Outlast review: Practical, engaging, and addictive

Outlast is a survival reality show where 16 survivalists work together in different teams and survive the Alaskan wild to win a massive cash prize. The series is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

Sixteen lone-wolf survivalists from different walks of life are brought together in the unforgiving wilderness of Alaska, where they will have a chance to win a million-dollar prize.

The only rule the survivors have to follow is that they have to be a part of a team in order to win. There will be no eliminations; whoever chooses to quit can shoot a flare in the sky, and they will be removed from the valley.

The game will continue with the rest of the surviving members until one team stands tall. The players start off by forming four different teams where they will put their trust in strangers for their survival. However, a player can switch and join another team whenever they feel like they should.

Lastly, the players are provided with limited resources—enough to build their base camp. They will be supplied with more tools and be assigned more challenges every time a helicopter passes by and drops them a parcel.

The extreme weather of Alaska will test the willpower of the players, who may have a hard time figuring out which team they truly belong to if they want to win.

Positives

Unlike many survival shows, Outlast stays true to the word ‘survival’ by dismissing all the aspects that make a reality show. It’s strictly focused on having the players survive in the wild rather than having them play different games in the wild.

The kind of tasks the viewers will see the players perform involve them hunting things down for their own survival.

The cast chosen is interesting, and as the show says, they do come from different walks of life and bring their different experiences to the game. At the same time, the show hasn’t banked on the emotional aspect of these players and has tried to keep everything as real as possible.

The lack of rules allows the players to move freely, and again, it’s another point that suggests that it’s more about survival than playing the game itself. The only rule is to be with some people in a group.

During the show, through the narration, the viewers are taught what it takes to survive in the wild. At the same time, the viewers see the players learning more about where they are living.

One can notice how the players, after living in the wild for a while, have now figured out at what time the water level rises in their area.

The show is also packed with drama that is just enough and real; there is nothing over-the-top about it. Furthermore, some of the stunts performed by the players are downright entertaining and filled with tension.

The show keeps you guessing how it will all turn out in the end after some decisions are made.

Negatives

Initially, the show makes use of narration to address what the players are up to and what the show is all about. For the first few episodes, the narration takes over the conversation between players at most times, and it becomes a bit hard to connect with the players.

The drama in the show raises the bar, but there are times when it all looks formulated. Some scenes are placed one after another purposefully to build tension.

The way the show has been edited is to blame here because even if all of this is real, the editing makes it feel like it isn’t. Maybe the show had the cast reshoot some of the dialogue they had.

Many of the cast members bailed out in the first week of the show; it’s acceptable, but it feels like they missed something really good, and so did the viewers, who might have learned a lot more about them.

Verdict

Outlast is an addictive survival reality show that gets as real as possible and establishes a benchmark for what survival shows should be like. It’s a binge-worthy reality show done right.


Also Read: Cheat review: Muddled game show falls flat

Rahul Shinde
Rahul Shinde
Rahul is an editor on The Envoy Web who is working from Mumbai. You will find him obsessing over the genres of horror, thriller, sitcoms, and musicals—a weird combination right there. It's either something spooky or a comfort watch.

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