodes are slightly on boring side having boring family drama and all

When story reaches main plot it is a cat and mouse running It's watchable without a problem

Boring

[irynasan · 4/10 · 27 August 2019]

Im russian but even I didn't liked it. Its too boring, more like a typical russian melodrama without any action or tension. Overly overrated imo. Only good thing I like is the robots.

let's hope that every country can make a Netflix series

[lee_eisenberg · 9/10 · 10 October 2019]

So far we've gotten some fine Netflix series in the form of "Stranger Things", "Dark" and "Glow". Now we have "Luchshe, chem lyudi" (literally "Better than People" but translated as "Better than Us"). This depiction of a future where robots serve humans with several other storylines going on is one for the ages. I hope to see more like this.

Much better than I expected

[Erlik_Han · 8/10 · 18 August 2019]

EDIT: I've seen the entire season now and I am incredibly impressed. The show is very entertaining, the acting is good for the most part. The visual effects etc are very good. And the writing/story is also great. It's slightly soapy in some moments but well worth it in the end. Many times I found myself furious, frustrated, angry, happy or otherwise emotionally involved with the characters which goes to show the writers did a great job. Aside from a few minor plotholes, irrational things done by some of the characters (people in real life do irrational stuff all the time) it is absolutely an fantastic show that I would recommend to anyone that likes sci fi or just a good intrigue / drama show. The music is very lacking which is unfortunate, they even managed to butcher the wonderful "Scarborough fair".

It's kinda funny that the most advanced robot in the show is actually Chinese made. In the show the big corporations making the robots havent even come close to the creation of this mysterious Chinese scientist that made this robot. I understand why the other robots are so "robotic" but my biggest complaint aside from the music would be that this one super advanced robot should have been more fluid and humanlike on her movements and emotions (as I said previously, more like the robots from "humans")

I am genuinely excited to see the second season and how the story will progress.

Original review

As someone that loves sci fi and dystopian movies and shows it's much better than I expected. Admittedly I've only seen 2 episodes. I dont think I've ever seen any Russian show or movie aside from the original Solaris and Stalker. I expected it to be more "B" quality but it's a great and entertaining show. It's not as good as "humans" (which unfortunately had a terrible ending last season) but it's better than most generic sci fi shows.

The acting is pretty good although that's hard to judge when the language is foreign to me. The acting of the robots is not that great though, it's an artistic choice I'm guessing but it's sorta stupid. They act too "robotic". I mean they should be slightly robotic, maybe a bit cold but there is no reason for them to have such stiff movements.

So far my biggest annoyance is that there is this really pretty pregnant lady in the show. She is like a solid 8.5 or 9/10. Shes short, pregnant but super "cute". Imagine pam from the office, now imagine if pam was super pretty haha. Anyway her fiance, which is this ugly guy, acts like she is worthless and is drooling over these robots that arent even as pretty as his fiance. She also seems to be completely obsessed with this guy and seems to genuinely love him. Meanwhile he seems extraordinary uninterested complaining about how she keeps calling him and saying stuff like I wish I could move to another city where she couldn't find me (she's pregnant with his child).

I guess the point is to make him a very unsympathetic character, but it just doesn't come over as realistic. Also the fact that she seems to be completely oblivious to this guy disliking her so much makes little sense.

Despite this being set in the future I thought it was funny that the corporate bosses act like they are mobsters, they treat male staff like crap while treating girls nice. And corruption seems to be super normal. People bribe others like it's the most normal thing to do Haha. It's very Russian in that sense, at least so far.

Anyway, I'm pleasantly surprised with the first two episodes. Enjoyed the story so far and the acting. My only wish is that the robots were more like the ones in the brilliant British show "Humans". These robots, even the most advanced model with "free will" seem to be incredibly "robotic/stiff" in their movement.

Overall, if you lile sci fi and the subject of synthetic humanoid robots / androids etc I would definitely recommend it. But if you havent seen "Humans" yes I would recommend that show over this. (Small edit: although I still think Humans is better, I will definitely recommend also watching this show, and compared to the absolutely nonsensical and terrible ending of the last season from Humans thos show had a very satisfying ending that also left room for a second season)

Not too bad. Most time a joy to watch.

