Synopsis
A disillusioned teen finds purpose and fights for survival at an elite academy for the Deadly Arts.
Review
I’m the first to admit that I have never read the Deadly Class comic book series. This property is a whole new entity to me but from the trailer it looked cool enough to give it a watch.
Perhaps a combination of the cool soundtrack and the lack of expectations help but was one of the best pilots I have seen in years. It’s a refreshing mix of punk attitudes and slick cinematography which combines to make a very compelling show.
Easily one of the best productions I’ve seen on the SyFy network it certainly flies in the face of what has come before it. The show is shot like a movie, presented in wide screen it looks hugely expensive from start to finish. It’s beyond cinematic for its network and that in itself is a huge achievement.
When the episode became animated for a short sequences I was ready to give it a round of applause. The rule book has well and truly been torn up here and it makes for great viewing.
Despite all of the visual bells and whistles the narrative of Deadly Class never becomes overly complex. Whilst “Reagan Youth” generally avoids pilot-y cliches it does lean in to them when required, namely when introducing it’s characters.
There are story beats for each of the leads to show off who they are. Also some handy voice over work to help explain things where required. Benjamin Wadsworth makes a charismatic leads as Marcus. There’s enough rebellion in him to make him unpredictable but never does he become unlikeable.
The ensemble all seem very well cast. There’s a large number of speaking parts all crammed in to this episode. I’d say we need a few more episodes to really get to know them but on the whole their work is great.
Benedict Wong also seems like a great addition to the show. His unapologetic Master Lin will easily become a standout character on the show.
There’s not a huge amount of action in this episode. What we do get to see teases that this show is going to do some weird and wonderful things over the next few weeks. Fight choreography seems pretty solid and also quirky enough to fit with the tone of the show.
Between snippets of Depeche Mode and The Cure the soundtrack to this episode was awesome. I hope the series as a whole keeps up this type of sound because that alone will easily make it one of my favourites.
Verdict
“Reagan Youth” is an excellent pilot. It avoids many of the usual cliches to instead provide a quirky entry point to the world of Deadly Class. Stylish visuals and edgy characters are punctuated with an equally cool soundtrack.
Well worth 45 minutes of your time.
9/10
Deadly Class stars Benedict Wong, Benjamin Wadsworth, Lana Condor, María Gabriela de Faría, Luke Tennie, Liam James and Michel Duval. The series airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy in North America.
In the next episode…
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