Nautilus, on AMC+

Before The Hunt for Red October, he was the best-selling literary submarine captain. In the first two episodes, calling him “Captain” Nemo rather overstates matters. Nevertheless, he has full command of the East India Mercantile Company’s experimental submersible. It starts with Jules Verne, but leans heavily into the kind of anti-colonialist ideology you would hear from a PhD candidate with zero real world experience. The Verne material is the stuff that works in the first two episodes of creator James Dormer’s Nautilus, which premieres tomorrow on AMC+.

Humility Lucas was educated as an engineer, but she won’t be able to live the life of science and industry she aspires to after her impending arranged marriage to a wastrel blueblood. She will not quite admit it yet, but when Nemo takes her as a hostage/survivor on the Nautilus, it represents a golden opportunity. Suddenly, she is turning cranks down in the engineering room with Gustave Benoit, the French inventor who created the sub.

As we see in flashbacks, Nemo was one of the prisoners-turned slave-laborers who constructed the Nautilus under Benoit’s direction. Originally, the East India Company promised him it would be a scientific vessel like the Calypso, but they predictably weaponized his creation, so they conspired together to hijack it.

Obviously, Nemo knows far more than a typical prisoner of the Raj. That is why Benoit relied so heavily on his expertise. However, the steadfastness of his current crew is rather suspect, because they had to leave in a hurry. Similarly, Lucas and governess-minder Loti were “rescued” after Nemo sunk the Company vessel delivering them to her fiancée, so they still harbor notions of escape.

The steampunky Verne-ish designs of the Nautilus interiors and exteriors are very cool. The underwater action scenes are also decently competent. Consider it one or two steps above the Hallmark literary classic adaptations of a few years back. Unfortunately, Dormer (sole credited writer for the first two episodes) shows more interest in exploring Victorian social mores and prejudices than pursuing adventure—at least thus far.

Shazad Latif broods charismatically as Nemo, but there is zero chemistry between him and Georgia Flood, as the nauseatingly entitled Lucas. We know they will get together, because that is the obvious cliché, but they have yet to build the heat to make it believable.

The crew (some voluntary, some not) are colorful, but not especially memorable. At this point, the most intriguing supporting turn comes from Andrew Shaw as the silent, hulking Jiacomo. Of course, the British Imperialists are all cartoonish moustache-twisting villains, because that is what the series’ world view requires.

Reportedly, Disney+ shed Nautilus during a round of cost-cutting. That was probably wise, because it already feels like a relic of three or four years ago. It is like Dormer and company set out to adapt Verne, after draining out all the fun. Instead, rewatch Richard Fleischer’s 1954 Disney-produced 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which remains quite jolly and jaunty, since it features Kirk Douglas singing and Peter Lorre playing a good guy. Not recommended so far, the first two episodes of Nautilus premiere tomorrow (6/29) on AMC/AMC+, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly.