Last Friday another superhero series launched on Netflix, it was neither Marvel nor DC. To me, this was a relief. With the two big houses, I seem to be over-invested or to emotionally attached to be entirely objective. Like most I seem to have expectations, however, this time around there was zero expectations. And that was the best thing ever. There is no greater joy than discovering new fascinating characters and then joining them on an adventure. Honestly, I would never have picked up the comic, and I would be poorer for it. But like all things Netflix, the series brings that richness right back. And I know that the purists will complain, saying it’s been butchered or poorly adapted. I won’t judge them, I feel them, I have even been them at times. But for me, a noob to the series it won’t feel that way. It will feel fresh and new.
And fresh and new is exactly what this series is. It doesn’t feel shackled by big corporate and their interference. From the very first episode, it feels free and liberated. Neatly packed in a ten-episode package it moves at a steady pace carefully carving its way through a very tasty tale of intrigue.
Based on the comic created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba’, it focuses on 7 kids who were born under mysterious circumstances, adopted by their would-be father and trained to be heroes to a world that probably didn’t really deserve them. We catch up with them in their early adulthood. They have all gone their separate ways, but are soon drawn back after their father’s untimely death. Each kid had taken a very different path. One of them dead and the other lost in time.
The series is full plot twists and curveballs, some are a little traditional while others you will never see coming. But it is driven nicely by the core characters, whose each individual arc blend with each other to create a wonderful tapestry of a tale. All this coupled with absolutely beautiful music (I was Shazaaming a lot). This is the Stranger Things of superheroes. The Watchmen kids. Call it what you want, it’s a bloody good show.
So this weekend grab some snacks and kick back and let the Umbrella Academy capture your heart too.
