How the series "Scary Tales: City of Angels" combines mysticism with a detective

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Critic Alexei Khromov talks about a beautiful series where Natalie Dormer from Game of Thrones has embodied four characters at once.

On April 27, a new series from the famous screenwriter and two-time Oscar nominee John Logan will start on the Showtime channel (in Russia - at Amediatek). Technically, this is a spin-off of his previous project Penny Dreadful. In fact, the two series are not connected in any way and even somewhat contradict each other.

Therefore, watching "Scary Tales: City of Angels" is also possible for those who are completely unfamiliar with the original source. The series, alas, turned out to be far from ideal. But there are still several reasons to pay attention to it.

Multi-layered plot at the intersection of genres

The series is set in Los Angeles in the late 1930s. Santiago Vega (Daniel Zovatto) becomes the first Mexican detective in the city. And immediately he, along with an experienced partner, is faced with a terrible murder: the police discover four corpses with their hearts cut out.

But this is not just a grim police detective. Even in the introduction, the viewer is explained that supernatural forces are involved: the demon Magda (Natalie Dormer) pits people against each other. In various ways, she subdues the weakest, seeking to unleash a fratricidal war.

And then a political thriller is added to the plot. One of those who fell under her influence turns out to be a member of the city council. And in parallel, the history of the fascist movement in the United States is revealed: the action takes place on the eve of World War II, and activists call on America not to enter into confrontation with Germany. Moreover, they are trying to penetrate into political circles.

And the background of the whole story is an emotional drama with a share of sociality. It is no secret that in the 30s it was not easy for a Mexican to break into government structures. And Santiago repeatedly has to choose between loyalty to his family and the service of law and order. This is mixed with the theme of social inequality, love and relationship with the mother who worships Santa Muerta.

Moreover, the action does not focus only on the main character. The authors reveal the theme of a multinational country, and the intrigues of churchmen, and the position of women in pre-war America.

Unfortunately, too many layers sometimes make the plot difficult to understand. The action now and then jumps from one character to another. But gradually their fates are intertwined, and after the first episodes, everything converges into a single story. In a strange way, the mystical part primarily suffers from such a loaded plot: Magda's plans are somewhat reminiscent of the plans of the villains from the TV series "The Hunters" with Al Pacino. But there they did without supernatural powers.

But still, the deficiencies of the script are largely compensated for by another advantage of the series - an excellent picture.

Visual aesthetics and great soundtrack

The series is very beautifully filmed - perhaps this is the main thing you need to know about the new "Scary Tales". The aesthetics of the 30s is shown here as a little toy: beautiful cars, suits and hats worn by men, and elegant hairstyles for women seem to have gone out of pictures. Here, even the poorest strata of society are shown to be very neat and stylish.

In addition, jazz sounds regularly on the soundtrack, one of the heroines is a singer, and Santiago himself with his mother even dances on the street. It is unlikely that in reality it looked as elegant, but the series does not pretend to be historical accuracy, yet it is based on myths and mysticism.

In more serious scenes, the music also changes, perfectly pumping up the atmosphere. The composer's work is generally worth praising separately: the soundtrack always gets in the mood.

If you wish, you can find fault with the special effects in the supernatural part of the plot. Computer graphics do not always look realistic and are too conspicuous. But there are not too many such scenes in the series, after all, the authors did not intend to show any terrible monsters and destruction. Here the main fear is caused by one beautiful woman.

Reincarnations of Natalie Dormer

Separately, it is worth mentioning the benefit performance of the actress who played Magda. Natalie Dormer is known to many exclusively for her portrayal of Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones and Cressida in The Hunger Games.

In the new "Scary Tales" they made a separate bet on her, showing the actress in four different images at once. The fact is that Magda changes her appearance in order to get close to various people.

Then she, in her true form, whispers in people's ears, pushing them to murder. And right there, in the guise of a modest immigrant woman, he brings a child to the doctor's office and speaks with a German accent. She also acts as an inconspicuous secretary of the official, carrying out all her instructions. And then, in another guise, dashingly dances with a man to jazz.

One can argue how plausibly she fits into these images: the Englishwoman Dormer does not look too much like a girl from Germany, and round glasses cannot turn an actress into a gray mouse.

But the already mentioned "toy" setting of the "City of Angels" partly saves from unnecessary criticism. This is not a historical series, and all the reincarnations are rather theatrical: who knows how the mystical heroine is seen by her victims. She plays the characters in a rather grotesque, sometimes almost comedic way. But this is more entertaining than hindering.

Only those who expect from it a plot or at least a stylistic continuation of the original project can remain completely dissatisfied with this series. Fans of "Scary Tales" better come to terms with the fact that the spin-off turned out to be completely different.

Noir in Victorian England gave way to jazz America, references to literary heroes - mysticism and Latin American cults. Even the actors from the original series in City of Angels play different roles: for example, Rory Kinnear changed the image of the Frankenstein monster to a pediatrician and a father of two.

It must be admitted that the title "Scary Tales" was probably given to the project only for the sake of advertising. The creator of both series, John Logan, clearly did not want to pass up the opportunity to use the big name again.

However, that doesn't make the show itself any worse. It is very beautiful, and the plot is instantly addictive and makes you independently guess about the future relationships of different characters. Although initially it is clear that in the end everything will come down to the struggle between good and evil. As, however, in all projects with a similar theme.