[lonker · 7/10 · 21 August 2019]

Negative: The plot is nothing new. Most stuff is already known from movies with similar theme. Most time is wasted with cat and mouse game. Too less sci-fi and too much thriller. The male cast has some very boring faces and the acting is only average.

Positive: visual effects are nice for a series production from Russia. The female cast is amazing - the complete opposite of the male ones: one beauty after another with great acting. Paulina Andreeva (Arisa) is fantastic with her stoic but gentle facial expressions. Also, the little daughter plays surprising great in the beginning of the series.

Summary: Not too bad. Most time a joy to watch. Some more technical and political fiction and it would be really great.

Russian version of Äkta människor/Humans

[asmhacker · 10/10 · 17 August 2019]

Only seen the first episode so far but the story is definitely inspired by the swedish original "Äkta människor" and / or the BBC remake "Humans". It will be interesting to see what paths this version takes.

Story is good; dubbing is terrible

[jukief · 7/10 · 22 August 2019]

I started watching this with the dubbing, which I almost never do, because I was sleepy and my eyes were too tired to rely on the subtitles. I almost always watch foreign films in the original language, and this series proves that I was right to do so. Is dubbing always this bad? Yikes! I like the story, even though it's a bit derivative. I got caught up in it and watched it all over several nights. Switching over to the original language makes it much more watchable.

Finally something that isn't trash

[grimreaperrr · 10/10 · 2 September 2019]

Netflix you have made my jaw drop. This is an amazing show couldn't keep my eyes off it. Love the characters, plot and the whole feel of the show is surrealistic it's borderline artsy. Plus it explores deeper into family issues too

Self Aware but the Same Lessons

[Dragonborn64 · 7/10 · 19 August 2019]

Future Moscow is very white/ not just race- decor. Everything is sleek and snowy. There is a scene where a TV show is being shot and the hosts are hooked up to computers- their costumes change constantly. Everything is in front of a green screen. Just like the show itself, it's mostly shot in from if a screen, white furnishings added later. Artificial. The show is self aware just like the robot, Arisa. We are left with the same questions about AIs almost knowing that to produce them would be our undoing. Yet of course, wth Srisa we ask ourselves, who is more " human"? Good PG rated show but naught an original idea in sight.

Don't be swayed by the Negative reviews, This is great binge TV.

[mcfrsn · 9/10 · 21 August 2019]

The only downside is my lack of Russian, and having to read subs. So far I like this better than the British " Humans". Most Americans view Russia as a cold backward country, but the tech and film industry is changing those old viewpoints, especially now with the U.S.'s downward spiraling political system, leaning toward more dumbing down of it's citizens.

Just Ok

[raqmoore · 6/10 · 31 August 2019]

Somewhat entertaining. However, for a show based on ultra modern tech, it felt formulaic and pedantic. The story could've been a whole lot meatier for all that they had to play with. I found myself making Humans comparisons that always left BTU the loser.

What a great show

[taichihan · 9/10 · 20 October 2019]

I will never regret the days I spent watching the series. Honestly it is a great execution of robotic sci fi. Great plot great acting, for Arisa too.

All in all the show was worth it 100%

will keep most viewers, more than I could imagine

[mguam_ · 8/10 · 8 August 2019]

I watched all of Season 1 and I really recommend this one 100% you will be entertained. This is a highly entertaining and engrossing film, Well-written script. I rated it a 8/10.

Tough going but rewarding.

[GiraffeDoor · 7/10 · 13 May 2021]

Firstly: I have never seen those other two shows that people keep saying this is reminiscent of.

OK, so the second thing I want to say is, as someone who watches a ton of shows that are marketed to small children: this is such a grown ups' show.

By this I mean a few things. I wouldn't say this was slow paced, certainly not like Tarkovsky, but they are definitely not rushing here. This was not made for the mile a minute media consumers (like me); this story unfolds with an elegant dignity as problems quietly smolder into much bigger problems.

