A continuation of Luther, the acclaimed BBC series created and written by Neil Cross that aired from 2010 to 2019, Luther: The Fallen Sun has been available on Netflix since March 10 after a limited theatrical run in select theaters beginning February 24. During its nine-year run, the TV series only produced 20 episodes yet resulted in many nominations for BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe, and Primetime Emmy Awards, among others, and several wins, including acting awards for Elba from the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild.

Fallen Sun brings back Elba and Dermot Crowley as Detective Superintendent (retired) Martin Schenk, another brilliant, but more ethical, officer and Luther’s uneasy friend and ally from the original series. Taunted by a ruthless killer (Andy Serkis), Luther must solve the grisly murders even though he is behind bars by using whatever goodwill still exists for him and favors he can muster from past acquaintances and colleagues. Serkis is better known for his digital performance-capture roles such as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and for co-founding Imaginarium Studios, which is dedicated to this film-making technology. But he is both menacing and convincing in his portrayal of serial killer David Robey. If you require further evidence of the quality of his conventional acting skills, watch him in Andor, arguably the best Star Wars limited series available on Disney+. Add to this a fine performance by Cynthia Erivo as DCI Odette Raine, the lead investigator assigned to the case, and the cast is simply rock solid.

The difficulty with Fallen Sun is that the story, written by Cross, must live up to the considerable expectations created by the high caliber of the original TV series. While it does this for the most part, it is a relatively conventional, if well-made, thriller that’s not especially innovative nor shocking. There are also a few too many plot details that are simply glossed over or somehow conveniently wrapped up by the end of the film. The door is left open for the possibility of a sequel or even the beginning of a movie franchise.

As with many recent streaming releases, the quality of the visual presentation is very good. It exhibits a cool bluey-green tinge at times, especially early on, but overall the picture looks smooth and natural. It can be difficult to tell that the presentation is in HDR as the Dolby Vision picture is not exceedingly bright, but this contributes to the natural look. For instance, as Luther chases a suspect through a seedy tattoo parlor, the realistically dark lighting and shadows make it hard to make out a lot of detail, but the colored lights in a dimly lit hallway brilliantly cut through the darkness. Scenes inside a police command center show computer monitors glowing realistically in the background with colorful but not overly saturated hues, and DCI Raine’s smooth and even complexion perfectly reflecting the carefully controlled lighting. The ice fields of Norway also appear impressively austere and bleak but not excessively bright as they are shot under mostly cloudy skies, yet the minute details on Luther’s signature dark woolen overcoat and his slightly unkempt beard are sharp and easily visible.

While the picture quality is quite satisfying, the audio quality is a bit underwhelming. All of the components of an engrossing soundtrack are present—ominous music, carefully timed jarring sound effects, and more constant ambient sounds—but they’re not mixed effectively to utilize the immersive capabilities of Dolby Atmos as the sound remains mostly anchored to the front channels. Even scenes that are obvious candidates for an enveloping surround ambience, such as heavy rain during a storm or the echoey interior of a large prison, make only subtle use of the surround and height channels. More suspenseful scenes when Luther is closing in on Robey have aggressive music and sound effects mixed into a wider front stereo soundstage, but even then there is fairly limited use of the additional channels.

Fallen Sun is a capable thriller but fans of DCI Luther may be disappointed by the film’s rather conventional narrative that fails to take his story to the next level. There is always the possibility of a sequel, but so far, the film adaption of Luther is not up to the same creative standards as those set by other Netflix franchises such as Enola Holmes or Knives Out.