VERDICT
HOME CINEMA CHOICE SEPTEMBER 2019
The Boys was renewed for a second
season before its fi rst had even debutedMax Beesley's Henry Sharrow (above,
right) still bears the scars of the events
of Series One
Adults-only superhero slam-dunk
You won't want your kids to check out Amazon's brilliant blood-spattered comic adaptation
If you think there’s no spin left when it comes
to superheroes, you haven’t met The Boys. An
exhilarating, irreverent antidote to traditional capes
and cowls, this show is based on the anarchic,
ultra-violent comic book series by Garth Ennis
and Darick Robertson.
The eight-episode inaugural season takes all the
familiar comic book tropes and eviscerates them
with unmitigated glee. In this universe, superheroes
are not your friend. They’re under contract to the
Vought Corporation, who enlist those with powers,
turning them into security professionals, celebrities,
and movie stars.
Early on, Hughie (Jack Quaid) learns this the hard
way, when his girlfriend is reduced to gloop by local
speedster A-Train. Legal redress doesn't get Hughie
compensation, and he’s angry – enter Billy Butcher
(Karl Urban), head of a vigilante group bankrolled
by the CIA, charged with taking down the corrupt
superhero elite.
Those familiar with the original book will take
delight in this adaptation. It takes few liberties
and is happy to acknowledge the source material
- Simon Pegg, whose likeness is used for Hughie
in the comics, turns up as his dad onscreen.
The tone of the show is gloriously caustic. The
deconstruction tempts comparison to Watchmen,
but this is just too much fun for that to stick. And
if you’ve enjoyed Preacher, then you can expect a
similar ride. That show’s producers – Seth Rogen,
Evan Goldberg and James Weave – are all involved.
Picture: Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (responsible
for 10 Cloverfi eld Lane), The Boys is presented
in a ‘Scope ratio, and has the sheen and feel
of a pukka movie production.
Action sequences are well handled – an early
fi ght between Urban and invisible Super Translucent
in an electronics store is wonderfully chaotic- and the visual eff ects are polished throughout and
inevitably gruesome (this isn’t a kid-friendly show).
There’s detail aplenty in the 4K HDR10+ image, and
the colour palette is refreshingly bright.
Audio: Sound designer David Barbee makes full use
of his multichannel (5.1) sandpit, both in terms of
action (there’s plenty of steerage front and back, and
LFE presence) and music choice; the soundtrack
combines a score by Christopher Lennertz (also
responsible for Netfl ix’s Lost in Space) mixed with
snippets of pacey pop and punk. This is defi nitely
a show to stretch your sound system. SM
« The Boys
The Boys: Season One
« Amazon Prime Original
WE SAY: Eight episodes of quirky,
violent, profane fun. If that sounds
like your thing, stream away!
Movie:
Picture:
Audio:
OVERALL:« Jamestown: Series Three
Sky's soapish period drama following the ups and
downs of the Jamestown colony in 17th century
Virginia comes to an end after three increasingly
melodramatic series, with the real-life attack in 1622
by the neighbouring Pamunkey native Americans
used as a closing point. Of course, before all that,
there are narrative twists to get through, including
missing children, executions, fl eeing settlers and
a mystery horse.
The show's cast remains strong, particularly
Jason Flemyng as Governor Yeardley, Naomi Battrick
as widower Jocelyn, and Max Beesley and Stuart
Martin as the heroic/trouble-causing Sharrow
brothers. And it's these characters that dominate
the fi nal eight-episode run (each 60 minutes),
to the point that their scheming, double-crossing
and fragile alliances dominate the narrative at the
expense of much of the show's less forceful parts.
There was a lightness of touch and more balanced« Sky Boxsets approach to Jamestown's debut series that has
somewhat been cast aside as the drama builds- often frantically – towards its conclusion.
That's not to say it isn't enjoyable watch.
The location shooting, set design and original score
remain as impressive as ever (and Sky's 1.85:1 ratio
Ultra HD presentations are nicely crisp), as does
the show's attention to historical detail (whether
entirely accurate or not) and wide scope that gives
screentime to not just the in-fi ghting settlers, but
their slaves and Pamunkey rivals. The writing team
keeps tricks up it sleeve, and the series isn't afraid
to kill off /discard some characters you might have
thought would make it to the end.
After three years there's the defi nite feeling
that Jamestown has run its course, and perhaps not
fulfi lled its early promise. But at least it goes out with
a bang. MC
ON
DEMAND96 THE BOYS/JAMESTOWN: SERIES THREE