jupiter's legacy season premiere spoiler free review
At this point in history the superhero show is so ubiquitous that it’s fair and reasonable for rational entertainment consumers to expect new entrants to offer something different. It can’t be just me thinking this way. Jupiter’s Legacy, based on a Mark Millar-written comic I’ve heard of but never read, doesn’t do anything at its outset to distinguish itself. I hung in there waiting for the “a ha” moment to come and it never did. Is it a “some people have powers and it’s a normal part of life” show or a hyper-realistic take on super-heroics and villainy a la Heroes? Not that I can tell. Is it fun, wacky and ultra-violent like The Boys? Not at all. It’s also not subversive in any way I’d describe as specifically interesting. It’s Watchmen minus the commentary. And it doesn’t matter what you think Watchmen is or isn’t commentary on, it isn’t present here. The only similarity with Watchmen is in costume design and that itself is only notable because the costumes are so similar that you can’t watch Jupiter’s Landing without thinking of Watchmen. Who is this show for? I watched the premiere and can’t tell you the hook. Perhaps it doesn’t have one. That doesn’t necessarily make the show bad, it just translates to something that doesn’t stand out within a genre landscape where standing out becomes more and more important with each superhero-themed release (the old man makeup is also decidedly Prometheus-y). The action set pieces at the beginning and tail end of the premiere are both suitably thrilling considering the show’s budget and subject matter but we should collectively hold our superhero content to a higher standard. The sizzle reel included with my early review screener would indicate very interesting things to come as well as more high-quality action and VFX. I’m actually excited to see what comes next despite the muted praise within this review. But I must also be honest in sharing that I went in expecting and waiting for something about the show to grab me and justify its existence within the crowded superhero genre. Here’s hoping this moment occurs in episode two.