It’s the end of the world as we know it…

I admit that the old adage of ‘not judging a book by its cover’ holds a great deal of truth in it. Take this new web series Cybergeddon, brought to us by Anthony E. Zuiker (the creator of the hit series CSI and its various spin-offs on TV), for example. On the surface, the very idea of a web series makes people skeptical because they’re not used to seeing the same quality of programming on the internet as they are in a theater or on TV. Then with a name like Cybergeddon, you might giggle due to the assumption that it’s just another end of the world type of project that has permeated the pop culture the past few years.

But Cybergeddon is different. Not only does it produce the kind of quality you’ve come to expect from some big budget blockbuster, but it tells a deep, enthralling story with well-fleshed out characters and dialogue that will have you laughing one minute and wanting to change all the passwords on your computer the next. And that trepidation comes from the fact that more so than most other ‘end of the world’ scenarios, this one is very possible and a very real threat.

Cybergeddon stars Missy Peregrym (Rookie Blue) as Special Agent Chloe Jocelyn, a hacker turned top cyber cop for the feds and who brings down the greatest cyber-terrorist the world has ever known in Gustov Dobreff (Olivier Martinez). But when Chloe makes things personal on her quest to bring Gustov down, he makes a vow to never forget her face and that he will raise the stakes next time they meet. And so after a year of rotting in a Ukrainian prison, Gustov sets in motion his end game that will knock the world back to the Stone Age as no electronic device is safe from his hacking.

With great action, an intricate plot on par with a lot of thrillers out there, and tremendous acting from everyone involved, Cybergeddon delivers in ways many movies and TV shows only wish they could. From comic relief provided by Rabbit Rosen (Kick Gurry), to the gruff, by the book Frank Parker (Manny Montana), to Chloe’s perfectionist attitude, the main characters of this cast play off each other astoundingly well and are a joy to watch, no matter the size of the screen. And Olivier Martinez plays a villain who in only a short time reveals many more layers to him than your typical insane, egomaniacal bad guy in most other projects along these lines.

Sponsored in part by Norton Anti-Virus (a rather obvious choice) and Yahoo!, Cybergeddon does a great job of making you believe how real it could be, but keeps you entertained from beginning to end. Broken up into chapters averaging 10 minutes in length and which have been slowly going live even as you read this, Cybergeddon is a must-watch for anyone who likes a good thriller, good action, or just knows what the heck a USB drive is as it brilliantly blends elements of CSI with computer hackers. I was fortunate enough to see an advanced screening of the entire series (it equals a solid 90 minute movie total) and can promise you this is one web series that you will not want to miss, even with its cheesy title. You can check out most of the chapters right now, as well as a lot of fun ‘behind-the-scenes/making of’ aspects of the series, over at Cybergeddon.yahoo.com.

SCORE: 9.0