Netflix’s crazy new sci-fi show holds 89% on Rotten Tomatoes

From the team behind Godzilla Minus One and Train to Busan, the show is a reboot of a cult classic sci-fi movie.

The show is set in Japan, which is thrown into shock after a guest commentator swells and explodes on live TV in an unprecedented and unimaginable crime.

Behind this horrific murder is a man who has seemingly vanished into thin air, dubbed 'The Human Vapor'.

"With no one able to grasp his true identity, this enigma continues to announce and execute a series of targeted assassinations, evading identification and capture to escalate nationwide terror with each inexplicable attack," the plot synopsis from Netflix adds.

From showrunner Yeon Sang-ho (director of Train to Busan), the series is a reboot of The Human Vapor, a 1960 cult sci-fi movie from director Ishirō Honda and the production company Toho.

Watch the trailer for Human Vapor right here:

Honda co-created the Godzilla franchise, while Toho own the franchise. In 2023, the production company released the universally beloved Godzilla Minus One.

That film's Oscar-winning VFX team also worked on the new Human Vapor.

The Japanese show currently holds an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes, earning praise for its cool premise, its special effects, and its "cautionary tale".

You can read some of these positive reviews for Human Vapor below:

Digital Mafia Talkies: "Human Vapor is one of those rare pieces of art which defies every stereotype that’s associated with made-for-TV remakes or reimaginings of popular IP."

JoBlo's Movie Network: "After the opening sequence literally blows you away, the momentum slows down a bit, but the series never loses you as you buy into the horror of what the Human Vapor is."

Polygon: "The result is a confident expansion of an already fascinating premise — one that trusts its characters enough to forge their own identity."

South China Morning Post: "A hugely entertaining romp that sublimates the atomic-age paranoia and kitschy monster mayhem of the 1960s original into a thrilling cautionary tale for the modern era, replete with bountiful action, romance, and peril."

All eight episodes of Human Vapor are streaming on Netflix right now.