What is good about the new series "Swamp Thing"

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

The first episode of an intriguing horror project has been released, and it looks promising.

The streaming service DC Universe launched the series "Swamp Thing" - another project based on DC comics and included in the same cinematic universe with "Titans" and "Doom Patrol". After the entire season is released, it will appear on Netflix, but for now in Russia it can be officially viewed on Kinopoisk.

Surprisingly, DC Universe again managed to intrigue the viewer. And if "Titans" looked like a very correct superhero action, and "Doom Patrol" - witty madness on the verge of comedy and drama, then "Swamp Thing" still seems to be a classic horror with a very catchy atmosphere.

The pilot release is built according to all the laws of horror films. Even the first scene seemed to come from the classics of the 80s: swamp, night, attack by an unknown monster.

And then the action is already developing according to the principle of pictures about epidemics of an unknown disease. Dr. Abby Arcane (Crystal Reed) returns to his hometown of Mare, living off the surrounding swamp. The heroine once escaped due to personal worries, but now she needs to investigate the appearance of a mysterious virus. And her charming, but slightly ridiculous colleague Alec Holland (Andy Bean) helps her in this.

It all logically boils down to the fact that they will face a conspiracy, and even from the pilot episode it is clear who will be the villain. And the series finale unequivocally hints at the future fate of Alec, which everyone who is even a little familiar with the original comics, films, TV series or animation projects already knows - he will turn into a conservationist nicknamed the Swamp Thing. But the dignity of the series is not in the intrigue, but in its presentation.

In fact, the whole story of Swamp Thing - whether in comics or on screens - is more about horror than superhero. Even despite the fact that the character was part of the general universe of DC comics and met Batman, Superman and other characters in cloaks. An unpopular series and once flourished thanks to a new approach.

First, the future author of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" Wes Craven shot the film of the same name. The picture was made according to all the laws of horror films of the eighties: a half-naked girl in trouble, villains with weapons, a creepy hero who mercilessly deals with offenders and saves a lady of the heart.

The film came out mediocre: the Swamp Thing's rubber suit didn't scare anyone, and the script looked predictable. Still, the picture spurred a new wave of interest in the hero.

And a little later, legendary screenwriter Alan Moore undertook to relaunch the Swamp Thing comic series, adding to it the atmosphere of the movie "The Thing" by John Carpenter, and at the same time social themes.

The pilot of the new series looks exactly the same, and the work of Carpenter immediately comes to mind. Here is a gloomy introduction with a sick child, and people through whom roots grow. And the scene in the morgue is frankly referring to the horror classics. And everything works fine - you can only find fault with the level of visual effects. Still, this is a TV project, not a blockbuster for cinemas.

And to understand why all these moments are built so well, it is enough to look at the list of producers of the series. Among them you can find the author of "The Conjuring", "Astral" and "Saw" James Wang. And it is he who acts as a consultant for visual implementation.

Van, like no one else in modern cinema, knows how to show the simplest turns in such a way as to create a tense atmosphere. In addition, Len Wiseman, creator of 1998's Godzilla and Another World, was cast as the director of the pilot. And the authors use their favorite techniques: horror is not shown "head-on", allowing the viewer to independently think out what is hidden in the shadows and why it is so creepy.

Unlike all Netflix projects and many Hulu and Amazon series, the DC Universe streaming service does not release an entire season at once, but one episode per week. Therefore, so far, only a pilot episode has been shown to the audience. And this is just an acquaintance with the characters and the atmosphere of the "Swamp Thing".

The title character is hardly even shown here - there is only the background of his appearance and the first hints of his appearance.

But the authors are trying to tell about the scene itself and about all the main characters. There is a sense of haste: many heroes appear for a couple of minutes, tell some important information and disappear again. We can only hope that in the future they will get rid of such a fuss and reveal their storylines.

Despite the title, Abby will clearly be at the center of the story - she is leading the main investigation into the disease and its connection to the swamp. And this, of course, is not a girl in trouble: the heroine from the very first scenes seems more daring and decisive than Alec.

How Andy Bean's character will be dealt with is not yet clear. Perhaps he will disappear from the series altogether. It is only known that the Swamp Thing is played by stuntman Derek Mears. This is logical, because the monster should look impressive, and Mears is about two meters tall.

Probably, in the next episodes, the authors will combine the atmosphere of horror and the history of the monster with the activities of Abby and her attempts to deal with her past.

With the right presentation, the new series has every chance of becoming the best adaptation of the Swamp Thing comics. Visual effects and filming create a horror atmosphere, and the plot leaves room for a good detective, which is unequivocally hinted at in the first episode, and for drama.

The series was cut shortly before the start from 13 to 10 episodes. So far, it is difficult to say whether this is good or bad. Perhaps this way the studio can avoid the traditional "drawdown" of the plot in the middle of the season. Well, or the creators are afraid that the project will not be very popular. In any case, the pilot episode seems interesting: it is intriguing and sometimes even intimidating.