The Umbrella Academy - Netflix Original

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Solaris, Feb 18, 2019.

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  1. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    We watched all ten episodes this weekend and what started out with a semi-interesting idea quickly devolved into silliness.

    Depending on your tolerance for mundane family melodrama played out at an excruciatingly slow pace -- think This Is Us, Haunting of Hill House, Lost In Space; how much more of this do we need to see? -- as the foreground to a somnambulistically underplayed superhero story, you may or may not like The Umbrella Academy. I thought it worked the near impossible feat of making Ellen Page uninterestingly pathetic while a majority of its characters range from bland to completely annoying. I kept hoping a number of them would have their lines cut so they'd just stop talking...and talking...and talking.

    When the time-traveling assassins, who are ostensibly the bad guys, seem like the more interesting plot line, you've got trouble. Any compelling idea that appears is quickly snuffed out by pages of dialogue that should have been confined to offscreen family therapy sessions. It's a pity, because if it were more intelligently written, it might have been pulpy fun. As it is, it plays down to its audience, providing a lot of the same information over and over again.

    Good production values, well photographed, but very hard to care about any of what's happening. Several of the actors, including Page, deserved better. So do viewers.
     
  2. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    I dunno, how many slots for comedies does ABC have open on their schedule for next season...? :rolleyes:
     
  3. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    I love Ellen Page and would watch her in almost anything, but I've read so many underwhelming reviews of this, including yours, that I'll give it a pass...
     
  4. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    For most of this she plays this kind of sad sack character -- which I hasten to point out is how she's written. It doesn't help that several of the other actors seem to have stumbled out of amateur hour, and so their scenes with her (and just in general) are painful.
     
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  5. jriems

    jriems Audio Ojiisan

    We've watched 7 out of the 10 episodes so far, and I have to disagree with your assessment. While it's clearly not high art, it's certainly interesting enough to provide a few hours of entertainment. I actually like the fact that I've never seen most of these actors and actresses before, and I don't think any of them really drag the series down. There are a couple that aren't particularly interesting, but there are a few that I find VERY interesting.

    Hazel the assassin is probably one of the most interesting characters I've seen in a long time. I love his delivery and dialogue. Five steals the show, and Klaus - while annoying at times - is so messed up it's heartbreaking.

    I think this 10-ep series suffers from what a lot of series and multi-part movie franchises are suffering from today: The first season/movie is treated like a set-up for additional seasons/movies. They're often slower than they should be, they leave a ton of questions unanswered, and they spend so much time on the "set-up" that the overall story lacks somewhat.

    My hope is that they greenlight a second season of Umbrella Academy because I think there's a lot of good stuff to work with here.

    I will say that the cinematography is terrific - especially in the earlier episodes. Again, I haven't seen the final 3, so I don't know how it all will end. If the final 3 episodes stink, I'll revise my overall opinion here in a follow-up.

    My recommendation to everyone is to at least try the bloody thing, and don't write it off until you've seen it for yourself.
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2019
  6. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    @jriems I agree about Hazel, who is the same actor who played Ed Kemper in Mindhunter. I’d watch a prequel series with him for sure.

    As for Five, there are scenes where I think he’s perfect and scenes where he’s like a kid pretending to be an old vaudeville comedian. Klaus was really good, yes, though there are times when he’s way over the top. I was certainly pulling for him more than anyone else.

    While I concur that there are interesting things happening, the romantic subplot between two of the characters is pure agony, and One’s endless moping got old after a single episode. It felt like a ploy to just stretch out the story rather than get on with it. I suspect this whole enterprise would have been better with a third less dialogue and at maybe six episodes.

    After thinking about it for another day I’d say one of my biggest problems with the show is that, for as much time as they spend with these characters and their back stories, it all feels very superficial.

    To your overall point, I like the core of what’s there but I think it’s bogged down by a lot of flabby nonsense and poor writing. As I said above, your tolerance for some of the tropes on display will determine your enjoyment.
     
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  7. jriems

    jriems Audio Ojiisan

    @Solaris THAT's where I know the actor who plays Hazel from! I didn't do my usual IMDB lookup of the actors while watching UA, so I couldn't pinpoint where I'd seen him before. Two really good - and different - performances between Hazel and Kemper.

    I do agree with you on the romance sub-plot between
    Luther and Allison
    . There just is no "there" there.

    I also agree that overall it's too slow-moving. You're right that they could have shortened it to cut down on the dialogue-heavy scenes.

    Even with its faults, there have been enough really good moments throughout to keep me interested. One thing neither of us has mentioned yet is...Mr. Pogo! That's one of the best characters in the series, and
    he's CGI (well, except for the brilliant voice acting by Adam Godley)!
    I think he's pretty amazing.

    Oh, and the idea and implementation of the Commission was very interesting.
     
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  8. Adam9

    Adam9 Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Scenes from Episodes 3,4 and 5 were shot in my house.
    I haven't watched the show yet.
     
  9. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    Yes on Pogo.
    I was really sorry to see him go, and not be utilized more[\spoiler]
     
  10. Vinyl is final

    Vinyl is final Not Insane - I have a sense of humor

    Location:
    South central, KY
    Thanks for the heads up! I dumped TV in 1997, but a year ago I discovered our Amazon Prime membership gave us a ton of free video and modern TV shows.

