Review by gjw

Honestly, my initial problem with this series was the look of the main superhero, "Utopian", whose matted, long, white hair and scraggly beard makes him look like some hostile homeless person in bad pajamas. I have nothing against the idea of an aged superhero, in fact, it is rather novel. But it's possible to create a character with white hair who doesn't look like a Skid Row bum or a degenerate department store Santa Claus.

But I managed to look past that glaring misstep, and I actually enjoyed the series - at least the first half of it.

While it included more mature and violent situations than the usual superhero movie, it managed to avoid the gross excesses of recent super-anti-hero shows like "The Boys" or "Invincible", which often wallow in sickening gore simply because they can.

And it also managed to maintain a sense of ethics and a code of honor for Utopian, rather than simply promoting the idea that all superheroes are essentially just supervillains in disguise.

But about halfway through, the show took a turn for the worse. It became increasingly more surrealistic, seemingly obsessed with disturbing visions and hallucinations. Granted, those visions did eventually lead to a major development in the origin story, but the producers made the audience suffer through them for far too long before getting to the point. They also failed to explain exactly who gifted the heroes with their powers, or why they did it, something that is rather unpardonable for an origin story that is supposed to clear up mysteries, not create them.

Also, the show took a negative turn in the final episodes, and unfortunately, it appears to be heading in a very nihilistic direction that will undermine the essence of the show's original positive ethos.