Tag: Human Vapor

At first glance, Human Vapor sounds like a classic 1960s B-movie premise—and it is, an adaptation of the Japanese film of the same name about a mild-mannered man who transforms into a gaseous super-criminal to terrify Tokyo. However, Netflix’s reboot expands the concept, story, and characters into an eight-part cinematic series that, in my book, is the most compelling, original, and well-made sci-fi mystery horror show of the past two decades. What begins as a sci-fi mystery thriller about a suspected superpowered serial killer evolves into a cinematic epic that amusingly converges superhero lore, government conspiracies, yakuza intrigue, and alien life. Ultimately, Human Vapor maximizes the American dramatic television format while paying whimsical tribute to Japanese pop culture that originated it.