The Man in the High Castle

The Gist: The Nazis won World War II by dropping a nuclear warhead on Washington DC. In modern America, the Greater Nazi Reich extends from the east coast almost to the Rockies, the west coast makes up the Japanese Pacific States, and in between lies the Neutral Zone. Germany is the most technologically advanced nation on Earth, while the Japanese have fallen behind and fear that the Germans will soon attack them too. The invaders aren't unopposed, but the resistance keeps getting infiltrated from both sides of the country. Their main task is to retrieve and deliver a series of mysterious films to the highly secretive "Man in the High Castle." The films seem to portray a different reality, one in which the Allies triumphed over the Axis of Evil, but no one seems to understand where they are coming from or what their meaning is.

This Amazon Prime original series is really intriguing and incredibly well made. The production values are top notch, all the way down to the smallest details.

It's really quite incredible to see the world as we know it turned upside down and looking the opposite of what it does. It's humbling to ponder the question, What if they won? And it's definitely shocking to see what America might look like if the Nazis had prevailed.

The Bottom Line: After the amazing work they did with Transparent, Amazon definitely has another winner on its hands with The Man in the High Castle. The show is full of twists and intrigue, is well written and directed, and it showcases very good acting. Watch it.

Grade: 8