muratmihcioglu

This was better than what I expected. The premise was prone to sucking miserably due to leaning too heavily on suspension of disbelief within the framework of a subject matter that has already been used and abused countless times. However, the director was adamant in forcing it. A punt, I'd say. Trying to convince your audience into unhinged nonsense could have provided an unredeemable result. But that is not the case with the outcome.

Unlike ELF with Will Ferrell, RED ONE uses the imaginary realm of Santa Clause more as a jumping board than the soul of the story it is telling. We dive into a greater network of perceptions where (to their credit) such mythological characters are not totally unknown. There is a task for like the Men in Black team and the gist of the story is not the secrecy. For once, we get to experience the spy adventure spirit in a more fresh setting, with nods to the sub-genre of how the Secret Service protects the president.

The two leads deliver it as they should: Warm, convincing, larger than life. No problems with the casting. CGI was good enough. The snowmen were where it got close to perfection whereas the ridiculously multicultural polar city (Wakanda meets Asgard because Hollywood caters to everybody!) could have been worked better.

So much effort has gone both to the script and to the visual work that, it'd be a sin not to come up with a sequel to this, one in which Santa Claus became even less of a focus as another fictional character was experiencing a crisis in tune with an all-American kind of governance, work place culture, and deep state functionality.

I know they are avoiding it on purpose, but this particular legend could have made more sense if the building blocks had remained in tune with the European tales originating it. A polar bear named Garcia is where the targeted consumer shapes the vibe more than the source material is allowed to. But yeah, we'll cut that some slack as the whole experience is already beyond the barrier of belief.

What surprised me was how they let very major inconsistencies slide by while at the same time toiling over details to make the story look credible. Like, USAF staff is well aware of Santa Claus, suggesting they are somewhat a "friendly foreign entity", BUT there has never been a leak from anyone, not even to their kids... I don't feel like judging this level of relaxed framing, however it's quite unconventional, especially if you will lean heavily on acrobatics to make Santa Claus' "Christmas night performance" make sense.

Was this version of Santa related to Christianity in any way? Nothing in the story even remotely suggested so. Then, have the producers hijacked the "spirit of Christmas" way before that witch attempted to?

Also: Why were there references to Wonder Woman? They sounded pretty off.

Again: Not as good as ELF, nor as deserving of being a "Christmas movie" as DIE HARD effortlessly is... But still, quite good for an era that reeks of CGI abuse.

Fake history pop culture is becoming toxic on some level as part of the audience are naive enough to think that the bits in the background (like Black kings in Europe) are factual. I was suspicious this was going to sink deep into such holes, hiding its veiled falsehoods behind what it openly mocks or invents. However, I got pleasantly surprised to see there was a strong self-awareness with the outlook, especially thanks to the short but effective narrations here and there.

Though nowhere near it, this show reminded of a favorite from a decade ago: Galavant!

I did smile and laugh at times, even though I could not immerse into the dynamics of the story like I had with Galavant. The love-hate relationship between Jane and her mother was spot on. It takes a female writer to walk so skillfully on such a sharp blade. Though I'm in the dark regarding the body of her work, the source material screams it is penned by an upcoming J. K. Rowling, the way I see it.

Similar shows spend their ammunition very early, and I seldom find myself going past the opening episode. But My Lady Jane is currently keeping me engaged.

I'd personally enjoy the experience more if colors and settings had been crafted to promote more vivid colors instead of the GOT-ish seppia underneath. If you are doing shapeshifters who can become human or animal at will, you should feel more at liberty to not stick with the traditional filth. You're already not on a realistic path, right?

I will need to finish with the whole 8 episodes before deciding on a score but so far it deserves nothing short of 7.

Well done.