Preacher

Not yet read Preacher, but I was a little aware of the concept before starting this adaptation. It was mostly the stars that encouraged me to watch, as I'm a big fan of all three leads, particularly Joseph Gilgun and I'm overall I'm happy I did, as I liked (but perhaps didn't love) this series.

Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) is a former criminal who has returned to his hometown to become their Preacher - as his father once was. Attendances are dwindling and Jesse is unsure of his place in the world, then he receives what he believes is a divine gift. When he speaks, those who hear are forced to act on it, regardless of what it is. With his church on the up, he reconnects with Tulip (Ruth Negga) a childhood friend who has a mission of revenge for them both to begin and meets Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) an Irish Vampire just looking for a good time.

The first season is a funny, daring adult fantasy with wonderful central performances from its three leads and able support from the likes of Jackie Earle Haley, W Earl Brown, Lucy Griffiths and Derek Wilson. It ends at a point that I was really excited to see where it would go, but from there the show repeatedly splits up its three central characters and the second season is a step or two down in quality from the first. The third is better, but repeats the trick of splitting up the leads and introduces an element of repetition into the story line, as does the fourth. The later seasons rely on this bond between the three but the bonds between them is really something that we're more told about, than seeing exist.

One other slight issue, now it feels like it's another aspect of the very busy "adult fantasy" market. "The Boys", "American Gods", "Legion", "Good Omens" have all come subsequently and all (to some extent) cover similar ground.

I don't want to give the impression that it's bad, at any point, but aside from the first season it's just a bit too peripatetic and repetitive for its own good.

I worked in a comic shop after decades of X-Men Comics. I read a few of the Preacher comics but a friend/co-worker of mine was far more into them. When I realized that this was a Series, I purchased each season on blu ray. As someone who has been a "comic book geek" long before the term was cool, I can tell you that as an adaptation, Preacher was almost perfect! Far beyond any Marvel or DC movie. Try to prove me wrong but there are very few comic based adaptations I have seen that fit more than Preacher. The casting is as near to perfection as you can get. Cooper and Gilgun (especially) are perfect. Ruth Negga as Tulip is physically against the comic but Ruth is definitely a perfect Tulip! The casting is PERFECT!! The plots are pretty awesome! Great job!!

I hadn't even heard of the Preacher comic books (or graphic novels if you wanna be that person) but I also never heard of the Walking Dead before the show and now that turned into a phenomenon. This didn't quite become a major hit but AMC managed to pick another gem out of a pile of more obscure source material and execute it while looking polished but not selling out to appease a wider audience. I guess you're able to have a little more leeway when you're backed by the likes of Seth Rogan (one of the shows producers and he's been hitting some homers too with his comic book choices) The story revolves around a former crook turned preacher who through a series of unfortunate events came across a rather dangerous power that was "misplaced" by heaven and now has an assortment of kooky characters trying to get it back while he stubbornly refuses to return it unless he speaks to God himself who is apparently missing. This is a really great unique concept. It reminds me of Constantine not only in it's way of playing with the christianity mythos but in its antihero main character. Actually all the characters in this show are quite flawed and can in no way be called a hero in a conventional way; another reason I really like this show. The characters are unique and memorable and very well-cast. Some characters that really stand out though are of course the vampire and the bald German man. Very great. The writing is also quite good of course. Lots of wit, nothing extremely deep but it's fun for fun's sake with some really nice twists and blood-splattering bangs (trust me there's no lack of gory violence and outlandish lude humor). It doesn't really try to woo you with any of its sets or effects though it looks pretty but don't go expecting any epic thunderbolts or larger than life hellscapes. It focuses more on the story than on it's visuals. The characters end up tripping up on their own flaws almost too much. I would've been a little excessive if it kept on going the way that they did. 'Glad they reached a pretty gratifying conclusion and not left it with an ambitious "to be continued" though I gotta say they really seemed to stuff that last season with as much lewdness (is that a word?) as they could get away with. They knew it was going to be the end so they almost made another "This is the End". All in all a fun twisted dark fantasy without Kanye West. 7.72/10.