Each notable character is developed with due care and attention until I felt I could have met any of them but they were never tedious people. If there is one element of the story line that was lacking it was Georgy and that girl he liked but I could still take it seriously.

There is no obvious interpretation of what it is trying to say philosophically. Maybe there is no message but just a nihilistic narrative which I can totally respect. Watching, I must say that their vision of a not-quite-so-distant future seems strangely feasible. There are tons of details in the technology and design both the gadgetry and in the media that so feel like they could be where we're headed and the tone is neither dystopian nor utoptian but just candid speculation.

There is a pervasive, yet not preachy, feeling of a world gradually giving itself over to simulacra to make up for losing touch with itself in which the synthesized human contact strives (with varying degrees of success) to be "human". You know the tropes: machine does a bunch of machine stuff, the machine tries tries to imitate people, the machine fails in some ways but in some ways is "the most human among us". Dare I say: better than...I forget where I was going with this...

I know it sounds a bit familiar but the handling is fresh and restrained and never feels smug about the ideas it's playing with. It's following a trend in science-fiction of the past decade in that its depiction of Artificial Intelligence is not the Wall-E/Short Circuit kind in which a sentient toaster basically becomes a way for us to represent the alienation we ourselves feel (did I mention I'm kind of pretentious?). Rather than the robot being an expression of technophilia, it has evolved to be a simulacrum of the human. Not unlike Her or Ex Machina.

On that note, Arisa is amazing. They convey her robotness entirely through acting (the way she talks and moves) and one can so buy that this is a desperate attempt to simulate a human convincingly but just can't make it. I must male a note of the actor's name and put in another draft of this review to give proper praise, not that the rest of the cast isn't superb to including the little girl who is just...as adorable as a bunny cuddling with a kitten.

Arisa is a fascinating character for the way she hovers between feeling like a person and an object; where she exists to follow codefiable rules but that ironically allows her to fulfil certain human virtues like loyalty and honesty much better than...well, me for one.

It's as much Asimovianess as anyone could ask for.

The tone in the series is pretty serious when we aren't having fun with Arisa or Sonya (the little girl) but they manage to be impacting without being austere and some of the sheer bizarity of what we see keeps it all very interesting for the most part.

I will confess that after about episode 12 I was about ready to see things resolve. The show doesn't loose any quality in its writing but I cannot stress enough that this is not a casual watch. It demands patience and an attention span.

Overall I am impressed with this and encourage any fan of science-fiction to give it a try and even if you'r into into science fiction, the essence of this show is a story of a family members struggling to hold their own is a complex world.

If you're wondering how good the dub is: I don't know! Ha ha ha! Worship me!

I eagerly await season 2.

Watch it!

[nygrenfrances · 9/10 · 10 February 2021]

I recommended another Russian series (To the Lake) to my son who loves all things Russian and he returned the favor by recommending Better Than Us. This show is a must-see, and I highly recommend you to pass on the dubbing. It's worth the extra effort to read the subtitles. I don't know if I'll be able to sit through another American series after seeing TV done right.

Enjoyable sci-fi

[matthew_hoh · 7/10 · 5 September 2019]

I liked this series for a number of different reasons. There were no major or inconvenient plot holes through the 16 episode run, the storyline was consistent and the acting was good, as another reviewer noted acting as a robot is not as simple as it may seem. Additionally, the series had both overt and subtle homages to sci fi and dystopian literature and film.

It did tend to start to feel stretched in the third quarter of episodes, but it finished in a rather compelling manner while offering speculation as to the perils of AI, automation and robots. I was disappointed that the series did not provide more of a Russian or Moscow shading of culture, environment, architecture, etc, and the world building of a future with AI and automation seemed to start and stop and wasn't nearly as complete as I would have hoped for. Still the series kept me watching for all 16 episodes and I'll watch the presumable second season.

Hopefully a second season will provide the money to have the characters in CGI future vehicles rather than early 20th century models.