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TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews The Premiere Of Krypton!

March 22nd, 2018 by Todd Black Comments

The difference between shows like Arrow, Flash, Black Lightning, etc., and shows like Gotham is that the previous shows are showing a hero being born (or coming back to the fold) without certain ties to their comic book origins (or different takes on them). Whereas Gotham was literally created to be a “prequel” series to the Batman mythos. Now, DC Comics is doing it again with Krypton, but in a fun twist, they tell a story 100 years before the birth of Superman and following the exploits of his grandfather.

Right of the bat, this is a bold move. We’re learning about a part of the House of El that’s only lightly been touched upon in the comics (and never this deeply). But, thankfully, Krypton makes a strong case for it to be a compelling series.

For here, we get to see the development of the corruption and downfall of Krypton from far before Jor-El spoke to the council about saving the planet. It’s technically unclear if this is meant to be a prequel to the opening sequence of Man of Steel, but that movie clearly influenced a lot in the series. From the krystals with the El logo on it, the look of the El logo, the futuristic look of Krypton itself, it’s all very well done. As is the showing of the hierarchy of things on this Krypton.

In Man Of Steel, we get a light history of how Krypton is run, but here, we see it in greater detail, and it is both wondrous and horrifying. And you honestly have to wonder how the civilization would’ve grown if they were allowed to live.

Moving onto the characters, this falls on its characters to carry the weight of a story that some may view as pointless. The focus is on Seg-El, Kal-El’s grandfather. We start off the series with him viewing his family being stripped of their name and rank and cast into the lowest places of Krypton. This has made him a bitter man, and one who’s will to fight to get what he wants and needs. Yet, he’s a compassionate man, he’s trying to help his family, and will help those in need. This complexity is welcome, for if he acted like Kal-El, it wouldn’t work, but here, he does things that Superman wouldn’t, and no doubt we’ll see more of his layers as we go on.

Through the first hour we’re introduced to many interesting characters and houses. Including the House of Zod (one of whom is having an affair with Seg), the House of Vex (one of whom is now “married” to Seg), and others that will also play a part in the events to come. Including the mysterious “Voice of Rao” (who is the god of Krypton and has been seen in the comics very recently) and the Black Zero, a resistance group who wants the world to see the “lies” of Rao.

Finally, there’s Adam Strange, who is from our Earth and our time, and has come to warn Seg of what’s coming to Krypton, and why he needs to protect it. For without Krypton, there is no Superman.

It’s a lot to take in during 45 minutes, but it does work more than it doesn’t. I was surprised by how well the graphical quality of Krypton was. Syfy is known for going big at times, but also for skimping on CGI as well. Here though, everything looks beautiful and crisp. There’s also quality acting and pretty good fight scenes.

So, what doesn’t work? Well, they do go to the well for a few tropes that are sure to annoy. Like the affair between Seg-El and Lyta-Zod (which we know will come to an end in a bad way at some point). And a couple of key deaths midway through is a bit cliche.

Other than that though, I’m very intrigued to see what Krypton does. You could argue it has both more and less of a burden than Gotham did when it started out. We’ll have to see how fans react to it as the season goes on. But let me just say, I’m intrigued.

4.5 out of 5 nerds

Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!