Review By Kamal K
Not many shows in television history have put martial arts front and center to this degree, but "Into the Badlands" has stood out against the crowd since the very beginning. The series, created by Al Gough and Miles Millar and directly inspired by classic samurai films like "Yojimbo" and "Harakiri," depicts a bleak universe centuries in the future, where the survivors struggle in a bloody feudalistic landscape.
Best way to survive? Be totally awesome at martial arts, like reformed assassin Sunny (Daniel Wu) and the many other unique characters who occupy this brutal land.
As dense as the mythology surrounding the show might be, "Into the Badlands" oftentimes uses it merely as a backdrop to the beautiful violence on display.
Due to the events of last season, the core ensemble is largely scattered to the winds, but in some cases this gives the characters some quite welcome focus. Sunny, for example, lacked much in the way of drive at the beginning of Season 1, but now his quest to return to his lover and child gives his narrative real energy. And M. K. (Aramis Knight) is now not just seeking to understand the source of his mysterious powers, but use them to relocate his mother.
Not only do the early episodes of the season play up some deliciously "Mad Max"-esque weirdness, but visually, the locations this season also get a major upgrade thanks to the production's relocation from New Orleans to Ireland, bringing some rich greenery to the show's palette that makes its already striking use of color stand out even more.
Another major change to the series is the addition of just a little more levity than before, courtesy of Nick Frost ("Shaun of the Dead") as a new ally for Sunny. His particular brand of quick wit and physical ability makes him a perfect fit for the show's oddball tone, which also finds moments of humor in the below-the-line details. From the extravagant costumes to the imaginative sets - like a mining facility devoted to unearthing lost artifacts of the past, and a lair built in the wreckage of an abandoned train station - there's a lot to appreciate on screen.
Meanwhile, "Badlands" is a wilde rich adventure in every respect, while also engaging with big themes about what it means to be a good person in a terrible world. And it does it with a beautiful and blood-soaked style all its own.
Not many shows in television history have put martial arts front and center to this degree, but "Into the Badlands" has stood out against the crowd since the very beginning. The series, created by Al Gough and Miles Millar and directly inspired by classic samurai films like "Yojimbo" and "Harakiri," depicts a bleak universe centuries in the future, where the survivors struggle in a bloody feudalistic landscape.
Best way to survive? Be totally awesome at martial arts, like reformed assassin Sunny (Daniel Wu) and the many other unique characters who occupy this brutal land.
As dense as the mythology surrounding the show might be, "Into the Badlands" oftentimes uses it merely as a backdrop to the beautiful violence on display.
Due to the events of last season, the core ensemble is largely scattered to the winds, but in some cases this gives the characters some quite welcome focus. Sunny, for example, lacked much in the way of drive at the beginning of Season 1, but now his quest to return to his lover and child gives his narrative real energy. And M. K. (Aramis Knight) is now not just seeking to understand the source of his mysterious powers, but use them to relocate his mother.
Not only do the early episodes of the season play up some deliciously "Mad Max"-esque weirdness, but visually, the locations this season also get a major upgrade thanks to the production's relocation from New Orleans to Ireland, bringing some rich greenery to the show's palette that makes its already striking use of color stand out even more.
Another major change to the series is the addition of just a little more levity than before, courtesy of Nick Frost ("Shaun of the Dead") as a new ally for Sunny. His particular brand of quick wit and physical ability makes him a perfect fit for the show's oddball tone, which also finds moments of humor in the below-the-line details. From the extravagant costumes to the imaginative sets - like a mining facility devoted to unearthing lost artifacts of the past, and a lair built in the wreckage of an abandoned train station - there's a lot to appreciate on screen.
Meanwhile, "Badlands" is a wilde rich adventure in every respect, while also engaging with big themes about what it means to be a good person in a terrible world. And it does it with a beautiful and blood-soaked style all its own.
