I’ve been a huge Superman fanatic since the 1993 TV series Lois & Clark graced our screens. Even though there have been multiple iterations of the iconic DC superhero since then, I was excited and cautiously optimistic when SyFy announced Krypton. But does the latest addition to the comic-book superhero genre live up to the hype?
It does and it doesn’t. First, in the titular role as Superman’s grandfather, Seg-El, Cameron Cuffe couldn’t be more perfect for the protagonist part. He is equally charismatic, charming and embodies the role of the new head of House of El in more ways than I could have imagined. In addition, while the rest of the cast is just as strong, including Paula Malcomson and Rupert Graves as Seg’s mother and father respectively, one of the most impressive things about Krypton is its setting. Taking place 200 years before Kal-El’s birth, planet Krypton is brought to life thanks to immersive visuals and eye-goggling architecture. Any time the script leaves things to be desired (we’ll get to that), I found myself absolutely captivated by this original locale and desperately wanting to learn more about every part of it.
Where the pilot slightly stumbles is in its writing. There are parts that are a bit too cheesy for my taste and had me questioning if the show is targeted towards much younger adults, including the unnecessary romantic subplot Seg is involved in, as well as a few plot contrivances. For example, while Adam Strange’s character exists purely to segue our modern world into the Kryptonian’s as well as move some chess pieces along the way, most of his lines come off a bit too cringeworthy for my taste. If his character is supposed to help Seg-El more in future episodes, I sincerely hope their dynamic improves drastically.
Finally, I won’t spoil the ending, but there’s an intriguing turn of events by the end of the pilot that has me intrigued to see more. It’s both a completely predictable yet simultaneously unexpected twist, if that makes any sense. Either way, I’m giving this a few more episodes.
Bits & Capes
– One minor detail that I really loved is how the captions revealing every new location is first written in Kryptonian. Very cool.
– How epic is the hand-to-hand combat between Jayna-Zod and Lyta? The reveal that they are mother and daughter by the end of the training scene is jaw-dropping.
– So who belongs to this Black Zero organization and what do they do?
– One other thing that worries me about this show is how it’s planning to add urgency since we all know that Krypton ends up exploding eventually.
– Did anyone else find the Seg-El/Lyta sex scene to be horribly executed? Their eye-rolling conversation didn’t help.
– One of the most exciting sequences of the pilot is Seg’s mom rescuing him through a skimmer and taking him to the Fortress of Solitude! I squealed.
– So many questions about Adam Strange, but first I really need to know how he got his hands on Superman’s cape.
– Bone-chilling moment as we see our first glimpse of Brainiac! Will the show burn all its budget on this one reveal, though?
– What a beautiful final shot of Seg-El holding Kal-El’s cape.
Kryptonian Quips
Charys-El: Does that hurt?
Seg: Yeah, a lot.
Charys-El: Good, maybe it’ll remind you to start using that brain of yours.
Seg: There’s always a chance.
Jayna-Zod: Black Zero! Beasts of the Outlands. Factions within other city-states. All of them seek to annihilate us. We are Sagittari. The tip of the spear that guards this city. We never ask for mercy. And we never give it!
Seg: Well, that’s not how I thought today would go.
Kem: Really? No, I was pretty sure that you’d get a Guild rank and a wife before lunch.
Seg: Don’t forget foiling a terrorist, ‘cause I did that too.
Charys-El: It’s time you learned the truth.
Seg: And you had to steal a skimmer for that?
Charys-El: I prefer “borrowed”.
Conclusion
The much anticipated Superman prequel doesn’t offer anything new, but it’s consistently entertaining and has a lot of potential. I’m intrigued.
Chris Rating
B