I was excited when I heard of the release of Romper Stomper from Stan however it wasn't without concern as 2018 and 1992 is a very different world. Romper was a favourite movie of mine, brutal, in your face and without political leanings. It showed the skinhead culture, the Nazism, hate, loyalty, mateship and desperation of forgotten disaffected young men coupled with the struggle of hard-working migrants trying to fit in in an unfamiliar world. It resonated with many at the time as it looked at the extremes of our racially infused multicultural Australia.
The reboot sees it brought into 2017. I'll cut to the chase- the first 3 eps did not impress at all. The acting was weak, particularly from the kids in Juvi and the Anti-fac group. Lachy Hulme as Blake and David Denham as Jago held my interest long enough to get to ep 4. From here it did pick up with Toby Wallace's character Kane really shining through - his Hando inspired ruthless leadership under guidance of old gang member "Cackles" brought back some of the old brilliance...but only some. Dan Wyllie was very good as Vic/Cackles and John Brumpton as a struggling but forever angry Magoo was excellent.
Here is where it went wrong from my perspective. The story lines did not have enough depth - Gabe(J Mackenzie )and the Cop(J L Taylor) relationship was not even required and went nowhere. The African gangs seemed like afterthought and didn't add to the storyline. Zoe (Sophie Lowe) and her odd Christian perspective was not built up enough to feel real. Why was Magoo's daughter Asian - why was he still a neo Nazi? Not enough background on the infiltration of Cindy into Anti-fac helping out her foster brother Kane and later Vic - the young actress did get better as it progressed. The Muslim family was true to the typical liberal left styling of the film industry - no sign of extremism, just facing racial profiling at every turn. Farid (J Maroun) and Amir (P Raei) are strong actors but their characters again, like many in this, did not develop. Anit-Fac were portayed as the "good" bad guys, which holds to the current anti populist politics line, however they were portayed as a violent and anarchist mob, but again no real depth. I wanted more insight into Anti-fac - what drove them? The Blue Patriots were not as interesting as Handos old crew - portrayed as a bunch of bumbling nationalist idiots rather than the interesting (and also idiotic) sub culture of neo nazi skins that we saw in the orginal. Gabe and her fathers story was frustrating to watch, including the scene with Gabe and Kane and learning of the incestuous nature of his father (which I thought was either Hando or Davey given she hated her father and had stopped seeing him). The final episode, whilst not terrible, did not round much out (perhaps intentionally) but saw a murderous end at the hands of right wing terror aligned to suicide bomber style of those they detest (ironic?). It was shocking the sheer size of the explosion.
This could have been very good, but felt rushed and needed far more character development. With so much brilliant international tv and strong Aussie talent out there this unfortunately missed the mark and its ratings will be strong based on its historical links rather than in its own merits. It was just "okay"..
The reboot sees it brought into 2017. I'll cut to the chase- the first 3 eps did not impress at all. The acting was weak, particularly from the kids in Juvi and the Anti-fac group. Lachy Hulme as Blake and David Denham as Jago held my interest long enough to get to ep 4. From here it did pick up with Toby Wallace's character Kane really shining through - his Hando inspired ruthless leadership under guidance of old gang member "Cackles" brought back some of the old brilliance...but only some. Dan Wyllie was very good as Vic/Cackles and John Brumpton as a struggling but forever angry Magoo was excellent.
Here is where it went wrong from my perspective. The story lines did not have enough depth - Gabe(J Mackenzie )and the Cop(J L Taylor) relationship was not even required and went nowhere. The African gangs seemed like afterthought and didn't add to the storyline. Zoe (Sophie Lowe) and her odd Christian perspective was not built up enough to feel real. Why was Magoo's daughter Asian - why was he still a neo Nazi? Not enough background on the infiltration of Cindy into Anti-fac helping out her foster brother Kane and later Vic - the young actress did get better as it progressed. The Muslim family was true to the typical liberal left styling of the film industry - no sign of extremism, just facing racial profiling at every turn. Farid (J Maroun) and Amir (P Raei) are strong actors but their characters again, like many in this, did not develop. Anit-Fac were portayed as the "good" bad guys, which holds to the current anti populist politics line, however they were portayed as a violent and anarchist mob, but again no real depth. I wanted more insight into Anti-fac - what drove them? The Blue Patriots were not as interesting as Handos old crew - portrayed as a bunch of bumbling nationalist idiots rather than the interesting (and also idiotic) sub culture of neo nazi skins that we saw in the orginal. Gabe and her fathers story was frustrating to watch, including the scene with Gabe and Kane and learning of the incestuous nature of his father (which I thought was either Hando or Davey given she hated her father and had stopped seeing him). The final episode, whilst not terrible, did not round much out (perhaps intentionally) but saw a murderous end at the hands of right wing terror aligned to suicide bomber style of those they detest (ironic?). It was shocking the sheer size of the explosion.
This could have been very good, but felt rushed and needed far more character development. With so much brilliant international tv and strong Aussie talent out there this unfortunately missed the mark and its ratings will be strong based on its historical links rather than in its own merits. It was just "okay"..