Review Category: Reviews

REVIEWED: SEASON 1 (ALL EPISODES) | WHERE TO WATCH: AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

In the final episode of this generously-budgeted new version of the adventures of Anthony Horowitz’s popular teenage superspy, one character is depicted wearing a T-shirt proclaiming ‘the book was better’. It’s a knowing in-joke, of course, an acknowledgement from the show’s makers that you can’t please all of the people all of the time. The jury may be out for some time on whether this sleek, updated incarnation of the popular adventure character for older children hits the sweet spot, but the verdict will almost certainly be delivered by an adolescent audience who grew up with the books rather than the newcomers (children and adults alike) that the show will clearly be hoping, and ‘needing’, to attract. 

The series is, however, a bit of a mongrel. Skipping lightly over the events of Stormbreaker, the first book in the series (already adapted into a flaccid 2006 feature film starring Alex Pettyfer), Alex Rider dives headlong into Point Blanc, the second of Horowitz’s novels. Here Alex (Otto Farrant) is living in London with his uncle (Andrew Buchan) and housekeeper. His uncle works in banking – until it suddenly becomes apparent that he doesn’t. Despite his better efforts, Alex becomes embroiled in the activities of a covert Government espionage agency and the machinations of a ruthless supervillain carrying out sinister genetic experiments at an isolated school in the middle of the Alps. The series is a curious combination of James Bond, Spooks and 24, with storylines and plot points which date back as far as ITV’s 1970 kid’s classic Timeslip. Alex has been turned into a moody sixteen year-old, he’s lost the Bond-lite gadgets of the books and he’s now a teenager out of his depth in a world he never knew existed. Trumpeted as an action series, there’s actually not much action or real spectacle, and after an intriguing and pacey first two episodes the story grinds to a halt until it cranks into a higher gear towards the end of episode six.

Despite tedious but inevitable tweaks to the established character however, the show is an impressive production and Farrant is a real find as Alex, ably supported by the likeable Brenock O’Connor as his friend Tom. Vicky McClure is, unfortunately, a bit wasted in her thankless role as Alex’s spy-handler. But now the series has set itself up, future seasons (God knows when we’ll see them) could really let rip and show us what Alex Rider is properly capable of.

REVIEWED: SEASON 2 (ALL EPISODES) | WHERE TO WATCH: BBC 2, BBC iPLAYER (FROM JUNE 11TH)

What We Do in the Shadows the movie took a brilliantly simple concept – a documentary crew embed themselves with a household of New Zealand vampires – with hilarious results, creating an instant cult classic, and catapulting Taika Waititi into the big leagues. The series (created by co-writer/director Jermaine Clement with frequent input from Waititi) transplants the concept to America – specifically New York’s Staten Island. There’s a new trio of vampires – former Ottoman general Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Romani peasant Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Laszlo (Matt Berry, basically playing Matt Berry). They live alongside Nandor’s human familiar (and aspiring vampire) Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), and energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), who feeds off people’s negative energy. The main joy of What We Do in the Shadows derives from taking these ridiculous, out-of-time characters and placing them in absurd situations which would baffle 21^st century natives, let alone characters who have been around for hundreds of years.

Season 2 has these situations in abundance; the central trio find themselves meeting their own ghosts, visiting a Superb Owl party (that’s Superbowl to you and I), getting scammed by a dodgy necromancer (guest star Benedict Wong), re-encountering old familiars as well as problematic new ones, sperm-extracting witches, and the fantastic return of Laszlo’s cursed hat from Season 1. Special mention should go to the sixth episode – On the Run – which features a vampire called Jim (an inspired guest turn from superfan Mark Hamill), a girls’ volleyball team, a toothpick, and “Jackie Daytona, regular human bartender”. Elsewhere, hapless familiar Guillermo – who has spent the last decade waiting to be turned – is still processing his discovery that he’s a descendant of vampire arch-nemesis Van Helsing. To make matters worse, he’s also inherited his ancestor’s knack for killing vampires, albeit accidentally. And repeatedly. And it turns out he’s not the only vampire-hunter around…

All the leads are superb, but special mention should go to Matt Berry. Admittedly his humour isn’t for everyone and, yes, he does essentially only ever play the same eccentric, sex-crazed character, but he’s never been better, and his unique, absurdist line readings – not to mention his tendency to shout “Bat” every time he transforms – are a constant joy. Even better, however, is Proksch’s Colin Robinson – an inspired, very familiar creation. Whether he’s extolling the virtues of motion smoothing, mansplaining online, or experimenting with “humour,” the ultimate pub bore is the show’s secret weapon, effortlessly stealing every scene he appears. The episode where Colin receives a promotion in his mundane office job (lot of negative emotions there), and uses his new position to drain co-workers en masse is a masterpiece. 

The movie was an instant classic, and the show manages the not-inconsiderable feat of surpassing it. It may well be the funniest show on TV. It’s  definitely the only one to feature a giant troll penis, sexually frustrated ghosts, and pornographic topiary. Bat! 

