ariasn1

Writing a Superhero with Dissociative Identity Disorder can't be easy. Especially when the character was conceived nearly 50 years ago. I went into the show only knowing that he had Mental Illness and was Jewish.

After 6 episodes I'm not really sure that I know much more about the titular character. Even his Jewish background which (apparently) is quite important to his character is almost totally absent in the show.

But the real problem is that the show doesn't seem to have a message that it really wants to tell. Trying to follow what's going on takes way more effort than a popcorn flick (or show) should. But even once you go back to figure out what exactly is happening you realize - it's horribly trivial. It's a story so basic it could have been told in 2 episodes - let alone 6.

The Good:

• The action is fine. It's very Marvel.

• Oscar Isaac is amazing. Truly a talent.

• Ethan Hawke looks hilarious.

The Bad:

• The Woman who voices Layla cannot hold an accent. After 6 episodes I cannot tell what accent she was trying to do. I think general British? Scottish?

• The CGI is pretty silly and distracting at times.

• Ethan Hawke Looks Hilarious (He's supposed to be taken fairly seriously).

TL;DR Watchable, but sadly far from what it should have been. Confusing but without any substance to back it up.

If you're a Trivia Buff this isn't the show for you. The actual questions are asked and answered so quickly if you don't pay attention you'll miss the question.

The charm of the show is watching the banter between all the contestants and Howie Mandel.

DESCRIPTION OF FORMAT: The dynamics of the show are weirdly complicated but understandable. There are 4 contestants at all time. 1 Contestant answers trivia questions. They have to then convince the other 3 contestants that their answer was correct. The other 3 contestants are incentivized to guess if the 1st contest is lying. Once the trivia answerer leaves the game (through winning or failing) the person who guessed their accuracy the most gets to be the next person to play and win money.

It's a bit complicated. But within 10 minutes of watching the first episode you get the dynamic.

The contestants they got on were clearly well vetted for being likeable and camera-ready.

I've been finding a lot of Netflix shows to be duds lately. And a trivia show I was going to assume would be horrible. But it's honestly dumb and fun and quite engaging.

8/10.

If you're against progressive politics you'll likely not find much uplifting or entertaining about this movie.

But for everyone else this film is a shockingly gripping 2 hours of political and personal drama that superbly showcases the foolishness of some, the intellect of others, and the general complexity of war, politics, race, and humanity.

Highly recommended if you want to watch a movie that also gives you an excuse do go down the Wikipedia rabbit hole.