It was the year 1999. I booted up my stolen PlayStation 1 and loaded up a video game named Twisted Metal. I skipped the intro and went straight into the game. I had no idea why I was driving an ice cream truck with guns and a clown as a driver plus a granny that kept showing up on the loading screens, but I was having a BLAST! Pun intended! They made it into a tv series! Who would have thought?
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, John Doe, a talkative milkman with amnesia, is given a mission to traverse the desolate United States to deliver a mysterious package with unknown contents. He faces a life-altering opportunity but must confront ruthless marauders in deadly and destructive vehicles to secure a chance at a better future. In other words, they took maniacal childhood video game and put an actual decent story behind it to make it make sense. They did a great job giving us 10 episodes at 30min long. A bold decision which didn’t hinder the quality here.
Anthony Mackie takes centre stage and plays our motor mouthed, amnesia engulfed speed racer also known as a milkman, which is their term for a delivery driver. I’m sure we are familiar with his range of acting and he’s just getting better and better. He brings a mountain of enthusiasm, comedy, excitement and emotions through the whole season. He continues to cement himself as a potential action man and does a great job of capturing that new born innocence of someone who has no memory of their life. Stephanie Beatriz plays Quiet the NOT so damsel in distress. She’s rude, savage and broken in many ways which helps drive her narrative of being vengeful. It’s a good performance. Will Arnett lends his excellent voice acting to the anti-hero Sweet Tooth whilst Joe Seanoa takes a break from WWE to lend his body as the stand in double. Will delivers that sadistic and savage killer crown who helped raise me as a child. He brings a full conscious to the character, adds depth and huge development in the character. Will continues to be his witty, crazy and funny self but coupled with the sinister and mindless killing, it made for an excellent personality. Thomas Haden Church plays the big bad villain Agent Stone. He embodies the bad ass, tough guy routine but with his backstory which is unveiled his actions makes it more meaningful and Thomas does well to display his trauma. Mike Mitchell plays Stu the heart of the show. Just the good guy stuck in this crazy world. He’s cute, cuddly and you just want to see him survive… well, does he? When Jason Mantzoukas popped up on screen there was zero shock. In fact, it just made perfect sense. I’m sure he played himself as his own personality fits perfectly in this world. He was brilliant as Preacher. It’s a good cast littered with unknown faces but very good displays nonetheless.
Sony didn’t hold back on production. This is a top tier in this department. The vehicles are identical to the game so that drives the authenticity (pun intended). With each vehicle paying homage to their counterparts and conveying their identities.
The vehicular action is excellent with stunts performed in tight spaces, explosions and gun warfare.
The one thing that troubled me was the pacing and transitions. There was lack of indication between what a flashback was to present time. So, I found myself playing catch up on scenes and even rewinding sometimes. In the same light it was a brilliant tool for character development with key characters getting dedicated episodes explaining their backstories. It was well used to give us breaks from the chaos. The gore and madness are at max level. From family slaughters to animal cruelty. You name it, you got it. The show acknowledges the era the game was created with 90s hits like Sisqó Thong Song, Barbie Girl, Evanescence and many more. It all fits so well as a sound track. I might add this show has the coolest opening title screens.
It’s a dark comedy with a special type of humour which incorporates violence, mental health and a complex love story. The chemistry between Mackie and Beatriz starts slow but blossoms into a thing of beauty. It isn’t for everyone but it definitely was for me. The season has a simple formula and doesn’t try to overcomplicate things. It’s a journey from Point A to B. each episode introduces a new encounter with a character or a faction. Very simple yet effective. The commitment to the source material with ideas to evolve it is magnificent. For example, as much as Sweet Tooth has come across as a mindless killer over the years, he’s made out to be very calculated here. He’s prepped and surprisingly very understanding. That’s another layer of enjoyment of the series. Granny Dread and Roadkill make a sweet appearance. There’s even an easter egg which has John enter a PlayStation code to start his car LOL. I loved it. the finale is ripped right out of the video game and was one dedicated to the fans of the franchise.
I really enjoyed the show and would like to see where it goes next. Its delivered some heavy plot points which can be advanced into bigger stories. My hope is that it’s not overstretched and dried out. The love story will need work but it can work out. I hope this show is successful because Sony has a plethora of intellectual properties they can really play with and I’d like to see some classic games be brought to life. Definitely worth a watch.
Which easter eggs did you catch in the show? Do you want to see a season 2? What characters do you want to see in live action? Do you remember Evlin from the game? React and comment below…