REVIEWED: SEASON 1 (EPISODES 1-3) | WHERE TO WATCH: DC UNIVERSE (US ONLY)

So far, aside from a production issue on Swamp Thing which curtailed its storyline with disappointing results, shows produced for the DC Universe streaming service in the US have been incredibly consistent in their high quality. The live-action Titans and Doom Patrol, and the animated Young Justice and Harley Quinn, are mature, well-written TV shows with some incredible performances, and a delight for long-time fans of DC Comics who are seeing some of their favourite heroes appear on screen for the first time.

Going forward, DC Universe will share its product with other services owned by parent company WarnerMedia, airing a day after the shows premiere on the streaming service, and Stargirl is getting the CW treatment, fitting for a show built around a teenage hero. Based on the Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. comic book by Geoff Johns (who created this show for TV), Stargirl is the story of Courtney Whitmore, whose mother marries Pat Dugan, a former sidekick to Starman and the Justice Society of America.

When all the JSA are killed in battle with the Injustice Society, Dugan attempts to keep tracks of them, but loses their trail in a small town called Blue Valley, in Nebraska, where he meets Courtney’s mum, who is visiting her childhood home. Deciding that it’s the ideal place to raise their merged family, they up sticks from California, taking all their belongings with them. Amongst those belongings is Starman’s Cosmic Staff, which only worked for the deceased hero – that is, until Courtney finds it…

All-action from the get-go, taking what seems like a bold decision to kill pretty much all its world’s superheroes before the titles roll, part of the charm of Stargirl is discovering, along with Courtney, the secrets of the idyllic town of Blue Valley, and who its citizens really are. With a touch of the 1998 film Pleasantville and the familiar rite of passage superhero story of Spider-Man, Courtney’s introduction to both small town high school and the world of superheroics are error-strewn, funny, and fraught with peril, the juxtaposition between the two meaning anyone familiar with how difficult it is to fit in at that time of life can also identify with Courtney’s awkward first steps as Stargirl.

Brec Bassinger as Courtney is likeable and spunky, and Luke Wilson – returning to TV as a regular for the first time in seven years – reminds you just how good an actor he is when the material is worth his time. The real strength of any decent superhero show is in its villains, though, and the Injustice Society are suitably evil, although not all their members seem to be on board with their sinister plan to save America, one town at a time.

There’s a lot to like about the first three episodes of Stargirl, and if it keeps to the same quality throughout, DC Universe will have another critical hit on their hands. The increased eyes on the product through the CW link-up – and later this month Doom Patrol is co-streaming on both the DC and HBO Max services – should mean that they’ll be able to continue producing shows of this quality, and if that means we get the live-action TV returns of more of DC’s quirkier, less utilised heroes, that’s a very good thing indeed.

REVIEWED: SEASON 1 (ALL EPISODES) | WHERE TO WATCH: NETFLIX UK

Bong Joon-Ho’s apocalyptic train ride Snowpiercer is a candidate for the biggest sleeper hit of the decade. The arrival of a TV series expanding and modifying his idea is as warmly welcome as it is clearly inferior. Snowpiercer is a perfectly fine piece of TV that nonetheless must be content to bask in the greatness of Joon-Ho’s original film.

Based on both the film and the graphic novels by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer drives relentlessly forward with little time to turn over intricate details. It starts out as a murder mystery – lower-class freeloader or ‘tailee’ Layton (Daveed Diggs) is called upon by the train’s Head of Hospitality, Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) to solve a murder in first class. The series churns on from there solidly, breathlessly, and not always clearly, into a story of deception and rebellion. Much like a train, it can feel like it takes a long time to get up to speed, then risks slamming on the brakes just as something interesting is about to happen.

Unafraid to diverge from its predecessors, Snowpiercer takes some gambles that mostly pay off, introducing new kinds of characters into the mix. Layton is by far the most successful, increasingly worn out by carrying the burden of being “the good guy” in the face of corruption. Melanie too proves to be one of the series’ main hooks, helped by a powerhouse performance from Connelly. A few of the characters, however, end up with little or nothing to do by the end. Annalise Basso’s character especially goes from having a big role to play to being an irritating thorn who does little more than come out with some thirsty garble from time to time.

The story is well paced, making the most of its 10-episode first season without feeling badly congested (although some things don’t get the attention they need – mysteries to be resolved in the next season, you can suspect). While the film is an explosive, bloodthirsty march to social upheaval, this is a slower and more methodical collapse of an elitist system from within. Internal rivalries in both ends of the train see characters appear to swap allegiances in the blink of an eye. At its best, Snowpiercer rides on a giddy unpredictability that makes sure the narrative stays clear of any obvious conclusions. Nowhere better is this seen than in the season finale, which unloads a handful of revelations that shake the previous nine episodes to the core.

Visually, from the CGI to the gorgeous set design, the series is to die for. It’s not what you see that occasionally lets Snowpiercer down. The final three episodes are full of action and drama, but what it lacks is the sensation of sinking your teeth into reality. The subversive, piercing streak of the film goes amiss, replaced by a medley of characters and some peculiar attempts at humour. Snowpiercer is incredibly plot heavy, which at times feels like an unwelcome distraction from something more meaningful and thought through. It is pretty as a picture, if not as finely crafted.

The show is as imperfect as the humanity that it depicts. Joon-Ho’s 2014 entry looks set to remain the defining version of this story. Regardless, Snowpiercer – 1001 cars long – is a ride worth catching, as long as you can stick with it until the journey’s end.