THIS MOVIE IS JUST SO MUCH FUN!! (◕◡◕:cherry_blossom:) I came for the stacked cast and because I'm a sucker for lighter period pieces. Henry Cavill is such a delight as Sherlock (I am looking DIRECTLY at it (º﹃º ) ), Sam Claflin is surprisingly convincing in the stereotypical uptight Mycroft role (I had to get out of the Finnick Odair headspace, oops), but the real joy is seeing Millie Bobby Brown shine as a lead. Newcomer Louis Partridge is ADORABLE too; their on-screen chemistry was great.
Once I got used to the constant breaking of the fourth wall (like, this was Dora the Explorer levels of fourth-wall breaking), it's such a fun watch. I'm trying to think of another adjective for fun, please bear with me. The jokes landed, and I was constantly giggling at Enola's interactions with all of the characters. Honestly, it just makes me want to read the books that this is based off of. While the plot is predictable at times, I think it stands well for a younger audience, which leads me to my next point: why was this rated PG-13? I would compare this movie to Emma Roberts' 2007 Nancy Drew film, which was rated PG and had the same vibes, just in a modern setting. In Enola, there's no cursing at all, and any intense scenes are few and far between, to the point that I would think it wouldn't have been too difficult to rewrite for a PG rating. Like, SPOILER: I was NOT expecting to see that one guy clonk his head and die like that. LMAO. AND THE GRANDMA SHOOTING MY BOY POINT BLANK? BRO. Either way, it's not really a complaint from me, just a note that this movie definitely is yearning to be a family feature, but not quite getting there if you have younger sensitive kids.
Anyways, give this one a watch if you're in the mood for a light, fun (I didn't think of another adjective I'm sorry) mystery that you can easily follow along. I appreciate the relevant themes of being seen in an environment that tries so hard to turn a blind eye. If you're a sucker for these cliches (me), this movie will definitely inspire you to chase your dreams or whatever LOL.
Notes
Review
Now that I'm 3/4 of the way through this show, I think I'm ready to spew some thoughts before I finish it.
Right now, no matter how unremarkable the writing is, this series will always have me hooked. Just the premise and the animation is enthralling enough; I will watch it until it's cancelled (I hope there's a Season 2)!
After all the Marvel and DC superhero stuff these days, a show like this is refreshing. There's no "make the funny joke and move on" bull crap; these characters go through crises and grow. And it isn't like the DC universe with its edginess and gore for indulgence's sake, but for character development that emphasises its impact. Yes, the animation's limited budget shows itself now and then, but other times, it impresses.
I really like this show, and it's becoming one of my favourites quite quickly. And yes, my ratings for it aren't that high, but they're still respectable. I respect this show. Anyway, that's enough for now, I can't wait to see how the season ends, and I hope season 2 is green-lighted soon.
Yours truly — C. Clobsters
SCORE: 8/10
People have all sorts of thoughts on what it means that so many protagonists are white guys who are serial killers, drug dealers and thieves but such as it is I do enjoy the occasional serial killer show. As long as it's more thriller than horror of course. It's part of why I couldn't stomach Hannibal. I think I made it two seasons of that torture porn television and I just didn't want to go back for the final season. Anyway my point is there's a lot that I could enjoy about Prodigal Son. The premise of the son of a serial killer worried he might be a psychopath and using his father as.. well as a Hannibal to solve crimes is compelling. It's why I watched the show in the first place. I'm already in a positive place and that makes me willing to overlook things I don't even notice until I read negative reviews.
But there's something odd about the plot that no one in the show is pointing out. This is a live action television show set in a contemporary era. If there is some part of the premise that doesn't make sense you're supposed to highlight it or explain it. Instead the show ignores it. Bright is the son of The Surgeon. Now Bright's mother I'm pretty sure was Bright's mother on Everwood but that's not cogent to my point. My point is that The Surgeon was arrested and locked up in a 3 sided jail. That's when they put you in a cage attached to a wall. It's a ridiculous thing that I'm pretty sure never happens in real life but on TV and Movies happens all the time. This way you can enter the room and see that inside the room they're in another cage. The Surgeon is very clearly under guard in his cage when Bright is a little boy. But in the present we learn he performs surgery on the black market. Which doesn't make sense. Either he's locked up or he's performing black market surgery. How is he using black market money to improve his cell when that's not a thing that would be allowed. It's not even presented in the show as something we're going to learn. It's presented as just another thing. It's ridiculous.
The rest of the show is tolerable. The main lead is a weird looking white guy with light eyes and the ugliest haircut you can imagine. The father is a more handsome and compelling character. Lou Diamond Phillips is great as always and we have a guy and girl cop to fill out the "work" cast. She's gonna be the Jekyl and he's going to be the Hyde. It's expected, it's forumlaic, it's what I'm here for. Honestly there's not a lot to go on in this first episode to judge the path of the series. But that weird gap in logic really stands out. Still you need three episodes to judge and a pilot is often workshopped so much it's rare to be able to use it to judge.
