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By Megan Peters
Netflix is no stranger to comic book adaptations, and his body of work with Marvel icons like Daredevil tells the story. With the super-heroes at the top of the Hollywood marquee, it's not surprising that the company is looking to expand its crosslist, but Netflix is engaging differently with its upcoming comic title. After all, The Umbrellas Academy is next, and it seems to be another hit of the streaming service.
Having seen seven episodes on a full order of 10, The Umbrellas Academy The perfect mix of irreverent humor and gloomy introspection in his first seven episodes, paving the way for a show that Netflix will surely want to pursue. Originally created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba, the comic was born years ago with Dark Horse. As you can expect from the leader of the My Chemical Romance group, The Umbrellas Academy admire his macabre aesthetic and his painful twists, and that's all Netflix embraces fully with his adaptation.
The television series looks a bit like this: in a world where dozens of children were born miraculously, seven of them were adopted by eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves. The distant man raises his accusations of being superheroes gathered under the banner of The Umbrella Academy. Despite his better planning, the team quickly broke their beards and the children, now grown up and now separated, are reunited after the sudden death of their father. However, the death of Sir Reginald was only the beginning of an impending apocalypse, and the old superheroes are forced to decide if they will work again to save their world.
In his heart, The Umbrellas Academy is a heroic tale with all the action you expect, but its interest lies in its characters. The six children raised by Sir Reginald weave complex narratives during the first season of the series with a couple who stand out. Vanya (Ellen Page) is an immediate revelation as the acclaimed actress gives life to an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances. Without any special power, Vanya offers fans a window into what Umbrella Academy would grow, and Page performs a nuanced performance every time she's on screen. Klaus (Robert Sheehan) brings to life the often dark notes of the story, making it the perfect mirror for characters like Luther (Tom Hopper) and Number Five (Aidan Gallagher).
The Umbrellas Academy Peaks with his character portraits, his cinematography and his writing only complement them. Executive producer Steve Blackman has worked diligently to recreate the main aspects of the series' original comic strip, but the Netflix title does not look like a true copy. Although this change can upset the fans of comics, The Umbrellas Academy gives some room for maneuver through these changes, but that does not mean that the first seven episodes are blank.
The introduction of the unorthodox villains of the series splits The Umbrellas Academy strangely, although Mary J. Blige's work as Cha-Cha is superb. The main actors of the series being even more numerous, the rhythm suffers because the public is more and more jerky between the scenarios. The uneven focus seems particularly shocking between the third and fifth episodes, but the advance of the plot helps to soften the transitions towards the end. If there is a complaint to be made with The Umbrellas Academyit is with its extensions, but the problem is surely a growing pain for what will probably become another success of Netflix.
With the end of the world, The Umbrellas Academy manages to distil an apocalyptic narrative into something familiar and personal. Separate roles unite to form an exciting character drama, even if their bows collide from time to time. As the superheroes continue their ascent to Hollywood, the The Umbrellas Academy gives a decidedly different kind of genre, and it's a model that new and old fans will be happy to add to their list.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Umbrellas Academy should be out on Netflix on February 15th. Although the entire series lasts 10 episodes, this criticism builds on the first seven.
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