Let me start this review by stating that I've never read the comic books, so I can't testify as to whether or not this crazy, grotesque, violent and hilarious new AMC fantasy series is a faithful adaptation of the source material. But what I can tell you as an avid fantasy and horror fan is that the pilot left me with an immediate urge to watch the next episode.

Just so you know, this review won't contain anything story related, so if you want to learn what the show is about, read the IMDb synopsis or go to Wikipedia. I believe most films and TV-shows are enjoyed best without knowing anything other than maybe the genre, cast or filmmaker (plus, personally, I like to know about as many aspects as I can about the actual quality of the filmmaking itself). Oh, but maybe this: don't get frustrated if you don't immediately understand just what the heck is going on. The pilot introduces several key characters and important story elements by jumping around quite a bit and throwing you directly into the action, but we're clearly not meant to know and understand everything right from the start. So relax, be patient and have a little faith in showrunner Sam Catlin; the dude co-produced (or co-executive produced) 55 episodes of 'Breaking Bad', 10 of which he wrote, so he should know a little something about storytelling.

What becomes immediately evident in 'Preacher' is that the casting of the title role was a stroke of genius: Dominic Cooper ('The Devil's Double', 'Captain America: The First Avenger') makes for a fantastic lead. His charismatic but nuanced performance as conflicted preacher Jesse Custer was enough to convince me after only one episode that he will be able to carry this series. It's always a balancing act to portray this kind of character with just enough vulnerability to make him appear relatable and human but still have him come across as larger than life, and judging by what I've seen so far, Cooper manages to pull it off perfectly.

I'd say the cast in general is very solid, but the two actors that need to be mentioned most apart from Cooper's preacher are Ruth Negga in the role of Tulip and Joseph Gilgun who plays Cassidy. Both are wicked fun to watch (and obviously they're relishing their parts) and both have completely bonkers introduction scenes for their respective characters that will give audiences a taste of just what kind of crazy, ultra-violent mayhem we're in for with this new show.

Now just to get this straight: there are darkly comic moments abound in 'Preacher' but it is not a black comedy - nor is it as over the top as, say, 'Ash vs the Evil Dead' (despite being pretty over the top at times). Fans of the show's creators, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, would be well-advised not to expect a similar tone in 'Preacher' as in some of the duo's previous works like 'This Is the End' or 'The Interview'. What we have here is probably best described as "dark fantasy" and while it IS peppered with a large dose of dark comedy, I'm pretty sure there will also be some rather unfunny shît down the road for this preacher to deal with.

As for the production values, the visuals (and the visual effects) in general look very nice and the sets convincing; the southern locations have a "lived-in" and appropriately run-down look and the whole small-town, Texan atmosphere is tangible. The cinematography was expertly done (the pilot's DoP was none other than The Matrix' Bill Pope) and the soundtrack is even downright fantastic (if you can appreciate southern songs from the likes of Johnny Cash, that is). The one thing that didn't always work for me was the pacing/editing and the way certain scenes were established, but a slightly uneven rhythm is not uncommon for pilot episodes, so I'm not worried yet.

My overall verdict: 'Preacher' is a show that doesn't try for a second to cater to a mainstream audience; it offers a unique blend of pulp elements and dark fantasy for genre fans who most likely won't have the slightest problem digesting the hefty mix of drama, horror, gory violence and humor. Needless to say, I'm totally on board (and I can't wait for the next sermon). My provisional rating: 8 stars out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Many people have criticised the show, some based on religious "blasphemy" and some on the fact that it isn't true to the comic. However, SEE beyond the face value. It's not about revenge, it's not about Justice. It's not about religion or atheism. It's about letting go. Surrendering to what you can't control. Humanity. Duality. Our light side and our dark side. There is a much deeper message embedded in this TV show. These writers have done their homework. They get it (as with many other writers). See past your ego for once and see the Universal Truth hidden within.