Doomdark-3

So here we have a Christmas Fairy Tale set in Finland in what looks like the 18th century. Thus, one might be forgiven for expecting the movie to draw heavily on the rich and complex folklore of the region. Yet there is no trace of the culture, religion or history of either the Finnish, Sami, Swedish, Norwegian or Russian peoples. (Granted, there are some trolls and elves and runes, but their at best superficial resemblance to their mythical counterparts is only insulting to Nordic viewers.)

Oh, and this story happened "before anybody knew about Christmas", which is both mind-numbingly stupid and explicitly anti-Christian. I'm not a Christian myself but it's hard to avoid the Christ in "Christmas". I'm sure the strict Lutheran priests in Norrland did a better job reminding people... Why not rather explore the fascinating pagan roots of the holiday in Scandinavia, where Christmas has always been called Jul (Yule) and Father Christmas is known as Jultomten/Julgubben (meaning something like the "Yule Gnome" or "Old Man Yule")? (There is no awareness of a "Saint Nicholas" beyond modern influences from the Anglo-Saxon world, rendering the movie protagonist's name "Nicolas" pointless.)

As is also mandatory in this day and age - regardless of the setting - there is a rainbow of skin colors. I wouldn't mind at all if it made any kind of sense, but it just comes off as revisionist and blatant cultural appropriation. I wouldn't want to see white folks in African folktales either. It's just so unnecessary and stupid.

Spare yourself and your children this garbage.

The acting is good, the visual effects are great, and the basic premise of deeply corrupt superheroes with various apparent mental disorders is still cool (as it was in Watchmen). I thoroughly enjoy the not-so-subtle parodies of the Justice League heroes, and there are plenty of fantastic scenes and moments throughout the first season.

Now, I'd probably have given The Boys a 10 back in the Reagan era, or even in the 90s, but the kind of over-the-top Anti-Americanism and Christian bashing it indulges in just feels vicious and crude to me now. Perhaps society today is dominated by completely different forces than the Moral Majority, or maybe I've simply outgrown my youthful cynicism. Either way, just like with Preacher (also based on a Garth Ennis comic), I find it incredibly stale, and it seriously detracts from what is still a good show. (And I say this as a Swede with no religious convictions.)