    But an interesting thing happened: So many of them have devolved into soap opera and seem to just string you along, causing a two hour story to take ten hours. I don't have time for that. My wife and I loved the first two seasons of Suits, but then it devolved into soap opera. Marvelous Mrs. Mazel was simply amazing. Both seasons.

    I tried to watch "The 100 with my grandson (he really wanted me to see it) and it was just stringing us along. Then one episode picked up the pace and got interesting and I said to him, "This must be the season finale." It was. :D

    I avoid TV shows for that reason. I mainly use Amazon prime for movies and OLD TV shows. My wife and I just started watching Cheers, starting with the very first episode. wonderful!
     
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  11. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    I am only four episodes in. As someone familiar with the comic, I am, so far, happy with the changes they have made. Pacing does not bother me so far, but I am purposely taking my time and watching no more than one episode per day.

    As an aside, I would probably enjoy watching a super cut consisting only of scenes with Cameron Britton casually eating food and making one word requests for people to "elaborate". :)
     
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  12. the pope ondine

    the pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia

    whoa.....very cool, did u watch filming
     
  13. Adam9

    Adam9 Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    No - just saw some of the actors and stand-ins. The production company had put us up in a hotel and we came by once in a while to pick up mail.
    We were out for about 6 weeks in total over a period of 3 months in the spring.
    It was a very neat experience as the whole house was redecorated and painted. After filming, we kept some of the changes as we liked them.
    There was a scene where a door was busted open, a rainstorm in which I think Ellen Page was caught outside the house and a drone filming while it's flying out of a window. I haven't watched any episodes yet.
    In between shooting stints we moved back into the house and it was a bit surreal being surrounded by a lot of movie props.
    It was a very neat experience.
     
  14. the pope ondine

    the pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    its gonna be surreal to watch as well probably...'hey! thats my bathtub!'
     
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  15. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    I was saying to my partner as I gave the first 2 episodes a shot that this would've been a great movie. There was no need to make this a series. I told him to go ahead and watch the rest without me and fill me in on how it turned out.
     
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  16. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    My girlfriend got me watching it, and while she was into it for the first couple of episodes, by the end she was just as vocal as I was about the problems. So if you hear shouting from the other room... :laugh:
     
  17. jriems

    jriems Audio Ojiisan

    That's so interesting - my wife likes the show even more than I do! We finished 2 more episodes last night, so only the final episode to go...
     
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  18. Exit Flagger

    Exit Flagger Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Thought it was excellent from beginning to end.

    Looking forward to another season.

    Edit: I was surprised to see so many critical reviews about the show, even some angry ones ( not here but across the web).

    I never read the comics so I went in with very little expectations. I enjoyed the show's somewhat meandering pace and the generous helping of family drama. I just let it take me where it wanted to go, including some blind alleys. I agree that it borrows heavily from other works - especially the X-Men - but the whole stew was tasty enough that I didn't mind.
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2019
  19. jriems

    jriems Audio Ojiisan

    Watched the final episode last night, and thought the ending was great. Hopefully, we'll get another season so we can find out what's next.

    A couple things:

    1) Klaus' awakened ability to materialize Ben was awesome. I'm hoping this is just the start of who Klaus can conjure up when needed.
    2) If the apocalypse occurred from a chunk of the moon striking earth and laying it waste, wouldn't Five have been able to see the giant chunk removed from the moon in his decades of wandering the future after the apocalypse? Or are we to believe that the apocalypse we witnessed was a different version since the team was able to "successfully" stop Vanya?
    3) An entire episode of Allison not being able to speak was kinda enjoyable. :p
    4) Pogo. I hate Vanya.
     
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  20. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Finally caught the first couple of episodes yesterday, and I think it's the best damned new series I've seen this year. Fantastic series.

    Color is by my former associate Jill Bogdanowicz over at eFilm, who does exceptional work: this is a stunning, beautiful show in 4K HDR. Preview here:



    It's like a bit of X-Men, a bit of Dr. Who, a bit of Kick-Ass, Watchmen, and even some Legion moments... and yet very unique, twisted, dramatic, and funny. Snappy dialogue and unpredictable situations throughout. It's a terrific show, and I believe Netflix has already renewed it for another season. [Warning: it's very much a violent TV-MA show, so expect some R-rated violence and language, but not too much.]
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2019
  21. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    I have to check this out! : )
     
  22. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I was really, really impressed by how good this is. This is absolutely feature-quality work. There's a surprise appearance by a certain unusual cast member that blew me away -- I would not expect to see VFX like this in a TV show. (No spoilers.)
     
  23. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    : )
     
  24. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Jill corrected me: she did the show at Company 3, which is part of the same umbrealla corporation as eFilm (Deluxe) but a different post house. Still great work, and she tells me the show has been renewed and will come back next year.
     
  25. badfinger54

    badfinger54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Victoria, TX USA
    I had never read the comic either, but I enjoyed the series. Have not gotten to see any DOOM PATROL episodes and don't really feel the urge to subscribe to the DC Universe for it alone. I hope it will become available some other way. I worked on the DOOM PATROL (Flex Mentallo issue & John Byrne reboot) and TEEN TITANS. I bought several issues of DP as a kid and have the hardback reprint. The TT show has gotten mixed reviews. Even though I am retired I just feel guilty sitting around watching TOO many series. Can't watch every single superhero show.
     
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