From the start, I thought this show had potential but while there was nothing fundamentally wrong with what was being shown prior to release, I just didn't felt particularly hyped about it.
In fact, I initially planned to wait a while before watching the show... and I should have stuck to that.
Because now I'm hooked and have to wait a damn week to get my fix!
More seriously, I'm pleasantly surprised by this first episode.
Everything has been said about Collin Farell, always impeccable in his role. I sometimes “feared” that this version might be too tempted to stray too far from the folklore of the original, but the acting and writing give this Oz just the right mix of pathetic, slimy and funny to really feel in presence of the classic Penguin
(at least my idea of it). The character’s DNA is sure there and it may be the first time since De Vito’s
(very particular) version that I truly enjoy the character.
Also, we already knew that Mike Marino was a make-up master, but I’m very impressed how here, unlike in
The Batman, we're given to see Oz in broad daylight, yet the work done on Farrell's face remains simply undetectable. Crazy work.
The rest of the cast and characters are also very good. Cristin Milioti is definitely charismatic and promising as Sofia Falcone and Rhenzy Feliz's Vic is perfectly believable as this sort of
forced Robin for the Penguin
(wheel-stealing eh, I see what you've done there...).
Although aware that trailers are by nature work in progress, I had some reservations about the look of the series, preparing myself to mentally make this concession on image quality due to “TV budget”... But it's now clear that continuity with the film is really well maintained, and frankly, I don't even find it a set back from the film
(save for that very brief shot of Bela Real on TV at the beginning but I'm nitpicking here).
The cinematography is solid and where I expected the daytime scenes to lose some of the magic, they don't. Whatever the time of day, this Gotham City retains its magnificient grit and stylized yet palpable look.
Chief's kiss visuals!
Now, the biggest surprise for me was the quality of the writing. For all my appreciation of
The Batman, I've never made a secret that I've always been a little frustrated by its writing, which has always struck me as certainly ambitious but laborious
(I definitely get the “and then...” syndrome out of it... don't ban me).
Here, I have nothing to say or even to nitpick. The characters are very well introduced and characterized, and the events follow and respond to each other perfectly.... It's tight and really well-oiled.
It was also pretty dense for a first episode! Like a mini-movie, and I can only hope that the rest of the series will maintain this quality and generosity.
So yeah, very satisfied here, and if my entouthiasm for this universe had started to tarnish for a while, this pilot has definitely reawakened something!
variety.com
