NON-SPOILER REVIEW
Netflix's new superhero drama show is truly what it says on the label, if you're going into this one expecting high stakes, fast paced action scenes, and epic battles you've got another thing coming. Based on the Image Comics by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, the show revolves around the lives of an aging group of Superheroes, called the Union of Justice and their leader - The Utopian aka Sheldon Sampson, and his super powered family.
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| The old guard |
This slow-burn Superhero alternative attempts to explore the realistic choices superheroes must make in an ever changing world, while upholding their ideals of truth, justice, and the American way; conjointly referred to as 'The Code' and it's feasibility in the modern day as a new breed of heroes and villains begin to crop up. The show leans heavily into the banal side of superheroes' lives and what goes on after they've put the tights and capes away after a day at the office. We're invited into the Sampsons' home for family dinners, parental expectations, and even chores, like toiling on the family farm or picking up the laundry, reminding us that superheroes have problems too - the kinds they can't punch or fly away from, and Sheldon Sampson is right at the heart of it all.
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| The Pre-Union of Justice |
Alternating between the timelines of the present day and the late 1920s, we witness the origin story of the Union, while being kept abreast of present day happenings, as the show attempts to flesh out its characters, informing us of their personas, attitudes and motivations. Unfortunately, this commitment to character development comes as a detriment to pace and action, as the constant alternations between the past and present never seem to get either one going. Each episode continues to promise something more right until the very end, and for all this exposition they still leave so many questions unanswered.
Speaking of questions, the show asks some great ones, from sibling rivalry, to the feasibility of 'The Code' when the world isn't black and white anymore, to Sheldon Sampson being more Utopian, than a father and husband, to the inevitable desire to see our offspring live up to the ideals we've taught them and even mental health. There's a lot to unpack albeit slowly.
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| Chloe Sampson doesn't believe in the Union or the Code |
The cast is amazing (Matt Lanter and Ben Daniels are standouts for me), and the costumes were plucked right out from the comics, although the ageing make-up could have been better. The CGI on the show leaves a lot to be desired. And despite the lack of action scenes, It's a no-brainer that nothing disenchants a superhero film/show like bad graphics - no matter how good the plot might be. So this will need definitely need to be improved in a potential next season.
Jupiter's Legacy takes a different spin on the superhero genre, adding something that isn't relatively new, but has been usually relegated to the background in the plethora of Superhero themed shows out there. There's a lot of great questions asked with not many good answers in return, and there's a confident reliance on the curiosity of the audience to come back for more, after a blistering slow first season. But, despite its pacing and CGI problems, Jupiter's Legacy does just enough to get you vested in Mark Millar's comic world, and leaves you with interesting questions that need to be answered in a second season.
Reject Rating: 7/10
Images Courtesy of Netflix
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